Hey girl,

My name is Tanya. I’m 17 years old and all I ever wanted in life was to be independent. I used to have a good life. I went to school, always had food to eat and clothes to wear, but when my father lost his job things took a turn for the worse. I had to leave school because he could no longer afford my school fees.

Leaving school was tough. I felt I had to give up on my dreams of independence, because without an education I felt it was impossible to achieve my dreams. One day I was sitting in my room reading stories on Springster when I clicked on a story called Be Your Own Boss. It was exactly what I needed to read at the time.

Through the story, I learnt that I could start my own business and become independent. Education wasn’t the only route. But to start this journey I needed to change my mindset and how I was feeling.

The first step to becoming Miss independent is being confident in yourself and in your ability to achieve your dreams. I know sometimes it’s difficult to be confident when everything around you is going wrong, but don’t focus on that. Instead here are 2 things you should do:

Think positive thoughts

Scientist say that up to 70% of our thoughts are negative thoughts. Did you know that? And my grandma always told me, “A negative mind can’t give you a positive life”. She’s so right. To be independent you have to turn down the negativity and turn up the positivity.

Know your skills and talents

I used to do well in school, but just because I left school doesn’t mean I stopped being smart. If I’m good at numbers in school I can also be good at numbers when it comes to running a business. It’s important to know what you’re good at doing. It will make you feel more secure in yourself.

Always remember your thoughts lead to your feelings and your feelings lead to the decisions you make and actions you take. So before you become independent you first have to think it’s possible for you. And guess what girl? It definitely is.

Scroll down to find out more about my journey to independence in Part 2, or type Becoming Miss Independent – Part 2 in the search bar.