Here are some other thoughts I had on this week’s subject of emotional independence:

If you need something outside of yourself to complete you, to fill in the gaps of who you are, you live with a constant nagging dependence. You can never truly give all your energy to living life to its fullest, if a little bit of that energy is always spent wondering if the person or situation that is providing you with your love, your respect, your security, or your encouragement, will be there to ensure your supply.

When you are a stable self-contained unit, then (and only then) can you be perfectly relaxed in a relationship. If you supply all your own emotional needs, you are free to love others for who they are and not for what they can provide you.

Being emotionally independent also means not getting your self-respect from whether you gain or lose 10 pounds, whether your house is as clean as your mother’s, whether you finished college, or the status of your job.

If you want people to respect you or like you, the first thing to do is get your mind off what others think and learn to quietly respect and like yourself. The world outside you will follow your cue and treat you accordingly.