It's always good to have friends and family you can count on; people who will come to your aid when things are difficult or when you really need help.

But how *self-reliant* are you, really? Do you ever consider and wonder how self-reliant you are?


![0803-Red.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZW6Z6QRgubeoxdbjg4WHQ6mqbS3btEXmNLaTbFvCEcbN/0803-Red.jpg)

Earlier today, I found myself thinking about my auntie who helped raise me, and who was still living by herself in a fairly sizable house with a fairly sizable garden even after she passed 90 years of age.

I'm very grateful to her for teaching me as much about being self-reliant as I know today… and I recognize that an awful lot of my life skills can in some way be attributed back to her and what she taught me. Her experience was basically that of having lived alone for all of her adult life, and not wanting to impose herself on other people. So she figured things out for herself.

Now, don't misunderstand me, *”self-reliance”* isn't about putting yourself in a position where you feel like you're above asking for help, and stubbornly *refuse* help. Self-reliance is knowing that when a tricky situation arises you can handle it by yourself if no help is, in fact, available.

![0812-Rowan.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNaUJDay2FQVEdhfgc3GTRKB6n6Lft7yMPZVLJCxD2ysA/0812-Rowan.jpg)

There were many useful things I learned from my auntie. How to move heavy objects when you're by yourself. How to safely cut down fairly large trees even if you're just by yourself. How to get fairly large gardening projects done even if it's you by yourself, and even when you're not necessarily the strongest or most mobile person around.

I remember helping her build a stone wall once. It involved moving rocks up to maybe 500lbs (200+kg) and it was all done without any machines... and largely without a lot of *effort,* either.

One of the things that made my auntie so capable was the fact that she was also very innovative and always willing to *”think outside the box.”* She never really looked at a challenge or problem as something overwhelming that she might not be able to handle, she looked at it as a puzzle she needed to come up with a solution to. And the vast majority of the time she did!


![0804-Leaf.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRJFuw6nEBL7CVQ3irLTERDFzZ1cfv83tGCNhVHTM7Edn/0804-Leaf.jpg)

On the other hand, she was also very familiar with her *limitations.* She knew better than to take on something that meant she would be clearly out of her depth. And I think that's also an important part of sound self-reliance: don't take on something that's clearly going to endanger you.

For me, the greatest thing about being highly self-reliant is that doing a lot of things yourself rather than calling in help or professionals to do it for you feels very *empowering.* And in this modern world of ours where we so often I asked to give away our personal power that's really a great asset!

Thanks for reading and have a great remainder of your week!

***How about YOU? Do you consider yourself self-reliant? Or do you mostly depend on others to help with difficult situations? Do leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!***

***(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — NOT A CROSSPOST!!!)
Created at 20220111 23:54 PST
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