SELF RELIANCE "NOT I, NOR ANYONE ELSE CAN TRAVEL THAT ROAD FOR YOU. YOU MUST TRAVEL IT YOURSELF. IT IS NOT FAR. IT IS WITHIN REACH. PERHAPS YOU HAVE BEEN ON IT SINCE YOU WERE BORN, AND DID NOT KNOW.PERHAPS IT IS EVERYWHERE- ON WATER AND LAND." -WALT WHITMAN

SELF-RELIANCE RELIANCE ON ONE'S OWN POWERS AND RESOURCES RATHER THAN THOSE OF OTHERS.

SELF-RELIANCE, WHAT DOES IT TRULY MEAN?

BESIDES THE OBVIOUS MEANING OF BEING RELIANT ON ONESELF, SELF-RELIANCE IS YOUR ABILITY TO TRUST AND RESPECT YOUR SELF. IT MEANS THAT YOU FIND PEACE IN GETTING THE JOB DONE YOURSELF AND IN KNOWING THAT YOU ARE FULLY CAPABLE OF DOING ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO. BEING ABLE TO DRAW STRENGTH FROM THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU CAN HANDLE ANYTHING THAT COULD HAPPEN. IN ORDER TO FEEL TRULY DEPENDENT ON YOURSELF YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE A LEVEL OF WILLPOWER TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU. ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE HARD TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PATH FOR YOURSELF, YOU DO SO KNOWING THAT IT IS WHAT IS NECESSARY. IN LIFE, PEOPLE WILL NOT MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS FOR YOU, SO TO BE TRULY SELF-RELIANT YOU MUST BE ABLE TO MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST. YOU ALSO NEED TO SHOW TRAITS OF RESPONSIBILITY AND HANDWORK. SELF-RELIANCE, HOWEVER, DOES NOT MEAN YOU NEED TO CLOSE YOURSELF OFF FROM EVERYONE. JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO RELY SOLELY ON YOUR OWN ABILITIES DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS AND EXCEPT THEIR HELP WHEN NEEDED. SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT IN ORDER TO BE TRULY SELF-RELIANT THEY NEED TO TURN AWAY ANY OFFER OF HELP, EVEN WHEN THEY REALLY NEED IT. BEING SELF-RELIANT MEANS TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AND PROVIDING YOUR OWN SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. NOT EVERYONE WILL REALLY BE THERE FOR YOU IN TIMES OF NEED, SO BEING ABLE TO CARRY ON IN DIFFICULT TIMES IS PART OF BEING SELF-RELIANT. YOU SHOULDN'T RELY ON OTHERS FOR YOUR HAPPINESS BECAUSE IF THEY TURN ON YOU, THERE GOES YOUR SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. TRY PICKING UP A HOBBY OR SOME SELF-CARE THAT YOU CAN FIND SOME PEACE AND HAPPINESS IN. YOUR MENTAL HEALTH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO PROTECT AND BEING ABLE TO RELY ON YOURSELF AND TRUST THAT YOU CAN HANDLE ANYTHING THAT COMES YOUR WAY GIVES YOU UTMOST PEACE AND COMFORT AS YOU FACE THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE.

STAY RELIANT ON YOUR ABILITY TO PERSEVERE. EVEN WHEN FACED WITH THE TOUGHEST OF CHALLENGES.

“WHAT I MUST DO, IS ALL THAT CONCERNS ME, NOT WHAT THE PEOPLE THINK. THIS RULE, EQUALLY ARDUOUS IN ACTUAL AND IN INTELLECTUAL LIFE, MAY SERVE FOR THE WHOLE DISTINCTION BETWEEN GREATNESS AND MEANNESS. IT IS THE HARDER, BECAUSE YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND THOSE WHO THINK THEY KNOW WHAT IS YOUR DUTY BETTER THAN YOU KNOW IT. IT IS EASY IN THE WORLD TO LIVE AFTER THE WORLD'S OPINION; IT IS EASY IN SOLITUDE TO LIVE AFTER OUR OWN; BUT THE GREAT MAN IS HE WHO IN THE MIDST OF THE CROWD KEEPS WITH PERFECT SWEETNESS THE INDEPENDENCE OF SOLITUDE.” ― RALPH WALDO EMERSON, SELF-RELIANCE

