Initiative is the great catalyst in life. If you set aside all the other qualities someone may or may not have, initiative shows that they value something highly enough to spend their time on it in the absence of clear return. That alone will open doors and create opportunities that wouldn't exist otherwise, and pay off in unimaginable ways. Any lasting improvement in my life has come from me taking initiative.

Initiative means going for something that is not universally accepted as worthwhile, without being asked, without being pushed; jumping into cold water without expectations. It's following your intuition about what is valuable and interesting, tolerating the vulnerability that comes with the process, and trusting that things will probably work out, or at least lead somewhere worthwhile.

Initiative encodes your perspective in what you put out into the world, and most of the time you get something back. Maybe not what you expected, but something. You know that moment at a party when someone just randomly starts a conga line? Nobody was thinking about it, nobody planned it, but suddenly everyone's in and the whole vibe shifts. That's initiative. You take a step, and for reasons nobody can quite explain, the universe occasionally just hands you a slice of cake. Or maybe you get kicked out of the party and end up meeting someone outside who turns into a lifelong friend.

Initiative is the multiplier for everything else you do. It's not about waiting for someone to tell you what to do, or following a well-worn path, it's about noticing something that could be and just starting, even if you don't know where it will lead. The most valuable opportunities in life appear only after you take the first step.