Keeping up on my writing skills and my motivation, I went to a writer’s seminar a few years ago. I wanted to have some fresh people read my material, plus make some contacts. During the two day seminar I learned a whole lot more.
Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, took a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket. He held it up and asked who wanted it. Many hands in the room went up. Two people got out of their seats and made a mad dash for the money. One got there before the other and picked up the twenty dollar bill.
“These two guys are proactive,” Jack said after everyone was seated again. “They chose to go after what they wanted instead of just raising their hands.”
I consider myself a proactive type of person, but found myself just raising my hand. At times in my life I’ve gotten complacent. This was a nice wake up call.
A place many of us can become complacent is at work. We may come in and just do our job and then go home. In order to make the boss recognize us, we need to always be at the top of our game.
In sales, we need to constantly sell, sell, sell. Outsell the coworkers to make the money and be recognized as top salesperson. In an office setting, it’s coming up with innovative ideas that take the company beyond the basics. In a factory setting, it may be a perfect safety rating, being on time and helping out fellow workers when they need it.
It’s hard work to be proactive. Each job that I’ve had, I’ve kept a good work ethic. I’m almost always on time or even early for work, I get all my work done in a timely fashion and I contribute ideas.
Why is all this important? For one, you will feel good about yourself and your job. Another reason is job references. Every job out there asks for references. Putting down personal references are fine, but professional references go much further.
When you go beyond the expectations of an employer, they will remember that. When it comes time to move on, the employer will be sad to see you go, but will give you an outstanding reference. Beyond your education background and experience, this is the ultimate way of getting a job.
Being proactive is giving a hundred and ten percent. If a problem occurs, a proactive person deals with it. Another person will just complain and not help to find a solution.
This simple principle of being proactive can be applied to families too. Instead of complaining to mom and dad, help them with solutions to get the things done that you want. If you don’t ask, you won’t know the answer.
I hear many times from kids that parents don’t listen to them. When two people are yelling at each other, neither can listen. Turn off the television, shut off the radio or get away from the computer and sit down with your parents.
Until two or more people sit down and in a calm voice let their concerns be heard, no one will know. Who cares if a tree makes a sound when it falls, unless someone is there to hear it.
Be proactive. Go get the twenty dollar bill instead of just wanting it. Work harder than anyone else. When going after a job, most have to send out resumes. That one person putting a hundred and ten percent behind their work will have people calling them for hire. Is that you?
