You’re not just a dead armadillo in the middle of the road

There are too many people out there with too passive of an attitude towards their existence, and it renders them permanent residents of the middle of the road without a clear direction.

In a world where choosing inaction could lead to negative outcomes, this mindset just breaks my heart. So much unfulfilled potential.

Why not take steps to shape outcomes in the way we desire?

I’m not saying people have to overthink every move, but they should at least know where they want to go. I’m all for being easygoing and adaptable to life, but a person needs proactive readiness to create fulfillment.

What’s your favorite defensive mechanism against being proactive? Did you write yourself a psychological insurance policy to exempt you from taking responsibility, confronting difficult decisions or coping with uncomfortable feelings?

Again, I am not trying to change anyone into something they’re not. The thing is, if you read the research on personality styles, people who index high on conscientious tend to be more organized, less cluttered and perform higher at school and in the workplace.

They also score higher on subjective wellbeing and life satisfaction. Not to mention, these people are less likely to engage in behaviors that are among the leading causes of mortality, like drug use, obesity, lack of exercise, risky sexual behavior, dangerous driving, suicide and violence.

It seems like proactivity is a powerful way to improve your attitude and your odds of success in the long run. Doesn’t mean you can’t go with the flow and let life unfold as it will. But waiting around to see what happens may not always be the ideal approach.

Now, maybe you are afraid of failure. That’s fair. Who among us isn’t? My suggestion would be not to fight or flee from your fear of failure, but to run towards it and befriend it.

What you redefined what failure meant to you? What if there were no such thing as error, only stones on the journey toward success? What if you accepted that failure was a relative historical novelty that has only existed for a few hundred years, and just another construct that human beings invented to preserve the illusion of control?

Those reframes certainly helped me unhook from the fear of failure and be more proactive with my own goals. Hell, even if I’m just telling myself a fictional story about my power to shape my own destinies, that story still makes me feel better, which makes me act better, which makes my outcomes better.

Certainly seems like a better choice than sitting back and saying, we’ll just see what happens.

The paradox is, if you’re more conscientious, you still get to see what happens. You still get to see how the story plays out.

The only difference is, you have more lines. You have a larger role. You’re higher up on the call sheet. You’re not just a dead armadillo in the middle of the road.

How many steps have you taken today to shape outcomes in the way you desire?