Initiative is often a very misunderstood word. Many people think that it is just another word for taking action, but it is much more than that.
One of my mentors, John Maxwell, says, “Initiative is the readiness or decision to take action, often before anyone else. It is an understanding of momentum and the catalyst for breakthroughs. To put in bluntly, initiative enables people to make things happen.”
Especially when it comes to their money, many people are afraid to take initiative because they are afraid of failing. FOF, the Fear Of Failure, paralyzes them and keeps them from jumping in and solving their financial problems.
It is important to remember that without initiative, your financial problems will never be solved – and that means that they will get worse over time.
So what should you do? Here are some ideas:
- Change Your Mindset. If you struggle with taking initiative, you must first recognize that the problem is you, not someone else or your circumstances. You can’t move forward externally until you change yourself internally. Your mindset must change.
- Look for ways to change. The solutions you are seeking are not going to come knocking at your door. You have to put on your mental hiking shoes and go looking for them.
- Be willing to start something. Once you find a potential solution, it does you no good to see it if you are not willing to do something about it. You must be willing to take the risk and take action. If it works, great! If it doesn’t, learn the lesson it is trying to teach you and try again with another idea.
- Never give up. Make a personal commitment to never give up until the problem is solved.
Bottom line – you can be successful in turning your financial situation around, but you have to be willing to do something about it.