IT WAS WHEN I STOPPED SEARCHING FOR HOME WITHIN OTHERS AND LIFTED THE FOUNDATIONS OF HOME WITHIN MYSELF I FOUND THERE WERE NO ROOTS MORE INTIMATE THAN THOSE BETWEEN A MIND AND BODY THAT HAVE DECIDED TO BE WHOLE -RUPI KAUR

"WHILE IN THESE DAYS OF QUIET DESPERATION AS I WANDER THROUGH THE WORLD IN WHICH I LIVE I SEARCH EVERYWHERE FOR SOME NEW INSPIRATION BUT IT'S MORE THAN COLD REALITY CAN GIVE IF I NEED A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION OR A COMFORT I CAN USE TO EASE MY MIND I RELY ON MY IMAGINATION AND I DREAM OF AN IMAGINARY TIME"

-BILLY JOEL, EVERYBODY HAS A DREAM

"IT TOOK ALL THE STRENGTH I HAD NOT TO FALL APART JUST TRYIN' HARD TO MEND THE PIECES OF MY BROKEN HEART AND I SPENT OH SO MANY NIGHTS JUST FEELING SORRY FOR MYSELF I USED TO CRY, BUT NOW I HOLD MY HEAD UP HIGH AND YOU SEE ME, SOMEBODY NEW I'M NOT THAT CHAINED UP LITTLE PERSON STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU AND SO YOU FELT LIKE DROPPIN' IN AND JUST EXPECT ME TO BE FREE NOW I'M SAVING ALL MY LOVIN' FOR SOMEONE WHO'S LOVIN' ME"

-GLORIA GAYNOR, I WILL SURVIVE

"NOW THAT YOU'RE OUT OF MY LIFE I'M SO MUCH BETTER YOU THOUGHT THAT I'D BE WEAK WITHOUT YOU, BUT I'M STRONGER YOU THOUGHT THAT I'D BE BROKE WITHOUT YOU, BUT I'M RICHER YOU THOUGHT THAT I'D BE SAD WITHOUT YOU, I LAUGH HARDER THOUGHT I WOULDN'T GROW WITHOUT YOU, NOW I'M WISER THOUGHT THAT I'D BE HELPLESS WITHOUT YOU, BUT I'M SMARTER YOU THOUGHT THAT I'D BE STRESSED WITHOUT YOU, BUT I'M CHILLIN' YOU THOUGHT I WOULDN'T SELL WITHOUT YOU, SOLD NINE MILLION"

-DESTINY'S CHILD, SURVIVOR "FUN AIN'T EASY IF IT AIN'T FREE TOO MANY PEOPLE GOT A HOLD ON ME BUT I KNOW SOMETHING THAT THEY DON'T KNOW I KNOW A WOMAN IN NEW MEXICO OH WORSE COMES TO WORST I'LL GET ALONG I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT SOMETIMES I CAN BE STRONG"

-BILLY JOEL, WORSE COMES TO WORST

NICOLE JANICKI JANUARY 17, 2023 MICHAEL SNEAD WORKS CITED HTTPS://WWW.READPOETRY.COM/POEMS-TO-HELP-YOU-LISTEN-TO-YOURINTUITION/ HTTPS://GENIUS.COM/BILLY-JOEL-EVERYBODY-HAS-A-DREAM-THESTRANGER-REPRISE-LYRICS HTTPS://GENIUS.COM/BILLY-JOEL-WORSE-COMES-TO-WORST-LYRICS HTTPS://GENIUS.COM/DESTINYS-CHILD-SURVIVOR-LYRICS HTTPS://GENIUS.COM/GLORIA-GAYNOR-I-WILL-SURVIVE-LYRICS EMERSON, RALPH. SELF-RELIANCE. (1841). HTTPS://WWW.GOODREADS.COM/QUOTES/43773-NOT-I-NOR-ANYONE-ELSECAN-TRAVEL-THAT-ROAD-FOR HTTPS://LANGUAGES.OUP.COM/GOOGLE-DICTIONARY-EN/