LTM - 7. Strengthen Your Personal Initiative

7. Strengthen Your Personal Initiative

Your personal initiative is the spark that initiates your productive actions.

Without personal initiative, you cannot be successful.

Napoleon Hill talked about personal initiative at length in his 9th Principle

of Success. He said, ―Success is something you must achieve without

someone telling you what to do or why you should do it.‖

Success comes to those who are proactive. Instead of drifting through life

doing only what is required, successful people do the extra things that

give direction to their goals and bring more meaning to their lives. No

one told Fred Smith to start FedEx; he started it using his own personal

initiative. No one told Sergey Brin and Larry Page why they should start

Google; they did it using their own personal initiative. No one pushed me

every day to do the things that were required of me to achieve my goals;

it was the consistent use of my personal initiative that allowed me to

achieve them.

No matter what your goal is—becoming a remarkable parent, one of your

company’s most valued employees, an outstanding athlete, a topproducing

salesperson, or the owner of your own business—if you are

going to be successful, you must use your personal initiative to do the

LITTLE THINGS required of you to succeed. It won’t happen any other

way.

Personal initiative is more than a fundamental requirement to achieving

your goals; it’s about taking time to do the LITTLE THINGS that make your

life and the lives of others, both at work and at home, more enjoyable.

It’s doing the simple things like picking up your dirty clothes, washing

the windows, or emptying the overflowing trashcan. It’s taking three

minutes to clean the coffee mugs in the sink at the office. It’s taking time

to express your genuine gratitude to someone who did something for you.

It’s offering to help a friend in need.

In a sense, your personal initiative is noticing and being aware of the

things that need to be done without being asked.

I firmly believe that the only way you will have personal initiative to do

big things is to strengthen it by first doing the LITTLE THINGS. Every big

success is made up a great number of little successes, each requiring

personal initiative. Many are so insignificant that you will be the only

person who notices. But, in the end, isn’t that what matters? After all, it

is you who has the deep yearning in your heart to achieve a goal; you’re

the one responsible for taking action and making decisions; and, you’re

the one who can change course if required.

The use of personal initiative has more benefits than meet the eye.

 Become respected. People who use their personal initiative are

well regarded and have greater influence.

 Build self-esteem. No other method for building self-esteem is

more effective than using your personal initiative to do the LITTLE

THINGS you know you should do.

 Advance your career. People who consistently use their

personal initiative to advance their careers are those who are at

the top of the pay scale in their profession.

 

LTM Challenge

This is your opportunity to step up your game and distinguish yourself

from the growing number of apathetic people. This is your chance to use

your unique talents and skills to achieve the things that are important to

you. Don’t let the lethargic environment around you keep you from

stretching yourself to be your very best.

Start by doing the things that require personal initiative. As you build

your confidence in doing these LITTLE Things, stretch yourself to do the

bigger things. Continue this process and allow each success to build

upon the prior one.

Now is the time to put your life in gear

and go conquer your dreams.