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The first habit in the book is to be proactive. This habit is all about taking initiative. It's about taking control of your life. To be proactive you have to learn to be responsible, accountable, and determined. In this chapter I learned that I can't always wait for opportunities to show up at my door. It's about having the ambition to accomplish the things I want in life. Now, there are proactive and reactive behaviors. Reactive behavior is a very bad lifestyle to adopt. Reactive characters sit around and wait for good things to walk into their life. They complain about everything, make choices based on impulse, and let others have control over their life. On the opposite end there are proactive people. Proactive individuals don't blame others for the things that happen to them. That's where accountability comes into play. As an individual you have to take accountability for everything you do. You can't inculpate others for your failures or wrong doings. You have to step up and be able to say "I am responsible for this situation." The book gave a good example when they quoted Abraham Lincoln; "People are just as happy as they make up their mind to be." This quote embodies Habit 1 quite well. To me this means that people determine how successful they are in life by the choices they make everyday. Overall, Habit 1 tells you that you are the superior force in your life and can execute it the way you want.