| Do you feel like a victim of your circumstances, or | | | | "Let's find a way to........" |
| are the Master of your Fate? | | | | "I choose to" |
| Another way of asking this question is - are you | | | | "I can do it." |
| REACTIVE or PROACTIVE? Do you tend to take | | | | "There has to be a way to do this." |
| responsibility for your life - or do you tend to blame | | | | "I'm not going to let.................. ruin my day." |
| other people, things, circumstances if things don't go | | | | You'll also tend to think before you act, take |
| right for them. | | | | responsibility for your choices, bounce back quickly |
| Everyone has things that go wrong in their life - it's | | | | after a set back, focus on the things that you can |
| your response to it, that will determine the effect | | | | change - not the ones that you can't. |
| that the event will have on your life. Helen Keller, | | | | CAN I CHANGE HOW I REACT TO THINGS? |
| who was born Deaf and Blind, did and said many | | | | If you have developed a habit of being reactive you |
| inspirational things in her life, one of which was, "So | | | | can change it. It's like any habit, it may take a while |
| much has been given to me, I have no time to | | | | to change, but if you want to you can. The first |
| ponder over what has been denied." She had enough | | | | thing is to be AWARE of when you are being |
| wrong in her life to spend a life time bemoaning her | | | | reactive. Take time - press the pause button - |
| fate - but instead she lived a very full and blessed | | | | before you react. Decide which is the most |
| life. | | | | empowering - is it to focus all your energy on things |
| HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M BEING REACTIVE? | | | | that are out of your control, or to focus on what |
| If you are being reactive you will hear yourself saying | | | | you can control. |
| things like: | | | | There are many things that you can't control - your |
| "I'll try and do this" | | | | environment, other people's reactions, the weather - |
| "That's just the way I am" | | | | if you focus on them, you'll feel like a victim. |
| "I have to.............." | | | | If you focus on the one thing that you can change - |
| "I can't................." | | | | yourself, you'll feel much more in control of your life, |
| "............... has ruined my life" | | | | and more able to cope with the knocks that life |
| "I'll never get over" | | | | throws at you. |
| You'll probably find that you are easily offended, you | | | | ACTION STEP |
| blame others for what's not right with your life, you | | | | Ask yourself - "What do I spend a lot of my time |
| complain a lot, fly off the handle and then regret it. | | | | worrying about that I have no control over?" |
| HOW DO I KNOW IF I"M BEING PROACTIVE? | | | | How can I change my reaction to that, so that I feel |
| You'll tend to say things like: | | | | more in control. |