The book “7 habits of highly effective people” by Stephen Covey needs no introduction as even after more than 25 years it is considered to be one of the most influential business management books.

In my opinion Habit #1 – Proactivity is a key habit to be successful in today’s world.

Where you want to go is up to you. Your colleagues, family and friends are a support system, but that is all they cannot succeed for you. Only you can do that. So in reality it’s all about self-mastery, the ability to be proactive and take responsibility for shaping your future and destiny.

Just to make things clearer the easiest way to understand the concept of Proactivity is to understand the opposite – reactivity which means that you act in response to a situation or action. You are driven by circumstances, feelings and conditions. In contrast, proactive people are internally motivated and move forward based on their own choices and actions.

The habit of being proactive and responsible puts you in the driving seat of your life. So master the skill of choosing your actions regardless of any pressures of internal or external forces. As Aristotle says “We are what we repeatedly do.” Well we can choose what we repeatedly do! To live the life you want to live, you have got to be proactive and take responsibility for your actions.

One of the greatest traits of effective people is good problem-solving skills. We all run into problems, it’s how you handle them that makes you effective. The most effective way to handle a problem is to focus on finding a solution. Your level of accountability for completing tasks is also really important. SO set your goal and then work backwards from that goal.

Being successful is not about having the right kind of luck or expecting the right break to come your way. It is not about the mere expectation that you will succeed. It is about taking steps every day to be better than you were the day before by moving forward in a positive manner. It is about being consistent in what you do. And even though the steps you take may seem small at the time, doing the right things day in and day out will move you further down the path to success.