The journey to become self-reliant is difficult. Yet, personal independence and self-reliability are admirable traits that many people desire, especially in today’s world.
Wouldn’t it be great to feel empowered to do whatever you want? To be able to know that whatever situation you get yourself in, you can make it out the other side?
That is the power of becoming self-reliant!
Becoming self-reliant isn’t about pushing others out of your life or thinking you are better than others. It is about achieving personal independence, and knowing that you can do whatever you set your mind to!
Confidence, independence, and becoming self-reliant are key characteristics of a strong person. If you want to continue to grow stronger, check out these tips below!
Why Becoming Self-Reliant is Needed
At the start of our lives, everybody grows up relying on others. We cannot survive without the help of others in the first years of our lives. However, as we grow older, we become more and more self-reliant. This beautiful transition characterizes the transition from child to adult.
Unfortunately, not everybody makes it through this transition. Many people still feel the constant need to be helped by others and they never reach personal independence.
When we finally be become self-reliant, we are able to create a better life for ourself, others, and the community. Furthermore, we are able to lessen the burden on others.
Individuals who are completely reliant on others create stress and hardship for the community. Have you ever been a part of a group project where somebody didn’t pull their weight? They slacked off and the rest of the team suffered?
This is exactly what happens in society when people are not self-reliant. The world thrives with people who are self-reliant!
Self-reliant people are able to provide for themselves, they are independent, and they raise the bar for others. Quite simply, they are imperative.
The question then becomes, how do you reach this state?
3 Steps to Become Self-Reliant
Reaching such a sought after state of personal independence is not going to be easy. However, it will definitely be worth it! There is no better feeling in the world than becoming self-reliant. Follow these steps and you will be closer!
1. Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Change is hard. Self-reliance is hard. It is a long, arduous process that can only be forged through the crucible of life.
Life will throw you curve balls, but we are very good at taking these pitches and turning them into softballs. In life, we constantly are trying to make things easier on ourselves.
We choose the parking spot closest to the grocery store. We hire plumbers for basic house repair. Often times, we cannot even dedicate ourselves to preparing healthy food to eat.
This must stop! If you want to become self-reliant, then you need to “get comfortable being uncomfortable”. Think of life as a sports game. Players spend months and months training, practicing, and perfecting their craft only for a few minutes of playing time.
On the other hand, often times in life, we spend no time practicing and all the time playing!
Doesn’t this seem backwards? If the best professional athletes in the world spend most of their time practicing getting stronger, shouldn’t you?
However, how do you practice self-reliance? How do you ensure you are marching towards personal independence?
Practice! Practice making yourself uncomfortable. Do hard things. Face your fears. Run head on into adversity! This is how you become self-reliant!
Every time you fear something, you need to jump straight into it. Hate running? Go for a run. Love your warm showers? Try taking a cold shower once a week.
Find opportunities to train yourself to be in uncomfortable situations and you will notice your self-confidence and self-reliance growing.
Unfortunately, practice is not enough. You have to implement the strategies into your “real life”.
2. Do Things on Your Own
Once you have a practice routine in place where you are intentionally making yourself uncomfortable, it is time to turn this skill into something that matters.
A simple way to do this is to branch out and do things on your own. Start with something small such as going to a movie or dinner alone.
However, then you need to up the stakes. Navigate to a new location without a map. Try cooking a meal without a recipe for somebody special. Fix that broken cabinet that you were going to call someone to fix.
All of these things need to be done on your own. No help – just you! What you will quickly notice is the more you do things on your own, the more you will become self-reliant.
Furthermore, your personal independence will only grow when you do things independently. If you can constantly do things on your own, then you will become more self-reliant.
This is the only way! You must force yourself to not rely on others and to just figure it out. The path won’t always be clear, but if you keep moving forward, you will eventually be able to do it.
This is why you practice. You practice for moments like these where “real life” calls for you to be more self-reliant. When these times come, it is game time!
It is your time to shine.
3. Create Challenges for Yourself
Now that you have practice and performed, you need to keep sharpening the saw. Becoming self-reliant is a never ending journey that you can continue to push forward on.
Additionally, one of the best ways to do this is to create challenges for yourself. If you want to reach personal independence, then you need to keep practicing when things get rough.
Here are some great challenges to get you started:
- All basic problems that arises in the house within the next 6 months, you have to fix yourself! No hiring contractors or a handyman. Think a clogged drain, installing lighting fixtures, or fixing a running toilet.
- Another great challenge is to cook something new for 30 days – without looking at recipes. You have to come up with something new and create it yourself.
- Change the oil in your car! This is a life-skill everybody should know, and few do.
If you can create challenges for yourself, you will be on the path to becoming more self-reliant. It is okay if YouTube becomes your best friend while you learn new skills.
Use those free educational resources when you are faced with an obstacle that you don’t know how to fix. Being self-reliant will take you farther in life than anything else.
Use these tips to invest in yourself today!
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