What’s the Big Deal About Self Reliance?
What’s the big deal about self reliance? Being self reliant makes you feel secure, fulfilled, confident — like we’re worth something.
An ancient Chinese proverb says, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. But, if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”
Of course, there are those with physical, mental, or emotional handicaps who require dependence upon others. But, to the extent possible, you should strive to become self supporting physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually. Don’t lament over any condition you have as an excuse not to succeed.
Charles, confined to a wheelchair, has run a successful furniture manufacturing plant and showroom for over thirty years. All around other stores are closing, even the large chains, but he seems to prosper where others fail.
Jeremy, also confined to a wheelchair, was a highly successful salesman in an area no one else wanted. Now comfortably retired, he’s traveling all over the country with his wife, and indulging in his hobby of writing poetry.
Today’s society breeds dependence. There are too many victims, who, rather than climb out of their problems, wallow in them allowing others to take over their lives.
Dependency destroys, it doesn’t save.
Life is difficult and unfair. Handling life’s challenges makes you stronger, lifts you to a higher place. If you collapse under the pressure and hand your life over to others, you’ll never rise higher than you are at the moment you surrender.
Kalista’s husband left. She found herself a single mom at the age of 22 with 1 child and a mortgage on a house she couldn’t afford and no job skills. She went to family. They couldn’t help. Her ex-husband wouldn’t help. She sought out any way to get welfare sufficient to keep her home. That wasn’t an option. She came to me, thinking I had some magic solution. I encouraged her to put the home up for sale and get what she could. She refused, hiding her head in the sand.
She was angry at her ex-husband, angry at her family, angry at the government, and even angry at me. Most of all she was angry at life.
She lost her home and everything except the clothes she could pack in her car.
Ten years later I ran into her. We talked. I was surprised but gratified when she told me losing the house was the best thing that had ever happened. It forced her to take stock, get an education, find a good job, and move on.
She had remarried, had two more kids, and lived in a beautiful new home. None of it would have happened without her self reliance.
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