How can I be more proactive as a junior DevOps engineer?

It's important to get your hands on real tasks. Early on, you should have been pointed to tasks labeled 'good-first-issues' which are meant for people new to the team. If you haven't seen those, start asking around for what issues need attention. Getting involved in documentation can also be a proactive step.

Proactive work is about anticipating risks before they become a problem. Look for single points of failure in your systems and bring them up for discussion. If you see something that could be improved or made more resilient, take the initiative to address it.

I've realized that being curious and actually caring about your work makes a huge difference. If you take the time to understand the systems you’re working with, you'll naturally find areas where you can contribute. Just asking questions shows that you're engaged and eager to learn.

Have you checked if your team has a backlog of tickets? If they use story points to rate the difficulty, you can start with the easier ones to build confidence. If there aren't clear tasks, consider asking a senior member if you can help with a ticket or take on some research for them. That could give you direction and help you learn more about how things work.