Proactive vs. Reactive

I can still remember my high school history teacher (yup all of history you name it, I learned it from him US I, US II, World, Economics...the whole shabang) anyway I remember him telling our class about the difference between being proactive and being reactive.

being reactive...

Well that's a bad thing. Being reactive...as you can imagine...means to simply react to whatever comes your way. If something bad happens, you complain, you find as many people as you can to tell whats wrong...but you never do anything to fix the problem. You simply complain and expect the world to feel bad for you, and fix it for you.

well that doesn't help anyone. The world gets sick of hearing you complain. They don't want to constantly hear your problems, nor can they necessarily help you. Sometimes....well most times...it is better to be proactive...

Being proactive...

Am I a pro at this...NO...for sure not, but I try to do it just the same. Being proactive means that you try to do something about your problem. Instead of complaining about it you attempt to solve the problem; you keep trying to move forward.

I have had a LOT of stress causing issues this week. I cannot find a job for the summer: so much rejection. I cannot have the job I wan for next semester: more rejection. I cannot figure out how I am going to pay for my summer course...not a clue. I have 2 of my 5 PRAXIS exams on Saturday...it's like "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" with my teaching license on the line...big stuff. It's just been a tough week.

Is it hard for me to stay proactive. Of course, but it's something I want to do.

So now what?

Now I keep looking for a job for the summer. Maybe the less desirable ones, but something, anything to pay the bills (speaking of which...if you live in the same area as me...know anyone hiring?). I'll call child care centers, part time places, grocery stores, heck I even called Parks and Recreation (they said call back later in the month). I keep moving forward.

Do I want to crawl in a corner and do nothing for about three days? Well ya, but will my problems go away? Nope, they will still be there when I come out of the black hole, so why go into it in the first place?

There are three more on campus jobs I can apply for for next semester, I will be looking into those.

Financial aid? I have a meeting tomorrow.

So thank-you, to my high school teacher, for showing me something that is useful to me four years later, and will be useful for the rest of my life, who knew that one "hidden curriculum" lesson would be such an important part of my life.