The Process of Proactiveness - Azara Feroz Sayed

I am not sure if you are already part of the Covey Community http://www.coveycommunity.com/. If you are one of Steven Covey's fans like me - you would enjoy being part of it. This blog is based on one of the "Learn, Think, Do, Share" Sessions from the community that I participated in. Offcourse you can hear Dr Covey talk and also catch on the quotes from his books while you are on this site.

Words of Steven Covey, "we are proactive people potentially. And that we can literally become the creative force of our own life and then become a powerful change catalyst in effecting and blessing the lives of many other people, institutions, organizations, even societies. "

We all know from 7 Habits that 'being proactive', is the first step in the process of creating our own personal victories. One of the outcome of the proactive process is identifying our goals so that we are able to celebrate our personal victories - feel the creative force within us.

Proactiveness is a process - i.e. a ongoing one - the process of goal definition is an ongoing one too i.e. we need to have ability to change our goals to help us achieve more - goals needn't be cast in stone. There is a difference in thought that we have been trained till now that goals are cast in stone. The definition of SMART goals doesn't includes this too isn't it?. We should be able to change them to achieve more not vice versa.

When we set our goals, we need to define them in a healthy balanced way - need to set goals that will affect all for areas of our life. Body, Mind, Heart, Spirit are the four dimensions of life which are all connected. We need to think in a connected way. The only reason we don't accomplish our goals is because we don't do it in a balanced way. We do accomplish little goal in a short period of time e.g. losing weight by adopting a crash diet is a goal set considering the body in mind but what about the heart(relationships) - Do people get upset being in our proximity? What about our mind, spirit - have set them at ease - are troubled while on the crash diet? Such goals aren't sustained unless they are connected to all areas of life.

Goals defined keeping our whole nature in mind help us acheive sustainable goals i.e achieve even more latter - acheive more and even more later. These connected goals help us in achieving our personal victories - help us experience our creative force - stregthening our belief that we are the creative force of our own life and not a product of the past. These goals impact totality of our life - impact how we think - how we give and receive love - increase sense of your own worth - our value as human being

Consider these categories during goal setting - defne small goals - considering the largest challenges in the area.
General - The general category allows us to set goals that may not fit into Body, Mind, Heart, Spirit. This area may include things like projects around the house or yard, financial goals, or getting our material matters in order. While these goals may be important, it is critical to never neglect the balance of the four dimensions of human need

Body - The physical dimension involves caring effectively for our physical body - eating the right kinds of foods, getting sufficient rest and relaxation, and exercising on a regular basis. An example of a goal for body would be to get healthy thru exercise, diet.

Heart - Our heart is our relationships. The people that matter to us. Our loved ones, friends, business associates or fellow students. Working on our heart means emotionally investing in these relationships and strengthening them. An example of goal for Heart would be to nurture relationships with key people in life.

Mind - It is important to keep our mind sharp by reading, writing, organizing and planning. Read broadly and expose yourself to great minds. Regardless of our formal education we must engage in lifelong learning that informs and expands
our mind. An example of goal for Mind would be - to be a constant learner.

Spirit - The spiritual dimension is our core, our center, our commitment to our value system. This is our sense of purpose - why we do what we do. This is the area of our life to consider the service and contribution we will make and the legacy we will leave. An example of our our goal for Spirit would be to serve and contribute and to leave with integrity. The world integrity itself says - integrated - everything is connected with everything else.

If we reach our goal of running three times a week, it will affect all our aspects of our life
Body - Helps us improve my health
Mind - Allows us to think about and plan my week
Heart - Relieves stress
Spirit - Allows us to reconnect myself with my emotions

The site provides for a very good tool to set goals, define rewards, track goals, setup a team (this could be your spouse, children or your could be guide for your children) to help you provide the necessary guidance and encouragement. Hope you find it useful too.