I have been an overly independent individual ever since I was a toddler. I always found myself to be someone that did not morph my personality to be considered "likable" so people would want to be my friend. And plus, that is not an authentic friendship if I were to have done that.
Because of this overwhelming amount of independence, I often found myself confused as to why I was always the one in my friend group branching out and trying new things, while others would stay comfortable doing what they have always done. Or, often frustrated by people who were not independent whatsoever.
If you are independent at all I am sure you can relate to the following things that occur in an independent person's life:
1. You get annoyed by people who are not independent whatsoever.
For me, I hate when people cannot try new things because they are scared of being alone. Or, I hate when people hold others back by judging them for having such independence to do something daring and completely life-changing on their own.
C'MON. At some point, you will have a job by yourself. You will be living by yourself. YOU WILL BE ALL ALONE. It really is not that bad to try something new once and a while on your own.
It is so frustrating to already be so independent and have other people look at you like you're insane because you take a risk and try something on your own.
2. You love the call of an adventure.
If your independent, you love the idea of a reset button. Or, the idea of moving somewhere and completely starting over and creating a life from the ground up.
The idea of experiencing new places and new people excites you. Being able to create or experience a life that you are not already comfortable with is an exhilarating idea.
3. Relationships are hard to come by.
You find yourself constantly wanting a relationship, but when you have someone it freaks you out. It may be because you're not sure if you actually like them, but more than likely it is because you are way too independent and find it hard to depend on another person to make the relationship work.
You find it hard to give up your way of doing things and making a compromise with a significant other. You like how you do things already and do not want to give that up.
4. You get frustrated with people who go from relationship to relationship to relationship.
This kind of goes off of the first point. But, basically, people who "relationship-hop" are the worst to you. It is hard to wrap that idea around your head. How can someone go from person to person and not take the time to be their own person? Completely mind-boggling.
You also hate seeing people be melancholy over exes for longer than a few weeks. You really have no sympathy for when it is even months after. You want them to realize being single is where it is at. And even more, you want them to be their own person!
5. You hate people defining who you are.
I hate when people tell me who I am. I find myself changing each and every day, so when people classify me as one way, I get frustrated. This is because I am not just one type of person. I have multiple characteristics I want others to see, so please do not define who I am by just one of them.
6. You are self-motivated.
You see an opportunity and go for it. You do not need others approval before you jump into something because you have yourself and that is all you need to make a decision to go for something.
7. You cannot stand it when people try WAY TO HARD to be exactly like their best friend.
We are all individual people and created to be just that. We are not meant to be the mirror image of our best friend. We are supposed to have our own ideas of how something should be or different ideas of right and wrong. So, it is okay to be your own person!!!
And, if you haven't gotten there yet, quit knocking down your friends who have. I have found myself in the minority of people on certain ideas, and that is perfectly fine by me because I am my own person just like everyone else.
It just takes people getting to this mentality to realize it is okay to voice their opinions that are different from their friends. We continuously urge people to be an individual, not a clone of someone else!
8. You find spending time by yourself enjoyable.
I recently went to New York City for spring break, and guess what! I went ALL BY MYSELF!!! You people who have to constantly be with others just had a heart attack. But, let me tell you, it was the greatest trip of my entire life. I saw some close friends while I was in the city, but there were also times I wandered around by myself and did my own thing. It was incredible to be able to do what I wanted to do and not have to worry about anyone else but myself.
Will I always want to go on vacation alone? No, absolutely not, I love going on trips with my family or friends. BUT, I will go on more vacations by myself because I was able to fully decompress and take a break from everything.
If you are an independent individual you might not have gone to this extreme quite yet, but the idea does not scare you. In fact, it entices you. You do not feel the need to rely on others to have fun. Instead, you create your own version of a good time catered to exactly what you want to do.
9. You dislike the idea of having a singular friend group.
I love being friends with everyone. I love giving each type of individual the chance to be someone that can confide in me. I hate the exclusiveness of friend groups. I find them almost, in no offense to anyone reading, but juvenile.
Which is why I would say I am a floater. I believe that if you can't branch out on your own and meet new people, you are never going to grow as a person. It is okay to attend a pregame or organization meeting with people you are not really friends with, alone.
That gives you the opportunity to meet new people and expand your horizon. I hate the idea of shutting people out automatically because people are unwelcoming to inviting new people into their lives. And the excuse that you don't mean to or you do not realize you are doing it is unacceptable.
You do realize you are because you never make room for others to join you. So, for those of us that are independent, we find ourselves friends with any and everyone. We do not confine ourselves to the walls of a "friend group".
10. We jump.
Huh? What does that even mean? It means we are not scared of taking risks. In fact, we often find ourselves in trouble from our actions but often times, without any regrets.
When we see a chance or opportunity we are intrigued by, we go for it. We do not let anything hold us back, and we are definitely not the type of person for an opportunity to pass us by.
11. We find ourselves to be overly confident.
Being independent allows us to do many things and build a confidence that cannot be shattered. Do we still have some things we are self-conscious about?
Oh most definitely. I will always have some insecurities, but because I am independent, I am confident in the things that I do know are great about me. I do not allow for the insecurities to ever diminish my confidence or my independent nature.
12. We stand up for what is right, no matter if we are the only ones.
When we see an issue or conflict, we think that we can fix it. We continuously try to fix other peoples problems, big or small, because that is just who we are by nature. We may be the only person in the room who sees something wrong, but we do not care, we stand up for what we believe in no matter what.
13. We want to find joy in all things.
I have found because I am so independent, I can find joy easily. If I am in a place in my life or a situation where I am not happy, I change it.
Being independent allows me to do this because I do not need someone to hold my hand while I figure out what makes me happy. I just do it. I try new things and meet new people so I can continue to experience life and that is what creates joy in my life.
Each person is created differently with their own talents, features, and ideologies. I have found through being independent, I am able to exhibit these things in my own, unique way. I do not have to wait for approval or for when I am comfortable with people to be myself because I do not care what anyone thinks.
Being independent has allowed me to have a mindset that is straightforward. I am who I am, and if you do not like it, then that is fine. But, because I am so independent I do not allow for others to bring me down, I continue to move forward with life.
