Digital Voices

Chelsea “This I Believe” podcast

I believe in being independent as a person. An independent person is someone who has the ability to grow, change, learn and make choices good or bad without the persuasion of someone else.

For me I was independent in all of those areas in my life while I was growing up and in my life now. When I was young my parents divorced, my sister was diagnosed with epilepsy and I was forced to be wise beyond my years. My mother sank in to what I would consider to be a deep depression, my father moved to Alaska and my step dad worked out of state. My mom spent all her time in her room leaving me to look after my sister who was three years older then me. There was no one to make sure my homework was done or my room was clean or talk to me about troubles I was having at school, yet I made sure my sister did her homework before mom got home, that she was safe and that I did what was expecting of me. As hard as it was to be independent as a young child and as mad as I was at my mom for not spending enough time with me and giving me so much responsibility it made me who I am today; responsible, self motivated and on my way to being successful.

I currently have a part time job at Arby’s, drive 40 minutes each way to and from school everyday, I have my own credit card, checking account and insurance to pay. This summer I start a job as a temp at a factory to help me pay off my car loan, and I go off to college in September to study Pre-med at Eastern Michigan University. I know that because I was able to make sure I did what I needed to when I was young and that I am able to do things on my own now, that when I go off to college it won’t be any different. I believe if it weren’t for my strong sense of self and independence that I would not be going to college or even graduating from high school.

I believe that independence is the best tool a person can have in life but only if there is a balance between to much and to little. I believe that it’s bad for children to be coddled; they should be forced to do things on their own. When a child is given tasks to complete on their own such as cleaning their rooms it gives them a since of independence. Children who don’t learn independence and responsibility and are not as well prepared for life on their own as children who know independence. Having too much independence is as detrimental as having no independence. Growing up I had a curfew, I couldn’t go out on school nights and I was forced to go to school even if I was sick. I’m sure that if I would have been able to stay out as long as I wanted and not go to school that I was not be where I am to day. I’m sure that I would have been in jail at least once, be working a minimum wage job making barley enough money to pay my bills. With a balanced amount of Independence a child will learn how to cope with problems on their own, make money to pay for their own fun and have dreams that they can actually achieve.

I believe in independence. That it is the key to happiness and success. That it gives you the ability to live life the way you want, to make choices that you believe in, and be able to bask in your success because you know that you it is because of yourself and not someone else. Being independent means that in the end you will know that your life will be the one you chose to live.