Initiative is vital to achieve our objectives, activate change and create a course of action. Initiative gives rise to life’s most significant accomplishments.
Ideas, dreams and goals are not enough to effect change. One person who takes the initiative to solve a problem is worth more than a thousand who have the intention to resolve the same situation.
Initiative comes from a burning desire to produce change and achieve an objective. Hunger, sexual desire and survival all create pressure which influences action. In order to live healthy productive lives, it’s vital to resolve the pressure which is present in each of us. Initiative is the ideal response to this pressure.
When we are hungry, we seek food. When we feel sexual desire, we seek release. When we are in danger, we seek safety.
While initiative which satisfies biological necessities is an instinctive response, initiative to advance professionally or personally is a learned response and more elusive. The pressure we feel when embarking on a new activity or initiating a new journey is more subtle and our reaction to this type of pressure must be developed and nurtured.
We constantly seek pleasure and avoid pain. Starting something new is frequently associated with pain, an uneasy feeling which arises when we venture outside our comfort zone and are exposed to the prospect of failure.
Every decision we make in life has a consequence; some are perceived as good and others as bad. Some involve pleasure and others pain. Of all decisions, the decision to do nothing guarantees mediocrity.
Taking initiative involves assuming risk, breaking away from the known and leaping into the unknown with decision and action. We are often faced with a double-edged sword. Family and friends often encourage us to seek the comfortable and convenient, frequently criticizing our stand to deviate from established parameters.
Resolve to follow our own path and take calculated risks is essential to soar with the eagles rather than slither with the snakes.
Eliciting the guidance of allies who inspire us to take initiative is often critical to our success. Communicating with those who share our vision and desire to create and initiate significant ventures builds strength and confidence. At the same time, it is wise to carefully guard our initiatives and desires from those who do not share our vision and may wish to diminish our desire.
Our creative power is unique. Our capacity to create, imagine and establish new ideas is extraordinary. Confidence in our abilities as well as the initiative to take action nourishes our creative energy.
@RobMcBride