“7 Secrets of an Independent Life—Revealed,” For the Strength of Youth, Oct. 2023.
Life Help
7 Secrets of an Independent Life—Revealed
A smooth transition to an independent life can be yours. Here a few of the things that can help.
Illustrations by Guev Design
Grown-ups live a different life from yours. And the fact is, you’ll live a grown-up life one day. Part of a grown-up life is being independent—taking care of yourself, earning money, and so on. Here are seven secrets to gaining an independent life.
Secret 1: You can tap into three sources of spiritual power on your journey.
You have access to three sources of spiritual power along your way:
Faith in Jesus Christ—always and in all things. Believe in the Savior. Seek to keep His commandments and honor the covenants you make. Pray daily to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. Then you can be blessed in every area of your life. Never doubt that. (See Mosiah 2:41.)
Agency—the power to choose and act. You have agency. You can choose to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father wants you to act for yourself and not just to be acted upon by outside forces (see 2 Nephi 2:14, 16). No matter your circumstances, there is always something positive you can do.
Righteous desires—knowing what you want and why. If you want good things for good reasons, you can become something good. As President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, has explained: “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. In addition, it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something” (Apr. 2011 general conference [Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 45]).
Secret 2: Pay tithing first—no matter what.
When you earn money, pay tithing on it. Make no exceptions, and don’t put it off. As you keep this commitment, the Lord will “open … the windows of heaven” for you (Malachi 3:10). This can include all kinds of blessings—spiritual, temporal, emotional, and more.
Secret 3: There is more than one path to an independent life.
Your options are not limited to one skill, one school, one degree, one job. Believe this, and you will see fewer barriers and more open doors.
If you don’t know your options, find people with experience and knowledge who can give you good advice. They could be parents, counselors at school, Church leaders, or a member of your community who does something you want to do. Ask them how they got to where they are or what resources are available for you.
Secret 4: You may already have what people want.
For financial independence, you need “marketable skills”—things you can do that people will pay you for. Here’s the secret: you already have some of those. For instance, math, sewing, physical strength, hair styling, drawing, driving vehicles, organizing things, solving problems, using computers, being able to talk to people and gain their trust, being reliable, and many more.
If you don’t know your skills, ask an adult to tell you what you’re good at. And if you want to develop a particular skill that you don’t already have, you can learn it.
Secret 5: Read!
Reading is a key to better education, better work, and a better understanding of how the world works. Even if you’re good at reading, read more. Read the scriptures. Read what you’re assigned to read in school. Then find things you like to read on your own.
Reading helps you to gain knowledge and to think and communicate more clearly. This will be of great use to you no matter what you choose to do in the future.
Secret 6: Things you don’t watch can disappear.
If you don’t watch how you’re spending your money, one day you might find that it’s nearly gone. A budget is a plan to keep track of how much money is coming in, how much is going out, and how much you’re saving. It also helps you set limits on your spending on different things.
There are different kinds of budgeting systems: ledgers with columns, software programs, cash envelopes with categories written on them. Find a system that works for you.
(By the way, having a budget doesn’t mean you never spend money on fun things. You just keep track of your money and spend it wisely.)
Secret 7: Debt is a hole you don’t want to keep digging.
Debt is when you have to pay back money you borrowed. Usually you pay back borrowed money little by little over time with interest—an additional amount that is a percentage of the amount you borrowed.
Debt gets out of control when you’ve borrowed more than you can pay back and interest keeps adding onto what you have to pay.
You may need to go into debt to get certain things you don’t have enough money to pay for, such as education, home ownership, or a vehicle. But be careful. Look for options that will help you avoid debt as much as possible.
Credit cards allow you to buy things now and pay for them later. This is also debt—with a lot of interest. If you feel the need get a credit card, pay it in full every time a bill is due. If you always pay only the minimum payment, it is much harder to get out of debt.