“Discipline equals freedom.” – Jocko Willink
Every leader has to make a choice: to take initiative and pursue the work they want to do, or to wait until life, circumstance, or someone else forces them into the work they have to do.
If you don’t take the initiative to find work you choose to do, in the end you’ll do work you’re forced to do. That truth applies in every area – your career, your health, your faith, and your leadership.
When you stop moving forward with intention, you lose control of direction. Idle leaders drift until problems demand their attention. Instead of working on building culture, they’re forced to repair it. Instead of developing people, they’re scrambling to replace them. Instead of creating systems, they’re putting out fires.
A common trend I see in leaders is that when they finally catch their breath, they want to coast for a bit. And while that break might feel earned, coasting too long is what leads right back to the problems they just climbed out of. This is why I help leaders apply the 1% daily principle – so once the heavy lifting is done, they keep getting just a little bit better each day. That’s how you stay ahead, instead of constantly fighting from behind.
John Maxwell says “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.”
Proactive leadership doesn’t just protect you from chaos – it creates freedom. You can’t lead from a place of constant reaction. But when you choose your work, you create margin. You build confidence. You set the direction for others to follow.
The difference between average and exceptional leaders often really just comes down to timing. The average leader responds once it’s too late. The world changers take initiative when it still feels optional.
Every day you either advance your mission or you react to the mess. Don’t wait for a crisis to wake you up – build the habit now of doing the work that moves you forward every day.
That’s what keeps momentum alive.
Choose your work before it chooses you, and your future self will thank you for it.
Check your agenda for today… Are you working on what you’ve chosen to do, or what you’ve been forced into?
Because one builds up and on your future. The other steals it.