It’s a world of bubbles and everyone is in their own little one, bouncing around to wherever the wind may take us. As a little bubble we all want to fly high and never pop.  Well at least that is the kind of bubble I aspire to be. I have been thinking about this concept a lot and I feel the better I can manage my little bubble, the better I can experience this world, thus fly high and not pop! Let me be a little clearer, I am not talking about isolation, drugs or cutting yourself off from society. I am talking about managing yourself better; specifically speaking, mentally. I am talking about the matters of responsibility and self-sufficiency. The dictionary defines self-sufficiency as, “needing no outside help in satisfying one’s basic, emotional and intellectual needs”. This word of “Self,”is what intrigues me today and I will dive into this as deep as I can, intellectually as a concept and practically as my life experiences allow me to go.

When you think of self-sufficiency, what comes to mind? For most of us we think about financial freedom, or being able to provide for the basic needs of ourselves and our families. Frankly speaking, this is a natural response because it has been this way for centuries. Nevertheless, in today’s world,  we no longer need to worry about food, water and shelter (we are talking about the western world here, we will talk about 3rd world issues another day). To me self-sufficiency means being independent and in control of all the areas in your life. By control, I mean having the ability to make your own choices in different walks of life and taking responsibility for your own actions. It also means accepting your Fate. Someone wise once emphasized the conception that you must, “learn to accept the things you cannot change, have the courage to change the things you can, and possess the wisdom to know the difference.” Am I being confusing yet? Well if not, let’s explore some more.  

It starts with taking responsibility of your life, wherever you are and saying to yourself, “it is the way it is because I lied to myself and others for years, or  I cheated in college, I blamed others for my feelings, I was a lazy ass, afraid to take action, I worried about others opinions of me,” and the list goes on. It is saying to yourself that there were things I could have done better, and there were some things that just happened which I had no absolute control over. Wherever you are in your life, this is the starting point for growth and progress. You must be able to accept what has passed and be open to new dimensions. Once you start from this vantage point you can start the process of self-sufficiency. It means becoming friends with your life and building a deep loving relationship with it. Because as your friendship grows so will your life.  Getting too technical on you?

Now let’s talk in practical terms. I was a college student once. In my first year at San Jose State, I got 3 Fs, two Ds and was about to get expelled. On top of that, my car got broken into and I had no money because the allowance my grandmother gave me was spent on booze and marijuana. I was completely f–cked or so I thought. So, what did I do? Oh Lord Jesus there was a fire, so I ran the other way. I started partying more, completely stopped going to class (what was the point, I was failing and about to get expelled) and wasted all my financial aid money. I was a complete mess, in a mental rut and my bubble was about to pop! Then something happened, I was lying on my bed in complete despair, staring at the ceiling I saw a bug right above my head (no it did not bite me, and I did not become spider man), I thought what if it falls on my head and crawls in my ear. So, I got up and after about 20 tries I killed that shit with my Nike Air Ones! At that point, I had a realization that the answer lies in getting up and doing something!

Here is what I did after, I started attending all my lectures, joined study groups, got my ass an internship at Intel and partied with my own money! If I didn’t do this, I would still be milking my poor grandmother dry! The sequence of the events did not flow as smooth as the above sentence. There were stops and delays, but I kept at it and did not give up. I did not overcome a monumental task, but just that little shift in my mind gave me more control of my bubble. There may not always be an “ah ha” moment, like the one I had but it is very crucial to think about why things are happening the way they are happening in your life. You see from all these complexities, it boils down to one thing and one thing only; that is : taking responsibility of things in every area of your life. Further, understanding the circumstances and then acting. That is the initial step to the road to self-sufficiency.

Taking action allowed me to have more experiences, gain more knowledge, build lasting relationships and grow into a better human being. And I believe it is this very act of self-sufficiency that allows us to transcend our current stage into the next and ultimately reach our potential. It is this very thing that makes us a responsible student, caring husband, giving friend, the hard-working employee, caring owner, the innovative CEO, daring visionary and the wise doctor. Having that been said, if all of us can take responsibility for our actions, then there will be lots of opportunities and choices. I have experienced this in my own life. In the process of being self-sufficient or on this road to it, you will give so much value to yourself and others around you. Self-sufficiency in your walk of life will lead to a happy, fun and exciting journey.

All things being considered, just know, I do not consider myself a Guru and have yet to master a lot of things in my own journey in life. What I know now is, that the world needs people that can take responsibility of their own little bubbles. By doing this we can fix a lot of the New World problems! Let’s all work on this together. I am practicing this in my life, as I write this. Granted, there will be times I go off track and stumble, but I know deep down, that I must lift myself up and get back on track.

I hope you enjoyed my little frame of reference. Now let’s all make it a point to take care of our own little bubble!

Until next time…