Definition
1. Dictionary.com defines "proactive" as serving to prepare for, to intervene in or to control an expected occurrence or situation, especially a negative or difficult one.
Proactive vs. Reactive
2. Proactive means preparing for or controlling an expected situation. Reactive means responding to a situation only after the event's occurs prompts you to act. In other words, proactivity does not take prompting, but it is preparation while reacting takes prompting for a response.
Planning
3. Being proactive takes planning. Take any situation and prepare for the most likely outcomes of the situation. For example, a research paper is due in 2 weeks. Proactivity is outlining the paper's structure, gathering sources and drafting the paper. Reactivity is attempting to write the research the paper the night before it is due.
Benefits
4. The benefits of being proactive includes minimizing stress and taking responsibility. Using the research paper example, the student is not as stressed and frustrated because s/he has not waited until the last minute to begin the paper. S/he is taking responsibility for completion of the paper and her/his preparatory work is a proactive approach to getting the paper completed.
Warning
5. Do not let being proactive get in the way of spontaneity. Be flexible to changes in plans or changes in the variables that affect a circumstance.
6. Don't get angry easily and then take a decision on the spur of the moment. Take time to think and analyze a situation.
7. Don't be authoritative; encourage discussion.
