"Once we make up our minds to act, and not simply react, limitless possibilities open up before us. This is true in all situations—even those which appear hopeless.” ~Andrew Bienkowski
In the powerful and true book One Life to Give, Andrew Bienkowski shares his story as a survivor of the Stalinist purge that occurred in Poland right as WWII ended.
Of all the books I’ve read, this one is among the most significant in helping me understand the principle of proactivity.
No matter what happens to us we always have choice. We can be reactive or proactive; we can respond like a conditioned animal or like a thinking human with free will.
When we are reactive we narrow our possible outcomes, most of which are negative and reflect a “lose-lose” mindset. When we choose to think and respond out of conscious thought, we exercise the proactive mindset.
As Andrew Bienkowski shows in his powerful book, when we are proactive, “limitless possibilities open up before us.” Most of those possibilities will be positive and the outcomes will reflect the “win-win” mindset.
-Stewart Hughes