So basically it’s all about proactivity...which does not come naturally to me. Outside events that require a real-time response always feel like an intrusion to my personal bubble. Which may be the source of my ‘reaction problem’. It’s like “I was in the middle of thinking about quantum physics, what do you mean I have to go deal with this kid crying and bleeding on the pool deck?” See my post Ability to React, http://lesswrong.com/lw/4fo/ability_to_react.
On the other hand, when I’m already doing something, and I feel fairly competent and in control, I get into a state of “flow” where being proactive is easier than not being proactive. I managed to get into that state this morning, during my first clinical placement when I was actually looking after a patient.
I can say that I personally do not know a single person of whom proactivity comes naturally. Everybody that I know that has learned it… has had it metaphorically beaten into them—either through a parent (lots of women learn this skill from their mothers) or through their own personal failures (mainly through crying over lost opportunities only spotted in hindsight...).
If you can get started on learning this skill early… I predict that it will be of wide-ranging benefit to you in the future :)
I predict that my 2-and-a-bit remaining years of nursing school will hammer it pretty deep. And I do try to be proactive...or at least slightly more so than my classmates, so that my teachers think I am!
So basically it’s all about proactivity...which does not come naturally to me. Outside events that require a real-time response always feel like an intrusion to my personal bubble. Which may be the source of my ‘reaction problem’. It’s like “I was in the middle of thinking about quantum physics, what do you mean I have to go deal with this kid crying and bleeding on the pool deck?” See my post Ability to React, http://lesswrong.com/lw/4fo/ability_to_react.
On the other hand, when I’m already doing something, and I feel fairly competent and in control, I get into a state of “flow” where being proactive is easier than not being proactive. I managed to get into that state this morning, during my first clinical placement when I was actually looking after a patient.
Yep, thats a good summation.
I can say that I personally do not know a single person of whom proactivity comes naturally. Everybody that I know that has learned it… has had it metaphorically beaten into them—either through a parent (lots of women learn this skill from their mothers) or through their own personal failures (mainly through crying over lost opportunities only spotted in hindsight...).
If you can get started on learning this skill early… I predict that it will be of wide-ranging benefit to you in the future :)
I predict that my 2-and-a-bit remaining years of nursing school will hammer it pretty deep. And I do try to be proactive...or at least slightly more so than my classmates, so that my teachers think I am!
AFAICT that’s the essence of getting better at this one. So keep doing that :)