Celebrating Independence
By Nancy Adams
http://www.writemind.net
On my birthday, in the year I turned 16, I celebrated my
own, long-awaited, Personal Independence Day. One little
piece of paper set me free. No longer would I be left behind
and miss out on fun times because I lacked transportation. I
had my driver's license, and I could go anywhere! Such
freedom!
Actually, my life has been full of Personal Independence
Days, as I'm sure yours has. They started when we were
children. With every notch on the developmental chart, we
moved further toward independence. Taking our first steps,
feeding ourselves, and learning to brush our teeth were some
of the milestones that marked our early, mini PIDs leading
to the first big PID—our first day of school.
From the moment our parents left us under the watchful care
of our teachers, we took a clear turn down the path toward
maturity. Beginning that day, a whole new world opened up as
we started accumulating the knowledge and skills we would
need to function as adults.
As the years passed, the milestones and PIDs kept coming. Up
through high school graduation, PIDs were fairly standard—we
all remember our first date and first job (and first
paycheck!), for example. But after high school, our PIDs
didn't just happen in some kind of pre-ordained sequence.
Rather, we began to create or avoid our PIDs by the choices
we made.
Think about this. One of first choices many of us made after
high school was whether or not to attend college. Perhaps
you made your choice, as many of us did, based on your
perception of independence. Some high school graduates who
chose college did so because they saw it as a way to
independence. Independence immediately, as they left the
nest for the first time. Independence in the future as a
college education would, theoretically, result in
occupational security and a comfortable income.
Still others, on the other hand, rejected college, again
because of their perceptions of independence. These
graduates saw books and classrooms and tests as restrictive,
and they were eager to start a life free of such limits.
From that point forward, life has been full of
choices—choices that have led us either toward or away from
another PID. Some of us are burdened by the choices we've
made, and as a result, we try to reverse those choices and
get back on the road to independence. From personal habits
that keep us from being healthy and fit, to financial habits
that tie us to a heavy debt load, to unhealthy relationships
that stifle our personal growth . . . most people can
identify times when their unwise choices moved them further
away from independence.
But here's the good news: we face new choices every day.
Every day we can choose independence. The first step is to
decide what your next Personal Independence Day will be.
Perhaps you've been thinking of giving up smoking. Letting
go of your reliance on a habit that is costing you plenty,
in terms of both health and money—can you imagine the
feeling of independence? Or if your financial house is in
disarray, just think about the independence of being debt
free! It can happen, if you choose today to face the music,
create a budget—and stick to it!
Keep in mind that a choice that furthers your independence
in one way may diminish it in another. When I got my
driver's license, I won the independence of being able to go
where I wanted, when I wanted to go. I also abandoned the
habit of walking or bicycling almost everywhere I went, and
lost a measure of fitness as a result—a consequence that
could severely limit my independence in another way.
Fortunately, with new choices every day, I can choose
independence daily. When I identify a roadblock to
independence, I can roll it out of the way. By re-evaluating
our choices and their impacts on a regular basis, we can
correct any wrong turns we've made and continue on a more
direct path to independence.
So, stop and think . . . what roadblocks are standing in the
way of your independence? What milestone or action will mark
your next Personal Independence Day? The choice, day by day,
is yours.
