Wars have been waged to capture a country’s independence seized by oppressive colonialism. Factions have rebelled against their local government in pursuit of political freedom. Normal teenagers struggle every day to assert independence from doting parents. The freedom to choose is a wonderful privilege to have and is easily taken for granted once achieved; oftentimes, the responsibility needed for independence is underestimated, jeopardizing the stability of the freedom to choose. The world can seem big and scary sometimes, threatening the security of your independence. However, properly preparing yourself beforehand can ensure the success of living on your own. There are three key factors that can help you live comfortably on your own.  

Open-mindedness 

Under the care of parents, it is common for a child to develop the same beliefs and viewpoints as their parents. This is not necessarily a negative outcome, however, living independently removes your parents’ direct influence. Without the constant inflow of parental ideals, new spheres of influence will enter your world and introduce viewpoints you have never seen. Having an open mind allows for new opportunities to enter your life. An open mind does not have to be an empty one. Keeping an open mind does not mean you have to let go of all your beliefs. You can hold strong beliefs and still try to understand others’ points of views and why they might have them. Entering this brand-new scene of independence with a closed mind creates biased preconceptions that are often unwarranted and false. In the real world, an open mind is appreciated by all as it opens doorways that would have otherwise remained closed. Business connections, friendships, and life mentors all have the potential to appear before you when being understanding is your foundation. Disagreements between people are a natural occurrence, but what stands out from these situations is how you choose to move forward and not remain in the past. Open-mindedness allows you to understand the other side’s view while respectfully disagreeing and maintaining your own.  

Drive 

No, not like driving a car…well sort of. When driving a car, you typically have a destination in mind. Reaching this destination is considered a goal that you want to achieve. This is drive for your drive. When I say you need to have a drive, I mean the motivation to keep going and aim for newer heights. Without a specific drive in your life, it becomes easier to stray from progress and become complacent or even regress in your goals. Living away from your parents takes away the pressure of expectations, but also disposes of most people’s driving factors in life. Parents raise their children and indirectly push them towards how they want to live. This parental direction is the single most important driving factor in someone’s life until the point of independence. Upon independence, the loss of a parent’s drive can be troubling, with many young adults losing sight of their goals. Success is forfeited if someone lives without a drive, a purpose. A purposeful drive can aid the process of achieving educational, physical, and especially financial goals.  

Damage Control 

Damage control is the most essential key to living independently. You can have a strong drive that gives you purpose or an open mind that retains solid beliefs but failing to turn a negative situation into a constructive and character-building one can be disastrous. When obstacles present themselves in front of you, they have the potential to obstruct your success and weaken your drive. Imagine your beliefs are severely questioned during a debate about sensitive subjects. Are you to only lay down and allow your plans to unravel? Or shy away from confrontation and have your character called into question? No, you must seize the opportunity to take a dark situation and choose to see the light in it. Executing damage control within your personal life is more complicated than merely drinking a potion or repairing your car. Maintaining control over what happens in your life is impossible; learning from your mistakes and bad experiences is something you can control. Damage control focuses on minimizing the bad in a situation and maximizing the good.  

Living on your own can be extremely difficult and create a lot of struggles; daunting yes, but also perfectly doable if you equip yourself with proper mental tools and a positive mindset. Nobody is perfect; we’re all bound to make mistakes sometime in our lives. The world is an unpredictable playground with endless possibilities. It’s how we prepare for dealing with these circumstances on our own that will decide our success. How will you face hardships when living on your own?