Proactivity is Key to Fulfilment

Many of us are looking for more happiness and fulfilment in our lives, after all, there is often scope for improvement! We don't have to stoically accept whatever is thrown at us, and accept it as 'our lot in life'.

Making improvements requires proactivity. What does that mean? It means making our lives the way we want them to be, rather than accepting them the way they are.

Stephen Covey, who wrote 'the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People' says that proactivity begins with the mindset “I am responsible for me, and I can choose".

If we accept that whatever we experience, we created (whether consciously or unconsciously), then we can choose to experience something better.

Our next challenge is to make a few decisions around 'what would I prefer to experience, what do I choose?'. We need to visualise that better something, and get clarity about what we want from our lives, which requires us to make choices. The clearer the vision, the more laser-like our focus can be.

So start today by going for a long walk somewhere peaceful, pretending for a while that you dont have all these constraints that you tell yourself are holding you back, and picture your life as you intend for it to be from now on.

Good luck!

Are leaders born or made?

You know, debating whether leaders are born or made is a little bit like debating whether there is a God... depends what you mean by 'God'. I think we have to start by defining the notion of 'leader' we are holding in mind. For example, many of us when 'leader' is mentioned think Gandhi, Obama, JFK, or business leaders. I'd lke the expand the thought process a bit. If a great leader is someone who makes things happen, provides a great role model, causes other people to drop what they're doing and follow, we should think a little about the unsung quiet leaders in our midst. Maybe those who act out of principle, inspiration, higher purpose, voluntarily, rather than for bonuses. For me, those are the great leaders, people I aspire to be like. And I dont think you can categorise those people as either born or made, and training certainly didnt make the difference. How can we find our passion, our inspiration, our contribution? Then, we can't help but lead!