Being independent is about being autonomous, self-determining, free, on your own and unconstrained.

Who wouldn’t want to make their own decisions? Who wouldn’t prefer making voluntary actions? Who doesn’t like being trusted to make independent, personal and well thought of decisions?

Apparently, independence involves trust, responsibility and accountability.

Trust is defined by Microsoft Thesaurus as faith, belief, confidence, rely on and hope. Trust goes both ways. It is afforded to the person that he or she can manage well and make proper decisions on his or her own. It is also about believing in oneself to make a good and right decision.

Responsibility is defined by Microsoft Thesaurus as job, duty, task, dependability, reliability and trustworthiness. To be responsible is to know one’s role, job and to make sure that it is done well and properly. It also is in line with being professional. The book Jesus Christ CEO defines professionals as people who stay focused on the successful accomplishment of their mission and do the difficult tasks.

Accountability is defined by Microsoft Thesaurus as answerability. It is about knowing that you face consequences of your decisions and you are willing to stand by your decisions.

Maybe some would add more ingredients and factors in being successfully independent but at the end of the day it is about making sure that we decide well, we analyze well and we can live by the decisions we make.

I am blessed and grateful that I was raised to be independent minded. People closest to me since I was young respected my decision even if sometimes isn’t the most popular one but what I felt was right during that time. I’m not easily swayed by peer pressure or group think which makes me more objective regardless of emotional attachments or affiliations.

It is best for us to decide for ourselves. Let us trust ourselves to make the best decisions. Let us not decide based on emotion, pressure or impulse but rather on what is best for us, for others involved and for all stakeholders that might be affected by such a decision.

By being independent minded, we can make rational decisions that we can defend, be proud of and we can stand by with.

I would like to end with my usual spiel, Ini liwat ang inyo amigo, abyan, primo kag sulugu-on, Iloilo City Councilor LEX Tupas, gasiling para sa padayun nga kauswagan kag pagsulong sang Syudad sang Iloilo, UGYON Iloilo. Ilonggos are worth working and fighting for.