Nature dictates that we move from point “A” to point “B” and from point “B” to point “C” and so on and so forth. However, movement does not entail success nor does it imply growth.
Even if we do not make a deliberate decision to move we will move anyway because that’s the nature of life.
If you do not make a deliberate decision to grow, that movement will likely not be the ideal one. It will usually amount to flowing with the wind. Most likely you would be in the wrong direction until you get a hold of yourself.
If you want positive change and improvement you need to make deliberate decisions and take action. You need to be in control of your movements. Don’t just flow with life. Direct the steps of your life.
It is your responsibility to make sure that you move in the direction you want. No one owes you anything and you do not owe anyone anything.
Remember that God gave you a responsibility to look after your life. From the time you are born, you are created to be a self-reliant being. Even as a small child, you are generally responsible for your well-being.
Even though we are dependant on one another we still live as independent souls and are solely responsible for ourselves. The sooner you realise that you are in charge of the growth process for your life the better.
Assume Responsibility
Responsibility is what makes the difference in life. It is what defines growth. People who are responsible for themselves experience more happiness and experience more, enjoy life in general as compared to those who are less responsible.
We are all created to be responsible for looking after this world and together we will be answerable for what we did or did not do. Even in the early days, Adam was commanded to have dominion over all living creatures. Remember this is a command and there was no choice.
It, therefore, follows and it is a given, that we must be responsible for our actions. For how can you have dominion without responsibility? Having dominion comes with responsibility.
Assuming responsibility is the beginning of Self-Improvement and Personal Development. If you are serious about personal development and growth, you need to grow your responsibility traits.
You need to step up and be the responsible person you ought to be. Yes, I know that sometimes it may be difficult. But that’s what life is all about. If it was easy everyone would have achieved greater success and life would be boring.
What makes life worth living is the fact that we keep challenging ourselves to reach greater heights. It’s the fact that we are never satisfied with our current achievements.
Some of these if not most of life’s challenges require us to have an even greater sense of responsibility. Therefore, if you shy away from taking responsibilities you may just be hindering your growth as a person.
Be Informed
We live in the information age. You need to be up to date with what you want to achieve. Be it general information or information that will directly have a bearing on your expected outcome.
Create reliable sources of information that you can tap into to feed your needs as and when the need arises.
Without being properly informed you are most likely going to perform below par and this may affect your results. However, with the correct information at your disposal you will make better-informed decisions that will go a long way to enhance productivity and there on it will show in the results.
Becoming self-reliant requires that you make use of the information in your hands. Do not just gather information for the sake of it. Gather the right information and make use of it.
Learn how to manipulate the data to your advantage, by this I mean in the right way that does not injure others.
There are many sources of information out there the biggest one is social media via the internet. The internet is a hive of activities and so caution must be made on the authenticity of your sources.
If you have to stay informed you must also learn to spend a considerable amount of your time reading and learning. I believe that success consists of more learning and practising what you have learned.
There is no use gathering information that you do not intend to put to good use. Most of the information out there may not be of use to your plans, so be careful with what you are looking for.
Know Where You Are Going
For, how can you be self-reliant without having to know what you want to achieve? Everyone in life has a purpose and it is your duty to find out exactly what you want to achieve with your life. The unfortunate thing and the reality is, that many of us do know our God-given purpose.
The need to know where you are going in life cannot be overemphasised. Formulate an action plan that you intend to follow through and keep working on it every day.
Keep reminding yourself of what you want to achieve in life, frequently. This will help keep you motivated and make sure that you are doing the things that will help advance you towards your goal.
The people you meet along the way are there to play a role in your life. However, not everyone is useful all the time. Some people you meet for a certain period and never see again.
In life, you need to identify the people that add value to your goals. So whilst you have them around utilise them and get as much as possible from them.
Some people will not add value to your life but instead will draw you backwards. Learn to create the right relationships that will last for a long time. Relationships that are of mutual benefit to both.
Make Your Own Decisions
You are not self-reliant if you cannot make your own decisions. Have you noticed that you are most happy with the good results that come out of the decisions that you make on your own than those made on your behalf?
There’s just something that makes you glow when you look back and say wow so all this is because of the decisions and actions I took.
When a decision is made by someone else on your behalf it takes away that pride feeling and believe me, all the credit goes to the one who made the decision and not you.
Decision-making enhances your level of responsibility. Which is a critical part if you want to be self-reliant.
Conclusion
Becoming self-reliant is what you should aim for, in your life. In as much as we live in an interdependent world self-reliance is also an important part of personal development and self-growth.