Passive vs. Active

How Passive becomes active - when one is at peace

Over the years I have been observing that life tends to take turns and twists in what seemed like a random pattern. Once in a while I got a glimpse of what looked like a pattern. It was different every time...

My clinic would be full one month and only half full the next. This seemed random. Till I learned that it had to do with my state of mind. When I was tired people would cancel- it was so considerate of them :). When my mind was not focused or I filled the calendar too much- same effect.

It seemed like there are many lessons here to be learned and seeing as I was working on being attentive- I searched for lessons and learned as best I could.

One of the most important lessons I learned from this attentive period is that a lot depends on whether we choose to be active or passive (Or reactive as passive is often seen). When we choose to be passive or as most people experience it - reactive, we are busy responding to what life throws at us. So busy in fact that people will often say they have no time to take their lives into their own hands. Constant battering of external origin is usually the result of us not taking preventative measures due to the passive nature of our behavior. In other words, by our very choice to be passive or lack of choice to be active we allow the world to be active for us and very often complicate our lives... When we choose to be active or proactive we dictate the way our life flows and the amount of battering subsides and eventually goes away.

If you feel that your life seems to be governed by external forces it may be time to choose to be more active. Going out there and making a stand about how we want our lives to be, what we want to do for work , how our relationships look like, what kind of communication we have with other people etc.etc. All these examples are the way successful people choose to live and one of the main reasons for their success is in fact their level of pro activity.

One classical aspect of this can be found in the financial arena. We find ourselves constantly dealing with debt. More bills and more bank statements and not enough income to handle the payload. If we only resort to putting out the fires and going from one crisis to another, responding to alarm bells, we will not see a change. All we need to do is stop, take a deep breath, and then take the time to understand the current state of affairs. After this we can choose a proactive approach. Change our working habits, choose another job etc. Go proactive. By choosing this attitude we will start to change the balance of our income-expense ratio and at the same time change the way the world sees us. This change will often make others more willing to help us or join us in ventures which will again help us balance the equation.

Where are you being passive in your life today? Where have you chosen to be active? When? Share this with me below and all the other readers can learn from your success or help you with your needs. 

In health,

Chen

Jan. 2014