Learning to Function

Learning is an individual responsibility and is life-long endeavor.  The only one responsible for your education is you.  It isn’t just reading books, but includes learning all the necessary skills you need to function.

Functioning includes the ability to be self-supporting and able to maintain and manage your finances to continue to be self-supporting.

If you have identified what you are good at and like to do, you should include this in choosing an occupation. Those who like working with numbers have been drawn to jobs in science, engineering and finance. Those who are skilled at working with people have been drawn to jobs in business and sales. Those who are skilled at both, do better.

Reading, writing and math are critical skills that allow you to function independently. You need to understand contracts, taxes, personal finance and written instructions.  If you escaped K-12 without these skills, you should continue to work to develop these skills on your own to become capable of full, autonomous self-support. In the US, if you earn less than $30,000 per year, you will not be able to afford to live autonomously without a roommate to help share the rent, utilities and food expenses.  

We are hard-wired to be independent. It is part of human nature. Gaining independence requires that we earn enough money to live on and spend our money wisely. You should never spend more than you make and should never spend more than is necessary.

Most people fail when they become reckless and make bad choices. Most people who succeed are careful, thorough and focused in applying their energy to fulfill their responsibilities.

Our emotions provide a feedback loop to inform us how we think we are doing. The goal is to make good choices and develop a sense of gratefulness.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader