Initiative
in·i·tia·tive
Doing the thing before anyone asks. Initiative is seeing what's needed and deciding it might as well be you.
Another way of seeing it
Most people wait for permission, instructions or someone else to go first. That's exactly why initiative stands out. It doesn't need a title or a big idea. It's noticing the gap (the empty dishwasher, the unanswered question, the job nobody's claimed) and quietly stepping into it.
In relationships
Be the one who suggests the plan. Most friendships and family traditions exist because one person said, 'Why don't we…?'
In the ordinary day
Spot one thing today that needs doing that nobody's asked you to do. Do it, without announcing it.
A question to sit with
What are you waiting to be asked to do?
Carry this with you
Don't wait to be asked.
Where it comes from
From the Latin initium, a beginning. Initiative is the quality of being the one who begins.
Try this today
Start one thing today that nobody asked you to.
Journal prompts for Initiative
- What am I waiting for permission to start?
- Where could I go first, instead of waiting?
- What small beginning would make tomorrow easier?
Did this word resonate with you today?
Know someone who might need this word?