365 Days With Self-Discipline: 365 Life-Altering Thoughts on Self-Control, Mental Resilience, and Success

Day 356: On Taking the Initiativ e

I’ve  trained  myself  to  propose  solutions  instead  of  ask  for  them,  to

elicit  responses  instead  of  react,  and  to  be  assertive  without  burning

bridges. To have an uncommon lifestyle, you need to develop the uncommon

habit of making decisions, both for yourself and for others.

—Tim Ferriss

 

356

You need a lot of self-discipline to take the initiative instead of taking

the easy way out and waiting for somebody else to act. It’s easier to present

a problem and ask for solutions than to suggest some yourself. It’s easier to

delegate  the  responsibility  for  the  decision  to  someone  else,  essentially

freeing yourself of the discomfort of having to make a decision in exchange

for losing control over the situation.

To  obtain  better  results  in  all  kinds  of  endeavors,  become  the  person

who takes the initiative.

If  you’re  dealing  with  a  problem  that  affects  others,  instead  of  only

presenting the  problem  to  the  group,  propose  several  solutions.  Resist  the

temptation  to  be  lazy  by  relying  on  others’  ideas  and  come  up  with  your

own.

I  used  to  work  with  a  few  business  partners  and  I  can  tell  you  that

there’s  nothing  better  than  an  associate  who  doesn’t  merely  wait  for  the

solutions, but offers them himself or herself. And the reverse is also true:

there’s nothing worse than a collaborator who only brings you problems and

expects you to solve them all .

In addition, become proactive and react as quickly as you can. Yes, it’s

uncomfortable to stand out and take the initiative while everybody else is

looking  at  you  and  judging  you.  However,  ultimately,  he  or  she  who  acts

first  is  the  leader;  immediately  reacting  to  situations  also  trains  you  to

overcome hesitation and to develop a habit of taking action.

For  example,  if  you’re  walking  down  the  street  and  somebody  looks

like  they’re  about  to  faint,  overcome  your  social  fears  and  ask  them  if

they’re  fine.  Such  a  small  decision  of  yours  might  mean  the  difference

between life and death for that stranger.

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I was once on a bike ride with a friend when we noticed a man lying

down in the middle of the sidewalk, blood dripping out of his ear. Nobody

stopped  to  help  him,  and  yet  he  was  a  stone’s  throw  away  from  a  church

packed with people.

Who knows? Maybe nobody offered to help because they were afraid

to  take  action  or  thought  that  somebody  else  would  take  the  initiative.

Fortunately, we attended to the man and the ambulance arrived quickly to

take him to the hospital. What if nobody had stopped to help him for several

hours?

Taking  the  initiative  is  often  uncomfortable,  but  that’s  just  one  more

reason  to  do  it.  Don’t  react  —  act.  Don’t  present  problems  ,  present

solutions  .  Don’t  shrug  it  off  by  saying  “whatever”;  choose  an  option  if

nobody else is willing to do it. 

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