REACTIVE OR PROACTIVE?

There are two types of mindsets, one affords you the opportunity to be victorious and the other a victim. Which mindset have you developed over time? Learn how to improve your state of mental readiness and resilience for increased performance no matter the objective or endeavor.

Your Mindset Drives Everything

The two mindsets I aim to cover in this post are the proactive or offensive mindset and the reactive or defensive mindset. One allows you to be aggressive and forward leaning and the other one or more steps behind the current situation.

Which type of mindset do you fall into on a regular basis?

Knowing ourselves and the areas we need to work on is critical to enhancing our mindset. This is very important and can be the difference between success and failure, victory and defeat, or life and death depending upon the circumstance. Like any other skill, you must develop and train your mentality.

Let us discuss these two main types of mindsets.

The Reactive Mindset

A reactive or defensive mindset is a state of mind that is behind the power curve and not adequately prepared to respond to a crisis or a fast-paced environment.

This is demonstrated in an individual who isn’t ready for what is about to happen next. This could be a critical moment or a near miss. The current circumstance has this individual leaning back on their heels and lacking the mental agility needed to respond to the situation as effectively as possible.

He or she is distracted, lacks situational awareness, or is completely overwhelmed in a new environment. Whatever the case, this person will be at least one, if not two, or three steps behind the situation as it unfolds.

For every action, there is a reaction and the time it takes to react depends upon the mindset and the state of readiness of the individual. This individual will most likely become hijacked by their current state of emotions and make a rash decision.

The Proactive Mindset

A proactive or offensive mindset is the state of mind that is present in the moment, situationally aware, and mindful of the individual’s relation to these environmental factors and conditions.

A person exercising a proactive mindset is both competent and confident in their present environment, thinking ahead of the developing situation, and has a plan of action moving forward. This competence is derived from a high degree of readiness through adequate preparation combined with experience.

The proactive mindset is a skill not only reserved for those in special operations or high-risk professions but a skill that can be utilized by anyone to enhance an individual’s productivity and quality of life. This mindset, however, takes time and practice to master. It cannot be forced overnight.

Steps To Build A Proactive Mindset

You can begin developing an offensive mindset today but implementing the following concepts into your daily life, both personally and professional.

Make SA A Habit

Make a habit of practicing good Situational Awareness (SA). Pay attention to the details and look for abnormalities or things that stand out from the established pattern of life or routine. More info on SA in a later post!

Build confidence and competence in your current environment through adequate preparation and experience. Make the effort to become highly familiar with your area of operation (work environment, neighborhood, community, etc.).

Be the SME

Become a Subject Matter Expert (SME) of your craft or whatever it is that you do by mastering the basic fundamentals to improve tactical performance. Study hard and train to the point where these basics and nuances become second nature or instinctive and or reflexive.

Think Ahead and Have A Plan

Be forward-thinking and mentally one step ahead of the situation or circumstance, your competition (in sport and business, etc.), or your enemy (who is trying to kill you on the battlefield or on the street). You have to possess the mindset of always improving your fighting position. This means looking for ways to be more efficient and ultimately effective.

Exercise present moment awareness and actively read your environment to gain momentum in staying ahead of the developing situation.

Always be thinking about your next step in whatever process or situation you find yourself in.

Focus and Refocus

Learn how to focus and intentionally employ mental resets. When it’s time to focus, practice discipline by removing any unnecessary distractions and being mentally present. Be intentional and mentally switched on to whatever is deemed necessary at the current moment.

Compartmentalize any emotions or thoughts that take you away from being 100% focused and comitted to what you have deemed most important in your current situation.

Reset

The ability to mentally downshift, even for a few moments between stressful or taxing events and or circumstances, is equally as important. When you have time to relax, mentally reset and take a wrap off. Mental focus takes a lot of energy. 

An effective way to do this is to take a break from work (or whatever you are doing) every 25 or 30-minutes tops and do something completely different so that your mind has time to relax.

Go for a walk for 5 minutes, knock out some exercises, read something you find interesting, pray or meditate, etc. Reset your mind to save energy and focus. 

Another powerful example is to practice deep diaphragmatic breathing for one to two minutes during your breaks.

• Relax your stomach

• Inhale deeply through your nose 4 seconds

• Hold 4 seconds

• Exhale slowly through your nose or mouth 6-8 seconds

• Hold 4 seconds

Repeat for one or two minutes while being relaxed and staying calm. Think about things that calm you during this exercise.

You must master the skill of switching on your focus and then turning it off again in order to extend your energy and perform at a high level.

Reflect

Take the time to engage in reflection and critical introspection to learn from mistakes and implement the necessary adjustments/course corrections to ensure success in the future.

Address the following questions for optimal results...

• Were you successful in your current endeavor? If not, what prevented your success?

  
  

• What is needed to increase your ability to exercise SA and be more actively engaged in reading your current environment?

• What are some things you can do differently moving forward that will increase your ability to maintain an offensive mindset, place you a step ahead mentally, and ensure success in the future?

• What key variables proved to be beneficial in your previous endeavor that you can replicate for future circumstances?

Schedule a Coaching Session HERE to discuss further.

Get Ready! Stay Ready!