There are many ways to live life. Some people aim to follow the taking initiatives approach. They may aim to take responsibility for shaping their lives, work and other aspects of their lives.
Some people may sometimes follow elements of the being institutionalised approach. They may wait for other people or institutions to take care of various aspects of their lives.
Different people may follow these approaches in different ways.. Let’s explore how they may translate these into action.
The Taking
Initiatives Approach
Somebody who takes this approach is positive and proactive. They are also positive realists. They have a positive attitude but are also good at reading reality.
They are good at seeing both successful and unsuccessful patterns. Sometimes this can help them to anticipate potential scenarios that may affect their life or work.
Such a person believes in taking responsibility. They aim to build on what they can control and manage what they can’t control. They have what is called an internal locus of control. They say:
“I can make things happen,” rather than, ‘Things happen to me.”
Some individuals reach a point where they choose to develop their internal locus of control. They then aim to take care of their health, career and development. They also anticipate and manage challenges they may meet along the way.
Some people learn to take initiatives early in life. They may have had parents or teachers who encouraged them to pursue their interests and, when appropriate, to do their best to get positive results.
Such a person may later have embarked on exploring the work they enjoy. This may then have followed a path where they could build on their strengths and do satisfying work.
They may also have demonstrated elements of the professional freelancer mentality. They may have continued to follow this approach even if they worked for a company.
They aim to build on their strengths and do superb work. They also focus on how they could make their best contribution and help their customers, colleagues and company to achieve success.
Such a person believes in taking ownership for their actions. They also recognise, however, that their life is often helped by other people. They therefore aim to encourage people during their time on the planet.
The Being
Institutionalised Approach
There are several ways that a person may be institutionalised. Some people may have grown up in environments where they were not encouraged to follow their own ideas.
Such people may have been expected to follow the rules of a rigid community, school or other institution. They may then have found that the way survive or get on was to fit into the system.
Some people may have been told to learn by rote, get the top grades and follow a predictable career path. They may then have aimed to put in lots of hours, get regular promotions and rise to the top of a company.
Some individuals still manage to focus on what is important in life when following such paths. They maintain their own identity and remain in charge of shaping their future.
Some people take another route. They begin to rely on outside forces or institutions. They expect these to take care of their happiness or fulfil their needs.
Some may stop taking charge of their careers, neglect their health or expect traditional schools to prepare their children for a fast changing world. They wait for these institution to improve their lives or work.
Some people become good employees but forget that they are responsible for being in charge of their careers. One person expressed this in the following way.
“My company does not give me the opportunities to grow. I was recently given an increased workload and more people to manage. It is the equivalent of a job further up the ladder but I am still on the same pay.
“I am thinking of looking for roles in other companies. I want to work for a manager who I can respect and learn from. I also want somebody who pushes me because that helps me to develop.”
The person who expressed this view was still relying on others to help them to shape their career. This may have worked many years ago, but the world of work has changed.
Some people now take another route. They build on their strengths, find sponsors – customers or employers who may want what they offer – and then help those people to achieve success.
Taking Initiatives In The Future
Let’s return to your own life and work. Can you think of a situation where you may want to take the initiative rather than become institutionalised?
You can only build on what you can control, but there may be things you can do to help to shape your future. You may want to be proactive and aim:
To take care of your physical health by eating properly, doing your chosen exercise and going for regular health checks;
To take care of your psychological health by doing things that give you positive energy and spending time with positive people;
To take care of your professional health by building on your strengths, doing satisfying work and working towards achieving your picture of success.
Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you want to follow elements of the taking initiatives approach? How can you do this in your own way? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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