Being in a sales role for an insurance software company, some days are very draining. People can be rude and let’s face it, I am tenderhearted. We all know that most of the time you can’t choose your circumstances, but you always have the power of choosing the way you react to your circumstances. For a work activity, I was given the assignment of choosing one habit from the book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, written by Stephen Covey. I chose the first habit, Be Proactive. To be honest, I didn’t put much thought into reviewing the other habits. Didn’t even look at them. I quickly chose the first habit with the attitude of “I don’t care which one I read. I’m just going to choose one and get it over with”.
When I sat down one evening (the night before the project was due), I began reading the words while my mind was thinking about a million other things. It wasn’t until a few pages in that I thought, “Wait a second. Maybe I should pay more attention”. I related to this chapter not just through work, but through my personal life as well. While we all may interpret this chapter differently, let me tell you what it means to me.
To be proactive means to be self-aware.
Very quickly this chapter touched on the fact that you are in charge of your own feelings. This is what caught my attention. Anyone who knows me well also knows that I am intelligent, kindhearted, and loyal, but I also over-analyze everything, am anxious at times, and often focused on the negative. I never thought that a project for work could change my outlook on who I am, who I need to be and how I feel.
It is important to be more aware of choosing proactive words, not reactive words. Instead of saying “I have to go to the gym”, say “I am going to the gym”. When pertaining to my sales role for an insurance software company, it is important to not dwell on the customers we lose, but on the potential we have to grow and the prospects we have to gain. A small change can make a huge difference in the way your mind thinks and how it makes you feel. Talk positive and try to keep your focus only on what you can control.
So, smile more. Do not worry about tomorrow. Do not focus on what you cannot change. Be proactive in being positive. Be proactive in making things happen. Be proactive in using positive language and you will feel a difference internally and also positively affect the lives around you. We have so much power over the way we feel. Be proactive in engineering your life.
Jenna Price is an insurance agency management system consultant with Jenesis Software. She can be reached by email at jenna@jenesissoftware.com and loves to chat so drop her an email with questions and comments about this article or just to say hi.