A lot of times, we tend to be reactive instead of proactive. I

The wise and gentle Tabitha Brown once spoke these words of living truth: “A lot of times, we tend to be reactive instead of proactive. I encourage my readers to be proactive with their life and health.” Though her voice comes from our modern day, her teaching is ancient as the rising sun. For it is a call not merely to act, but to awaken—to live each day with awareness, intention, and reverence for the life we have been given. The reactive heart waits for the storm to strike before seeking shelter; the proactive heart builds its refuge in times of calm. Thus, Brown’s wisdom urges us to live as the ancients once did: with foresight, balance, and harmony with the natural order of things.

In the days of old, the sages taught that the wise person is like the farmer. He does not wait for hunger before planting the seed, nor for drought before storing water. He studies the rhythm of the seasons and moves in tune with them. So too must we tend to our health—both of body and spirit—before sickness and sorrow arise. To be proactive is to be like the farmer who honors time itself, acting in the present to secure the future. The reactive soul, by contrast, rushes only when trouble knocks, lamenting what could have been prevented through patient care and mindful living.

Consider the tale of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a healer of the nineteenth century. In his hospital, many mothers died of fever after childbirth, and though others dismissed the tragedy as fate, Semmelweis sought the cause. He observed, reflected, and then took action—he instructed his doctors to wash their hands before delivering babies. Deaths dropped miraculously, yet his advice was mocked. The world preferred reaction to prevention. His story, though sorrowful, reminds us of the power of being proactive—of seeing before others see, of caring before crisis comes. His courage to act early saved lives, and his lesson endures: wisdom lies not in waiting, but in anticipating.

So it is with the health of our own lives. Many wait until the body aches, until fatigue consumes, until joy is lost, before they begin to seek healing. Yet the sacred truth is this: health is not a remedy, but a way of being. To be proactive with your life and health means to honor the temple of the body with nourishment, to fill the mind with gratitude instead of worry, and to guard the spirit with peace before chaos reigns. The ancients fasted, walked among trees, and spoke to the earth because they knew that wellness begins long before illness appears.

But Brown’s words reach beyond the body—they touch the heart and the soul of how we live. To be proactive with life is to steer your ship, not drift upon the waves of chance. The reactive soul blames the tide; the proactive soul learns to read the wind. There is power in this—power to create, to heal, to shape destiny. Those who live with intention become architects of their own days. They prepare their minds for struggle, their hearts for love, and their spirits for the unknown. For life favors those who move first with wisdom, not those who move last in panic.

In every age, this teaching has guided the great ones. Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” He understood, as Brown does, that foresight is the mother of freedom. A nation that builds before disaster endures; a person who cares for the self before sickness thrives. When we awaken to this truth, we cease to live as victims of circumstance. We become, instead, co-creators with life itself—partners with the divine rhythm that flows through all things.

Therefore, beloved seeker, take this lesson into your daily walk: do not wait for pain to change you—change before pain arrives. Rise early and greet the dawn with purpose. Feed your body with kindness, your mind with learning, and your spirit with quiet reflection. Keep your inner house in order before the storms come. Be not a servant of reaction, but a master of action. When you choose the path of foresight and care, you stand among the wise who build legacies instead of regrets.

For in truth, what Tabitha Brown has shared is not merely advice—it is a gentle commandment for living. To be proactive with your life and health is to walk the way of harmony, courage, and peace. It is to honor the gift of being alive, not by waiting for the world to push you, but by stepping forward willingly, joyfully, and with love. And when your days are full and your body strong, you will know that the seeds you planted in mindfulness have borne the sweetest fruit of all—freedom.