STRATEGIES FOR PROACTIVE LIVING

Commit Yourself to Proactive Living.

1. Commit Yourself to Proactive Living: This is the only life you have. Life isn't a dress rehearsal. Life is not a spectator sport! Make an agreement with yourself that you are not going to sit this one out, commit to being a participant, not an observer.
   
   
2. Identify Past Successes: Make a list of significant moments in your life where you took the initiative to do what God wanted you to do. That was in the past and you felt great about it; Today is the 1st day of the rest of your life. Make a list of what you want to accomplish, set priorities, and do it!
   
   
3. Don't Make Excuses: accept personal responsibility. Excuses keep you from doing what God wants you to do. Excuses keep us from becoming the kind of person that God wants us to be.
           For example, is there 1) a health challenge you're not addressing, 2) a relationship
           that's not healthy, 3) a home full of junk that's interfering with productive living?
           If you are not being proactive in life then you are being reactive.
   
   
4. Identify Godly Proactive People: Make a list of godly people you are acquainted with that live life proactively. These are the kind of people you want to be your mentors, spend time with, collaborate with, pioneer with and play with.
   
   
5. Record Valuable Life Lessons: Some Christians keep a journal or a spiritual notebook to reflect on and learn from the past and to seek God's will for the future. Write these things down and then at the end of the week reread your journal and see if there are any common threads or directions that need further exploration.
   
   
6. Overcome Your Fears: Life can become boring and we can lose the zest for living if we allow ourselves to get into a rut. Routines can be healthy but ruts can be deadly. Once in a while be willing to get out of your comfort zone. Don't let your present fear paralyze you. Living a life without or at least with minimal regrets may mean courage to do something new.
   
   
7. Get Into Action: Once you commit to proactive living, (minimizing regrets) the only thing left to do is get moving, get working on it, and get going. In other words, DON'T PROCRASTINATE! Write out your life purpose, your annual goals and your daily do list and get to work. Start small with little steps, and as momentum builds you will find yourself naturally engaging fully in life, naturally not holding back. As you begin this new lifestyle, watch closely and notice what's different about your life. Let others around you know that God has the final say in your life.
   
   
8. Make Wise Decisions Daily: Life is all about making good decisions. Finally, if we would lead lives without minimum regrets we must learn to lean into the future. What does that mean? It means first and foremost, living in light of eternity.