Independent Mind

My mantra these days is "Independent Mind."  Of course no one can be totally independent of others, but I strive to be independent-minded as much as I can.  What I mean by that is I focus on my own rather on other people's ideas and opinions and way of doing things.  I realized, when first I stumbled upon my independent mind, how much easier it was to be.  Growing up in Filipino culture, class consciousness was the norm, so that people treated you nice or not depending on what they thought your class were.  I started interpreting this class distinction as the bible for how I should be:  I should wear nice clothes, I should be wealthy, I should look good, I should be intelligent, I should have a nice house, I should be a good girl, etc.  I wanted people to treat me a certain way, so I surrendered to the rules of society, that's what happened.  These days, I'm mindful of how I react to what I see or hear outside of my self.  Having an independent mind allows me to prosper from my inner core.  This way, I connect with people through my authentic self, no matter what my class is.  The more I tune in to the real me, the "I am," the more content I feel,  the more gentle I am with myself, and the more "independent mind" I have.