Personal initiative is the ability to do the right thing without being told.
Are you a person who sees the right thing to do and does it without being told, or would something, if done, make things different? It shows you have developed the skill of personal initiative.
People take personal initiative because they have the definiteness of goals. Definiteness of goals is crucial when taking personal initiative because you will drift if you have nowhere to go. You will wait to be instructed.
When people have initiative, they consistently do the right thing without being told. They make it a habit.
Here’s a story that appeals to me about personal initiative
In days gone by, a pastor was preparing a sermon, and his little son kept distracting him.
Hoping to keep him busy for a while, he gave him a puzzle of the world map to assemble.
In a matter of minutes, to the father’s surprise, his son returned, puzzle completed.
The little boy explained to his father, “There’s a picture of a man on the other side. I knew that the world map would be right if I got the man right.”
And this explains how personal initiative starts. It starts with the man. Once man is right, the world becomes right. When you right yourself and take definite steps, your world will be right.
Personal initiative is not a group endeavor. It is an Inside Job. The success of a country is collective. It can be attributed to various personal successes of the residents—their proactiveness in the marketplace and various industries.
Personal initiative is increasing in value and setting achievable goals. You have 200$ now; ask yourself if you can have 400$. You have 10,000 dollars now; can you have 20,000 dollars next year? There has to be an increase in your value.
Personal initiative makes your goals so big, as long as you can limit it to what you can achieve. Personal initiative makes your goal so big that you no longer limit it to what you want to put in your person.
The goal will then become, if I venture into this project, how many people can I employ, and how many lives will change?
You feel a bigger responsibility and do everything you said about going the extra mile, etc. Because now, it’s about the bigger why, and you are getting yourself right.
Here are ways to know a person who takes personal initiative
Clear Objectives
Anyone with Personal Initiative must always have a clear objective. Why? This is because they don’t look over their shoulders to wait for someone to instruct or guide them.
Because if I know what I want to do, I’m doing it right away. If my goal is to lose 10 kg, Personal initiative tells me that I go right to it. There is no waiting for someone or anybody to hold your hand.
Right Teams
People with personal initiative always have the right team.
When you exhibit personal initiative, you find it very hard to get along with everyone. The people you flow with are those who understand the initiative and the goal.
This is why the Bible says, “Do not be fooled. Bad company spoils good manners” Drifters will always derail you from your goal. Be with the right people to make it easier for you to stay on the course.
Prompt Action
Some people wait to gather an entire village before taking action. Personal initiative goes with promptness in taking action. They are very prompt in taking action. They avoid procrastination. The waiting period is reduced when you develop a keen sense of action.
Responsibility
Take full responsibility for your life. There’s a quote I like so much. It says, “Not my father nor my mother, not my brother nor my sister but me o’ Lord standing before you.”
This means if today, I am not earning as much as I should; if today I am not where I should be, it is me. It’s not because other people did not show up or do their part; it is because of you. What are you doing about it?
Understanding and Accommodating
Now, this may seem conflicting, but a person who takes initiative always has an understanding and accommodating personality.
They understand that people have different goals and objectives from theirs and are willing to accommodate them.
Willingness
There is a willingness to experiment and a willingness to learn from mistakes. Willingness to say I will do it; if I fail, at least I tried and have learned how to do it better.
Initiative
The initiative is self-starting. It means to be a self-starter. Because to initiate is to start. Thus, having initiative means having a self-starter attitude.
What should young persons know?
For a young person, taking personal initiative (especially when you factor in peer pressure and identity crisis) is a big issue.
Many young people give more credence to how they seem rather than how they are.
Don’t live life, focusing more on how you look in society. Create your mold, not trying to fit in the fold.
Something I wish I knew earlier is that Personal Initiative is at the back of every invention & innovation. And every innovation is the reason why we experience better lives.
Personal initiative is the spark that lights every major innovation Because when it comes to personal initiative, you should constantly be taking action to improve your world.
