I wanted to start a series today on happiness. Each week, I will go through some of the top habits we can practice and ways we can be kinder to ourselves and to those around us to create our own happiness. Kindness is at the heart of serenity and mindfulness.
BEING INDEPENDENT
Did anyone else get that throwback Destiny’s Child song stuck in their head? I know I did! Thinking back on it, the song focused so much on money, material things, and being independent enough to not need someone else to buy them for you. But what we’re going to focus on today more specifically is independence through practicing self-reliance.
WHAT IS SELF-RELIANCE?
Self-reliance isn’t something we are born with. It comes in time with acquired knowledge and moments we experience throughout our lives. It is a self-sustaining way of life where we make decisions based on our own beliefs and values.
It wasn’t until college that I realized just how much of who I am, came from building blocks of what my parents instilled in me. I had aligned my beliefs and values to theirs and saw myself reacting towards certain situations just as I had seen them do.
As a student, I found myself being exposed to so many new people and attending classes which always brought on some forms of discussion and differing viewpoints. It was then that I started to fully develop my own thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. In turn, I felt better about myself, my confidence grew, and I developed a stronger sense of who I was.
THE CHOICE IS UP TO US
We may not always acquire all positive qualities from our upbringing, but it is up to us to make a choice to change them.
If you grew up in an environment where anger was an immediate reaction, make the conscious choice to practice kindness. If you were raised with firm one-sided beliefs, make a choice to be open-minded and calmly listen and learn about all sides of a topic before formulating your own.
If you act with self-reliance, you will feel more in control in every situation, and feeling this way is an essential element of well-being.