Goal
Today, we conclude this six-part series on independence and how it can be achieved. Let’s take a moment to review what we’ve learned.
Table of Contents
- Life Goals, Legacies, and Value Systems
- Overcoming Vice
- Improving Yourself
- Expanding Your Resources
- Sharing With Your Community
- Collectivists Hate Your Freedom
- Actionables
Life Goals, Legacies, and Value Systems
“Do not make the mistake of the ignorant who think that an individualist is a man who says: “I’ll do as I please at everybody else’s expense.” An individualist is a man who recognizes the inalienable individual rights of man—his own and those of others.
An individualist is a man who says: “I will not run anyone’s life—nor let anyone run mine. I will not rule nor be ruled. I will not be a master nor a slave. I will not sacrifice myself to anyone—nor sacrifice anyone to myself.” ” – Ayn Rand
The foundational component of independence is to have precise purposes. You must also understand what your legacy should be and what values you must have.
Your life goal is what you want to do with your life. Your legacy is how you want people to view you. Your value systems describe what you love, what is moral, and what you value.
These three things aid in your independence by giving you purpose:
- You don’t want to be independent for the sake of independence. You want freedom to pursue your life goals without worrying about society’s dysfunction.
- You want to know your legacy so your pursuit of freedom has a purpose beyond yourself.
- And you want to understand your values to confidently know you are pursuing independence for the right, virtuous reasons.
Overcoming Vice
Vice limits you. Only by overcoming the worst aspects of yourself do you achieve true independence.
Vice consumes your soul, money, time, and energy. The more you put towards your vices, the less you have for independence. And worst yet, even after paying for your vices, you will have nothing.
Remember the step-by-step process:
- The wise man notes what ails him. He sees his addictions as what they are: parasites, and he stomps as many as he can. Armed with a clear vision, he gets to work.
- You don’t justify your vices. Please don’t waste time rationalizing them. You must accept that overcoming what ails you is the only way to save time and stress.
- We all have vices that affect us differently, so be deliberate in how you approach overcoming a vice. But never let it sit idly in your soul, for vices will always stop your journey towards independence.
Improving Yourself
You have only one life. Why not live it as the best version of yourself?
To improve yourself is to build upon your previous self. This process is not easy, but it is crucial.
Your vices slow you down. You have more time, energy, and effort when they are removed. You must take your newly released resources towards improving yourself.
And self-improvement is the key to independence. To be independent is to be disciplined, capable, and focused:
- You need to excel physically, mentally, and emotionally.
- You need to find your weaknesses and surpass them.
- You need to find new skills to master and demons to fight.
Additionally, the more you improve, the better you can handle the demands of independence. When you are independent, you are not receiving “free” handouts from the government or the distractions from the elites. The mob cannot give you moral lies for your shortcomings. You are left alone with yourself and the greatness you can accomplish.
And only a person constantly improving can achieve that greatness.
Expanding Your Resources
“The mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain. There is no such thing as a collective thought.” – Ayn Rand
We all need resources to survive. We need shelter, food to eat, water to drink, and so forth. The government, especially organizations like the USDA, loves controlling our supplies. Why do they do this? Because the government understands if it can handle your supply chain, it controls your life.
And other collectivists do this as well. The mob knows if it controls how you identify, it controls how you think. For example, Black Lives Matter has cultural power over what is “black.” Therefore, anyone who embraces that identity must either contend with this cultural power or go along to get along.
But if you develop your self-worth and expand your resources, you can escape. It’s harder to control a person who has what they need, whether it is the ability to grow their own food or a self-confidence in who they are. The more resources you have, the easier it becomes to flex your independence in the face of tyranny.
Sharing With Your Community
You will need allies. The lone wolf is not necessarily a myth. But similar to the self-made man, you never want to do everything alone. The more you have to do yourself, the lower the quality of life you will live.
It’s essential to achieve competence. Your competence and discipline will attract other capable and virtuous people. When you do, let them help you. Let your carpenter friend assist you with building your fence. Let your farmer friend provide you with locally sourced food at a fair price. Let the family down the street watch your kids so you can go on a date with your spouse.
There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. The community you build will act as a bulwark against the world’s madness. Your community will provide love and sanity in a crazy world; it will support you if you ever lose your job for whatever reason; it will provide opportunities to learn and grow as you assist others.
It is better to serve and be served by virtuous people. Therefore, build your community so you can ensure your independence from our broken, corrupt world.
Collectivists Hate Your Freedom
I want you to be independent. What I love about individualism is no one can enslave you if you follow the tenets. I can’t enslave you, even if you follow everything I’ve written.
The government will give you “free” things and demand your obedience. I want you to earn what you have so you can freely be loyal to what is virtuous. The elites will give you distractions and garbage, so you are addicted to what’s killing you. I want you to eat your vegetables and go to the gym, activities that usually don’t create addicts.
I can’t enslave you. Everything I’ve outlined will make you independent, and you can live on your terms.
Let’s get started right here, right now. Thank you for reading this series, and good luck on your journey of independence.
Actionables
Your independence leads to the best outcomes. The freer you are, the happier you can be. No one can be happy as a slave to their vices, the government, the ruling classes, or the mob. They may feign happiness, but happiness can only be achieved through virtue.
- Of the posts above, what was the hardest for you to read? What truths did you discover? Of the difficult ones, do you find the steps I outlined difficult? Did they make sense?
- What would you do with the additional time and money if you were free of government violence and taxation? How would you want to spend any freedom that you could gain? What does a “free” life look like to you?
- Some people are not free. What are they like? In your experience? how do people restrict themselves and their own potential? In my experience, people shackle themselves by believing the government cares about them or that the elites have their best outcomes in mind. Do you restrict yourself in this way?
- Set Measurable Goals: Define clear, achievable goals that align with your values and independence. Break them down into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks to create a roadmap for your journey.
- Skill Development: Commit to learning a new skill every quarter that enhances self-sufficiency. This could be anything from financial literacy to gardening or a new trade that can provide an alternative source of income.
- Community Engagement: Actively seek out or create a local community group focused on skill-sharing and mutual support. This network can serve as a resource pool and a support system for personal growth and independence.
- Health and Wellness Plan: Develop a regular exercise routine and a healthy eating plan that fuels your body and mind. Prioritize mental health through meditation, journaling, or therapy to maintain emotional resilience.
- Financial Audit and Plan: Conduct a thorough review of your finances to eliminate wasteful expenses. Build an emergency fund, invest in assets that align with your independence goals, and educate yourself on financial independence strategies.
- Mindset Shift: Daily shift your mindset from a dependent to an independent thinker through reading, podcasts, or conversations with like-minded individuals. Avoid weak individuals and those who would support your enslavement.
- Minimalism Challenge: Simplify your life by identifying and removing unnecessary possessions. Embrace minimalism to reduce reliance on material goods and to focus on what truly matters.
- Personal Responsibility: Hold yourself accountable for your actions and decisions. Practice saying “no” to things that don’t serve your path to independence.
- Sustainable Living: If possible, invest in renewable energy sources for your home, start a vegetable garden, or practice other sustainable living habits that reduce your reliance on external systems.
Please remember it’s important to do the actionables. You’re not on this earth to simply read but to do. To become an individual, you must act more than you consume.
*Image credit to Unsplash
