A huge aspect of proactivity is the language we use on a daily basis. Do we say such things like "I can't" or "I must/have to" or "if only" or "I'd be happy when I have..." in our thoughts? This is a sign of a mindset that pushes us toward a victim pathology - letting things happen to us rather than be the primary actor in our own lives. It also prevents us from unleashing the maximum potential of our muses; not taking responsibility for making our own destiny is surrendering power to chance - unnecessarily.
So what does being proactive mean for writers? I think it means being open to creating new ideas, trying writing in a different style, using a different way of capturing your thoughts, or trying something related to whatever you're working on. I bet that every writer has read that kind of advice in multiple writing books, and in multiple ways. Now, reading all of this advice is proactive, but it takes another step to actually implement the methods. I can't think of how many times I read something potentially useful and didn't start using it, or perhaps started and stopped with something. I'm already restarting with the idea of Morning Pages from Julia Camerson's The Writing Diet and getting current with my feelings.
Everything I've read about Habit 1 suggests that being proactive means seizing opportunities, and turning problems into opportunities to be creative. Sound hard? Well, it's a matter of how you see the world. If you assume that you can't break through writer's block on your own, then you're setting yourself up for that. But if you assume that you can by being creative, then the odds are more in your favor. My favorite poster is all about how we make our own destiny by our choices. The tropical scene is a bonus.
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