Reactive vs Proactive – There Is A Major Difference For Your Business
by Steven Downward in An Entrepreneurs StoriesI wanted to share something that hit a bit home for me last weekend and I wanted to share it with you. It has to do with being Reactive vs Proactive. Let me explain what I am meaning by this.
Last weekend I went and I took a 2 day course on goal setting and goal achieving. Now in the course the facilitator talked about the difference between being a Reactive person or being a Proactive person. This is something that I had heard before and thought that I really understood it. But I realized something that for me took it to a completely new level so, I thought I would share this with you.
Let me start off with being Reactive. What it means to be reactive is that when things happen to you, you react. Basically it’s like a knee jerk reaction. You do not put any thought into it or take any time to think about it. All you are doing is giving away your power.
It happens like this, there is a stimulus and the you respond, so stimulus -> response, stimulus -> response, etc…
Now this is not a good way to live your life or to run your business. You are basically running around in crisis mode all the time and you never have any of your real power.
The flip side of this is being Proactive. When you are proactive, you are in control of things and you do not give away your power. When things happen to you you do not let the knee jerk reaction to happen. You give it the second, even a microsecond, to let yourself keep your power and act accordingly.
This works like this, there is a stimulus, you pause or think, then you respond. So stimulus -> think -> response, stimulus -> think -> response.
Through doing this, you are keeping control. What this also does is it keeps you out of crisis mode. What normally happens if you are being proactive, you normally get signals a head of time for some problem that might come up and you solve them them. Proactive people solve issues before they ever become an issue.
How does this impact your online business?
Well it is actually quite simple. No matter what business you have or are involved in, you are going to have tough times. You are going to have things that happen that you might not like. If you just react to the situation, you might not get the results that you might have other wise thought would happen.
But if you were proactive, you would have taken a step back and thought how can I make this work or, you might have delt with it long before it ever became an issue.
I hope that this has helped you with your business in some fassion.
Talk later
Steven Downward
PS: I also wanted to mention that through mastering this, it will also help your relationships that you have. Because we all know that in relationships, there are going to be times that were not quite as much fun or the other person is doing something that you do not totally agree with.
If you just react to the situation, you might end up hurting that relationship. And if there is tension in a relationship, particularly a personal one, we tend not to feel very well.
So make the choice to be proactive in all areas of your life. You will be glad that you did.
PSS: If you have any stories about this, how you were proactive on something, share it below. People always love to hear stories of how other people did something, so please share it. 
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Related Posts:
19 Responses to “Reactive vs Proactive – There Is A Major Difference For Your Business”
Leave a Reply
|
Anish
12. Oct, 2011
Hmm, okay, I have to admit.. That is something I’ve, you know, ‘known’ but never really thought deeply about it. I just realized all the times I’ve failed in the past are because I’ve been ‘reactive’, not proactive. In fact, like you said yourself, it’s just the usual tendency of a human to just naturally ‘react’ to whatever happens, and it’s not really easy to find people who are proactive instead of reactive!
I’m gonna start working on trying to make myself more ‘proactive’. Thanks for the tip, Steven.
Anish´s last [type] ..Proactive Reviews: New Proactiv Reviews Astonishing
Omar
05. Jul, 2011
“Proactive people solve issues before they ever become an issue.”<< I agree Steven, everyone should be like this. Why deal with a problem later if you can anticipate it?
TJ
17. Jun, 2011
Steve, thank you for sharing this. Most times i am reactive and I have to work super hard to be proactive. I have, just this year, discovered that I am finally becoming less reactive each time something happens and I am stepping back to look at the whole picture. This is something I have really had to work at. Wish it had come naturally.
Brett Johnson
10. Jun, 2011
These days everyone out their can have their say so everyone does. Another step that could be taken is to keep an eye on the global complaint or opinion center ” web ” the convenience of expressing your opinion through blog’s, websites etc. Many of the customers they come online and share their experiences with the online community which then creates a global perception. Therefore, in order to cater this watchful eye on the web for such concerns should be handful and if a person comes in to write about the bad experience with some company, he sure will come back if the company will take any steps to rectify the problem and post about it.
Thus in this cutthroat rivalry to gain generous stake in the market among the companies only the proactive will survive. We need to rethink our strategy and devise new plans for the enrichment of the overall customer experience.
