The hardest thing about becoming an adult is the responsibility that comes with it. No longer can you rely on your friends and family for support when times get tough. Sure, you can always visit them or be consoled over the phone, but you largely must rely on yourself. For me, that is the most important skill, independence. Being independent doesn’t necessarily mean making your own money or buying your first house, rather it is a skill trait that enables you to think for yourself and carve your own path. After gaining some independence over the past years, my primary goal has been to develop the skills that will enable me to be successful in the future. Sure, I may not have a job working 50 hours a week while juggling school and a social life, but I have learned and continue to learn the meaning of perseverance, critical thinking, and most of all, how to handle problems on my own. So, if there is anything that really defines me, it is my insatiable, although naïve, drive to make my own way without relying on others. Too often, young adults are lulled into complacency by false promises of money and success without realizing what it takes to achieve it. It has been said that one learns best from mistakes and failures, but in one case, great success taught me something about myself that has come to shape who I am today. That experience, victory at the biggest stage in high school swimming, told me that I was capable of anything, if I had the right skills in place. Being able to rely on myself for help is the greatest asset I could gain, and I used it to realize my goals.