Without harnessing the power of initiative, the wheel of innovation comes to a screeching halt. We all have a desire to "make a difference" or to make improvements in our lives, but for a variety of reasons, many people face challenges in regard to taking initiative in one form or another. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to enhance your power of initiative, and the payoffs are huge.
1. Give Yourself Permission to Decide for Yourself
Waiting for others to join you in your initiative can slow the wheels of innovation and drag out the process.
2. Make Choices and Act on Them
Keep in mind that you don't have to come up with the best possible decision, you just have to come up with one way that will work.
3. Don't Wait to Be Inspired; Get Inspired!
Take responsibility for feeding positive input into your mental process.
4. Increase Your Accountability
Practice increasing your initiative by stepping up to the plate and volunteering to lead projects.
5. Live By Your Word
Make a firm commitment to yourself that you will keep your promises, no matter what.
See the Tips for Awareness, Curiosity and Focus.
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Recent Comments | 6 Total
August 9, 2005 at 7:04pm by Randall Reeder
Jim's right. Be willing to take intitiative yourself without waiting for others to join you. If you recognize a good opportunity, and you KNOW it's a good one, go ahead and grab on, even if others lag behind. Be decisive while others waffle, and you will end up as their leader. Henry Ford didn't wait for others to build an affordable car.
August 9, 2005 at 11:07pm by Ted Evans
I like this artice - short, simple and helpful. One thing I might add to #3:
I find that once my initiative has been decided, I can increase my inspiration by spending a few moments visualizing the final product as well as all the benefits from it. Clarifying the vision like this helps me get focused on the goal and what it will take to get there.
August 10, 2005 at 12:05am by Michael Scott Karpovich
It is refreshing to read concise, well written wisdom. This commentator has a grasp of the simple knowledge that I am certain I knew… but when I read it I say “oh my, that is what I needed to know!” I guess I wait too much for others to affect my success when I should take the initiative. Thanks!
August 10, 2005 at 8:13am by Don The Idea Guy
Initiative IS the most important part of any idea -- it's the part that puts it into action.
Reminds of a great quote from John Cage:
"An idea is one thing, what happens is another."
August 10, 2005 at 6:29pm by riiight
Fluff,
Thanks, fluff is fun. On cute lil bunnies. You could check out any of a thousand books about Lost Cheese and how some guy from UT made his millions in real estate; but you've managed to package it into a cute lil bite sized (though glaringly obvious) essay. What a time saver, I mean waster.