A female friend of mine always loves telling me the story of how she and I met.

We were in the post office, and when I saw her, I walked right up to her and struck up a conversation. Not thinking about it, no hesitation, no wondering how she might respond. I just went right in for it, and said what I wanted to say. She responded to me very positively that day.

People respect confidence. People respect boldness. People get out of the way of audacity. You can show all three of these traits by taking initiative as much as humanly possible.

She respected my direct approach a lot. She would always tell me stories of how she would see who guys she found attractive – in the post office, in the streets, in the grocery store checkout line – who would be looking at her and looking at her, but would never approach, never say anything. Sometimes, if she returned eye contact, the guy would quickly look away.

Women do not respect that in men.

That first impression I made on her was a lasting one.

Up to that point and since then, I’ve learned the power of taking the initiative: it puts you in the driver’s seat, allows you to control situations. Plus, people see you as powerful when you’re the one to make things happen instead of waiting for someone else to do it. You’re the leader by default. The leader is the one who goes first.

Initiative is about going first.

That’s what today’s show is about: taking initiative, starting things, moving when you see an opportunity. Never waiting. Waiters follow the lead of a leader. Leaders don’t wait on anything.