What makes someone take the risk and become an entrepreneur? Why would any individual leave a comfortable life and risk his or her savings on a dream? What makes an individual willing to do the impossible? Why would someone risk national failure by performing in front of millions of people hoping for that exclusive recording contract? After coaching numerous entrepreneurs, executives and small business owners, I have discovered one characteristic that they have in common -- initiative . They consistently use initiative to overcome the obstacles of life. And what is even more important, these individuals have infused initiative into their own interpersonal skill sets. They truly understand that "Whatever is to be, is up to me." Initiative begins in our early childhood. As children, we are curious about our environment and take every opportunity to explore and feel the world around us. Tapping into that childhood curiosity generates the foundation for initiative action capacity. Unfortunately, initiative due to constraints of society as well as every day conditioning, can be permanently damaged. We quickly learn not to "push the envelope" and not to "draw outside the lines." Taking initiative presents issues for others because they may not know how to respond or the outcomes may not be their "right answer." Even as adults, initiative continues to present challenges because we want to "fit in" and dont want to be recognized as the "geek" or "nut" who is always doing something different. Overcoming inertia or the obstacles of life requires the ability to take the initiative, to take a chance, to risk failure. Learning how to rebound from unsuccessful initiatives is just as important as learning how to take the initiative. Even though initiative is innate within us, we must continually feed the flame and keep the candle burning brightly so that we can unleash the incredible potential within us. Developing initiative begins by first looking into your own beliefs and identifying where you strengths lie. If you believe that you lack initiative, then you must begin to inspire yourself to believe differently! Initiative comes from within your own beliefs of who you are and what you can do to change your life or the lives of others. Today's world demands individuals who can take the initiative by working in an environment of freedom and can recognize and encourage the initiative within others. Just imagine the possibilities for your own business or your own life, if you, your employees or your family embraced each day with the thought of "How can I make this the best day ever?" Now is the time to take the initiative and as Captain Picard so famously said: "Make it So!" |
