By Cindy Yantis

There’s much that we take for granted, living where we live in these great and complicated United States. The freedom to do so certainly started with our forward-thinking founding fathers. They set forth a whole new way of being, and living, with independence.

It got me thinking about the meaning of independence on a deeper, more personal level. What does it mean to be personally independent?

A true feeling of independence starts with an energy, a force that fuels and permeates a sagacity of human spirit, a spirit that manifests as personal power, something that is at times forgotten or lost in the chaos of the daily grind.

To my way of thinking, this personal sovereignty is a combination of both mindset and sense, a combo that reminds us of whom we are meant to be. Let us begin with some 
core senses or deeper places of wisdom.

• A Sense of Liberty Mind – recognizing freedom is a state of mind

Related: "How True Freedom Starts with Your Mind"

• A Sense of Connection – fostering healthy relationships
• A Sense of Deep Appreciation – nurturing an attitude of gratitude for all that you have
• A Sense of Awareness – being awake to the moment
• A Sense of Self-Reliance – knowing you can do it
• A Sense of Personal Sovereignty – owning your personal space and that granting permission belongs to you 

Related: "Permission Granted: Give Yourself a Break" 

• A Sense of Home – no matter where you are at any time, “home” is within

  “Independence is happiness.” Susan B. Anthony

Personal independence is non-negotiable; a commodity that no one can ever take from you, because it has nothing to do with external stuff. Your personal sovereignty is where you and only you reign.

Here’s to it, and you.