#2 - Be Truly Independent.

www.dictionary.com clarifies being independent as:

in·de·pend·ent /ˌɪndɪˈpɛndənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-di-pen-duhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1.
not influenced or controlled by others in matters of opinion, conduct, etc.; thinking or acting for oneself: an independent thinker. (I like to think this is true to some degree)
2.
not subject to another's authority or jurisdiction; autonomous; free: an independent businessman. (We're all a product of the man)
3.
not influenced by the thought or action of others: independent research. (we learn from others mistakes)
4.
not dependent; not depending or contingent upon something else for existence, operation, etc. (does air count?)
5.
not relying on another or others for aid or support. (a shoulder to cry on)
6.
rejecting others' aid or support; refusing to be under obligation to others. (no partners or friends)
7.
possessing a competency: to be financially independent. (Hurray)
8.
sufficient to support a person without his having to work: an independent income. (no babies please)
9.
executed or originating outside a given unit, agency, business, etc.; external: an independent inquiry. (i exist outside of work. i am an individual at work.)
10.
working for oneself or for a small, privately owned business. (maybe one day)
11.
expressive of a spirit of independence; self-confident; unconstrained: a free and independent citizen. (can be a little too expressive on occasion)
12.
free from party commitments in voting: the independent voter. (i want partay committments)
13.
Mathematics. (of a quantity or function) not depending upon another for its value. (depending on others to validate you is a vulnerable place in which to be)
14.
Grammar. capable of standing syntactically as a complete sentence: an independent clause. Compare dependent (def. 4), main1 (def. 4). (I like to watch the cranes move outside of my office window, it reminds me of Trudy)
15.
Logic.
a.
(of a set of propositions) having no one proposition deducible from the others.
b.
(of a proposition) belonging to such a set. (tarts)
16.
Statistics. statistically independent. (one Sarah-Jayne please)
17.
(initial capital letter) Ecclesiastical. of or pertaining to the Independents. –noun (musical group?)
18.
an independent person or thing. (one Sarah-Jayne please)
19.
a small, privately owned business: The conglomerates are buying up the independents. (working in a conglomeration)
20.
Politics. a person who votes for candidates, measures, etc., in accordance with his or her own judgment and without regard to the endorsement of, or the positions taken by, any party. (women's party)
21.
(initial capital letter) Ecclesiastical. an adherent of Independency.
22.
British. a Congregationalist. —Idiom (I'm Australian)
23.
independent of, irrespective of; regardless of: Independent of monetary considerations, it was a promising position. (A price for a person)

So apparently to be truly independent you have to be a small business, aren't allowed friends or partners, to be British, vote without being exposed to propaganda and give up oxygen. I always do appreciate the literal terminology but perhaps this is a little too far.

I am at that age where we seperate ourselves from our families and are forced to stand on our own two feet financially (and otherwise). I feel I have done that successfully. Independence is a big word. I try not to rely on others for much as I feel the old chestnut of "you can only truly rely on yourself" is fairly accurate. I like it that way, I'm the only one who lets ME down. That is not to say that being dependent on others is necessarily a bad thing, it just isn't for me, all the time.