Learning how to be independent is vital, but there is still a balance that you should maintain. Don’t allow yourself to be stubborn!

If you’re a follower of Beyoncé *let’s be honest, who isn’t, even if passively* then you’ll know that you need to be fierce and you need to be independent, no matter who you are. The thing is, there is a fine line between being independent and being stubborn. If you want to learn how to be independent in the right way, you should know what not to do as much as what to do.

Firstly, what is independence? Is it about standing on your own two feet? Is it about never needing anyone else? It’s about neither of those things in reality; even the most independent of people occasionally need help.

You should always be open to the advice and guidance of those around you. Independence is actually about knowing yourself and feeling capable of your own power.

How to be independent in the best way possible

Of course, learning how to be independent means a little soul searching and actually learning who you are underneath it all.

It’s a true journey of self-discovery! Of course, every journey starts with a first step and that means you need to know which direction you’re going in. Let’s explore a few points to remember on the way to your final destination.

#1 Keep a journal. If you want to learn how to be independent, get to know yourself on a deeper level. So, keep a journal. Write down your experiences every day and how you feel too. This will help you notice things you might be missing.

For instance, maybe you notice that you do a lot of things to please other people and don’t really focus on your own needs. You might have written down something along the lines of wanting to go to a particular restaurant for dinner, but your friend suggested another place. So you just went along with it. If this happens a lot, you might have people-pleasing tendencies. It’s something to address over the long-term.

#2 Ask yourself why you think and believe the things you do. Sometimes we go along with opinions or habits simply because we don’t know anything else. For instance, if your parents told you something when you were younger, you might just accept this as truth. You didn’t know any better at the time. And you never thought to test it out as an adult.

You might also carry a lot of self-limiting behaviors with you, i.e. you think a certain thing that stops you from going out and doing something that you’d really love to do. Challenge these thoughts, opinions, and behaviors. Ask yourself why you believe them to be true.

Is it really you who believes them, or has someone else put it into your mind? Part and parcel of learning how to be independent is knowing your own mind at your very core.

#3 Learn to say “no.” Do you often go along with things that you really don’t want to do? Like when someone asks you to do a job for them, you don’t have the time, but you say “yes” anyway. This is another example of a people pleaser. But if you truly don’t want to do something, you don’t have the time, or you just don’t feel like it, it’s perfectly fine to refuse.

Read More: https://examprestige.com/how-to-be-independent