Independence is part of growing up. Being independent is one of the most difficult decisions to make, especially if you are used to your parents supporting you financially. Imagine an eaglet: an eaglet faces the most difficult phase of its life, having to learn to stand on its own and be independent of its mother – the first step of the eaglet’s independence is to learn to fly. To help the eaglet learn to fly, its mother removes the twigs from the nest and pushes the eaglet, compelling it to fly.

This is similar to our human experience. Our parents guide us throughout our infancy stage to young adulthood stage. But when it’s time for us to be independent, our parents allow us to grow on our own. They are only there to support us for the steps we take. When standing on your own two feet it’s important that you are ready. Do not do things immaturely and haphazardly, because you are going to struggle with adjusting to being on your own.

It’s also important to get your own job and not be dependent on your parents’ income for survival. Consider having your own job and living on your own as a way of developing as a person. Independence is an important milestone, it requires character. Make choices that you will not regret, for example going wild and taking risky behaviour, just because you are living on your own and there will be no one who will say no to you.

Becoming independent is a great opportunity to learn new things about yourself – enjoy it, it’s exciting. However it’s important to know what to do in order to be able to stand on your two feet.

Here are some tips for you to achieve independence successfully:

Prepare yourself:

Preparation is important, don’t do things haphazardly. Preparation helps you to deal with all the hustle involved with living on your own and being independent.

Get organised:

After you have prepared yourself for standing on your own two feet, you must find out what you need and put it together. Don’t be afraid to ask for help before stepping on your own.

Adapt well to change:

Develop an open-mind, and be receptive to others’ ideas. Learn to smile and attract people who will build you up for the better. Make a circle of friends who are going to exert good influence on you.

Look for a job to support yourself:

One of the primary things about independence is getting a job. A job will help you support yourself and help you to pay the bills. Avoid being in debt; be disciplined when it comes to spending money. Get into the saving habit – you won’t regret it.

Choose a great lifestyle:

People think being independent is doing as you please because no one is going to say it’s wrong. Some people see it as a time to party hard or engage in risky behaviour. Actually, being independent is a time to take responsibility and to be accountable. It is time to take well informed decisions.

Use it as a learning curve:

One of the things to learn when you are independent is to learn more about yourself and how you react to situations; you learn how to deal with challenges. You learn about things that makes you grow as a person. You also learn interpersonal skills because being independent enables you to meet new people and make new friends.

Grow up:

Independency requires maturity. The decisions you are making needs to reflect that you are growing as an individual. Being independent is also time to be careful about peer pressure from friends or letting them make decisions for you. Be adult enough to make your own decisions. But ask for advice when you need guidance. Support from family is still very important.

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Tell us: What does independency mean to you?