To be chosen as one of the prefects in my secondary school was a very big deal. The criteria are quite high. Firstly nominations, and then you go through the teachers and principals’ sort of stage viewing. Where you are called into a room full of teachers and you are just meant to stand there and be examined. God bless you if you don’t greet like the proper Omo Yoruba that you are, lol. This could be very intimidating, and then you start thinking in your mind “have I been rude to this teacher or that teacher” and then praying deep within that you have a clean slate.
Okay, before I get carried away with the whole prefect selection process; are you PROACTIVE or REACTIVE?
Being proactive means to take control and responsibility for your life, also taking responsibility for your own behavior (past present and future). Proactive people understand that they are responsible for their own happiness or unhappiness. They don’t blame others for their own actions or feelings. Being proactive is the key to unlocking ones inner self. Proactive people make choices on values, they think before they act. They recognize that they cannot control everything that happens to them. Being proactive is more than taking initiative, proactive people are agents of change and chose not to be victims to be reactive or blame others.
Reactive people make choices based on impulse. They are like a can of soda pop. When life shakes them up a bit, the pressure builds and they suddenly explode. Reactive people are often affected by their social environment, when people treat them well they feel well, when people don’t they become defensive or protective. If the weather is good they feel good. If it isn’t it affects their attitude and their performance. Reactive people build their emotional lives around the behaviors of others, empowering the weaknesses of other people to control them.
Proactive people can carry their own weather with them. Whether it rains or shines makes no difference to them. They are value driven, and if their value is to produce good quality, it isn’t a question of whether the weather is conducive or not.
You fail a test, someone calls you names, someone talks behind your back or a driver overtakes you wrongly. What do you do about these daily happenings? Do you scream, get angry and let it affect your whole day or do you handle it calmly? Only you can decide to be proactive or reactive about it. The choice is really yours.
However, if you wondered about the prefect selection process, the good news is that I was finally chosen as a prefect and due to that I was privileged to speak on being Proactive or Reactive on one of the assembly sessions.
Have a lovely weekend and remember that the choice is yours!
Photo credit – colour box
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