Don’t Just Hope. Take Initiative!
Date: November 02, 2021 |Published by: MIU | Category: Blogs
The pandemic opened opportunities but not everyone saw it. As a leader and a student in personal growth, it is important that we take the sourness of a lemon that Covid presented and turn that into sweet refreshing lemonade. But before that, let me ask you a question: When was the last time you initiated something that has made a significant impact on your life?
Growth is a choice; a choice successful people make. One key distinguishing mark between average and achieving is one’s willingness to take the initiative. It will take a bold step from you today to reach your potential tomorrow. Without a doubt, change is hard especially when you are not ready and willing for change. you may be comfortable where you are and even scared to step into the unknown.
But guess what? Change is inevitable and growth is optional. If we never change, we never grow. In fact, the truth is, the fate of the world does rest on your shoulders. Your life is changing the world every day, whether you believe it or not.
Like John Maxwell said, “You don’t have to be a superhero or a social media icon to influence people and make a difference in this world; you just have to have the courage to choose a life of values and initiate it.”
In order to do so, I recommend you consider these things.
1. Know yourself and what you want
The only way you’ll be able to recognize opportunity when it comes is to know what you want. Think of the law of attraction, think of the advanced law of attraction. When you have your mind set on certain goals, isn’t it interesting to notice how you will be more likely to meet more people who can help you in achieving them? Opportunities are out there; you just have to know what you want and intentionally look for them.
2. Push yourself to act, instead of reacting
Envision the person you strive to be, and then start acting like that person. In fact, you don’t have to be a “leader” to be a leader, you just have to act like one. Just like what Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on Earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
3. Start taking risks
I understand this tends to be harder for those raised under the “KiaSu'' Culture (fear of losing out), especially for those raised in Malaysia and Singapore, as we were taught to always play it safe and avoid failures. But the truth is, achieving people are willing to take risks when they recognize there is a price for not initiating too. “The biggest risk a person can take is to risk nothing” - Robert T. Kiyosaki.
4. Make mistakes and fail forward
In order to make things happen, you have to make mistakes. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength. Just believing that failure can be good isn’t enough to help us succeed. We need to act on that belief and take a step forward again in pursuit of our dream. Only then do we learn from our mistakes and make progress.
Therefore, I encourage you today to push yourself to take initiative in your life. No matter how difficult your problems are (may it be the pandemic, academics, relationships, etc), the key to overcoming them isn’t in changing your circumstances. It’s in changing yourself.
What are you waiting for? The choice is yours!