Dave
09. Jun, 2011
Great article. Thanks for helping me understand this concept some more… and I didn’t even have to take a course!
Karen
03. Jun, 2011
The great thing about learning to think before immediately reacting is that, in many cases, the best reaction is simply to do nothing! So all you spend is minimal energy and time thinking about it, and then do no more than… forget about it.
Jake Howard
08. May, 2011
In the business world, you are taught that you should be proactive rather than reactive to become successful. Being proactive is a skill that takes time and effort, however, to perfect. Thank you for sharing your thoughts
Steven Downward Reply:
May 16th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
@Jake Howard, I totally agree with you Jake, it does take time and effort to get good at being proactive. It’s not like we just choose to be proactive and we are. That would be great if it was though.
Pressure Calibration
28. Apr, 2011
Hey Steven you have shared a great resource with us. I feel reactive and proactive plays their role on everything and not only business and relationships. This is the truth of life but people often neglect it and than later they realize it.
You said. “If you just react to the situation, you might end up hurting that relationship.”
I totally agree with you on this point. If I would have to say something in Proactive term, then I feel that rather than reacting on the situation one should just relax and understand the problem and should talk it out with each other. This will surely take control of the bad situations and save your relationship.
Maria Contreras
Webmaster, RS Calibration
Steven Downward Reply:
May 5th, 2011 at 10:09 am
@Pressure Calibration, Thanks so much for sharing you thoughts Maria. This concept of being proactive with the things that life throws at us is really big. Too many times I know that I’ve just reacted to something and it really didn’t work out that well at all.
Being Proactive is where it’s at and there’s a lot more joy in this.
Steve
Vinny
28. Apr, 2010
You totally need to be proactive. If you are not, then you will have a very hard time creating your dreams. Reacting sucks. Thanks for sharing these thoughts of yours Steve
Jane
21. Apr, 2010
Hi Steve, great to stumble into your space here from Renee’s blog. Pockets of likeness always seem to attract haha.
I’m so glad this reactive vs proactive message is being spread =) I think this message whacked me to awareness when I first read Steven Covey’s 7 Habits…some incredible insights there. sounds like u had an impactful weekend!
cheerio,
Jane
.-= Jane´s last blog ..Ripples of Influence – Being Influential Is Not An ‘Outsourcing’ Issue (PART II) =-.
Steven Downward Reply:
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:45 pm
@Jane, Thanks for the thougthful words Jane. It is a great message and is one that needs to be shared.
Proactive vs Reactive – What Really Is Better For Our Lives And Our Businesses? | AutoPilotIncome101.com
12. Apr, 2010
[...] proactive in business is something that is a major importance. If you are not proactive with your business, [...]
Ryan Yokome
17. Feb, 2010
Hey Steven,
I completely agree with this. It’s about our level of awareness in ourselves.
There is a saying that goes like this:
2% Think, 3% think they think, and 95% would rather die than think!
Most people react, and it totally effects EVERY area of our lives. Awesome post love! Re-Tweeted this for sure!
.-= Ryan Yokome´s last blog ..5 Kick Butt Ways To *Grow Your Business* Starting With Your Mindset =-.
Steven Downward Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 10:59 am
@Ryan Yokome, I have heard that saying goes Rayn and you are so right to bring it up here I never thought about how much these relates to this.
Thanks for sharing it and remainding me of it.
.-= Steven Downward´s last blog ..Reactive vs Proactive – There Is A Major Difference For Your Business =-.
Renee Nadeau
16. Feb, 2010
Thanks For putting this out there Steve
I love this truth, I have felt since being reminded of this, how much I relate to it so much. How being proactive really allows you to keep your power, have compassion, and truly listen and with that learn, Its such a way to bring your life and your business into a flow.
Thank You Hugs
.-= Renee Nadeau´s last blog ..“The Law Of Process” – First Hand Experience =-.
Steven Downward Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 10:57 am
@Renee Nadeau, I am glade that you enjoyed it. I too feel that if you are proactive, you totally keep your power. You keep control of who you are and you do not let other things get in the way. Thanks Renee
.-= Steven Downward´s last blog ..Reactive vs Proactive – There Is A Major Difference For Your Business =-.
uberVU - social comments
14. Feb, 2010
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by raquelmaury: RT @stevendownward Reactive vs Proactive – There Is A Major Difference For Your Business | stevendownward.com http://bit.ly/9nbLWP...