“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey is a book of enduring wisdom. Highly effective people I know really do live this way. Welcome to the Seven Habits review mini-series.

Habit #1: Be Proactive

Deliberate action is the basic ingredient of effectiveness. Deliberate action requires a pause between a circumstance happening to you and your reaction to that circumstance. During that pause you must recognize that you are not an option-less victim, you have choices about how to respond. Then choose how you will respond based on the values you believe.

This is awareness in the moment, an internal locus of control, and choice of action based on values not impulses.

The second part involves what Covey calls “circle of concern” and “circle of influence”. Reactive people focus their concern on situations entirely out of their circle of influence. This reminds me of people who talk a lot about the national debt or politics in Washington. If the complaint doesn’t have “and here’s what I’m going to do about it” attached, I think it’s a merely way to avoid action while carrying an illusion of involvement in something important.

Being proactive is focusing your energy and concern on situations you can influence.

The most powerful part of Habit #1 is when you are proactive within your circle of influence, it gets bigger. Doing something about what you can do something about expands your ability and opportunity to influence things previously out of reach.

When I first read Covey’s book I was (happily) self-employed at a one-person company. My circle of influence was pretty much just me, and my immediate family. I was proactive every day in my one-person company and just like Covey promised, my circle of influence expanded. I am now privileged to have some influence on thousands of people including employees, customers, vendors, textile workers far away in India, and even some blog readers.

Proactivity works, no matter who you are or where you start from.