Startups are famous for creating words that don’t really mean anything and suddenly we start making verbs out of them.
“Just Google it”
“I’m ordering an Uber”
“TikTok taught me…”
and unfortunately this sight isn’t a whole lot better. I’ve created a word and now have to build the meaning behind it.
Antidependent – what does this mean?
Inspired by the hugely popular Antifragile book by Naseem Talib, the beginning of the word just means that this is the opposite of the rest of the word. We are not dependent.
And of course dependence or dependent means having to rely on someone or something to provide for ourselves and our future.
Not being dependent is the ultimate dream for almost every one of us. And this just doesn’t mean our financial future, but maybe the most precious commodity in the world: our time.
What if you could wake up every day and do exactly what you want?
Actually go to the gym every day, actually take the 15 minutes you don’t think you have to meditate, and actually spend high quality time with your loved ones without the stressful distractions of work, money, and obligations.
Much of how I believe we accomplish this is not through some Silicon Valley startup exit for millions of dollars, but rather moreso following the FIRE movement from a financial perspective, and from the Minimalist movement from a lifestyle perspective.
As someone who is from the US, has lived overseas, and at the time of this article is living back in the US I can tell you that almost all of us create obligations (or dependencies) that we just don’t need.
We need to make more money to cover our exoarbinant housing cost. We need to go to the gym 7x a week to make up for the unhealthy diet we follow. We pay financial advisors to make up for the undisciplined financial habits that we have.
Of course I’m not perfect, and that’s part of what this blog is all about. I want to do better, and I know from practice that the best way to keep yourself accountable is to be public about what you’re doing. Leading by example, in public, and being accountable to those outside of your immediate sphere.
I’ll undoubtedly update this article throughout the course of the years that I’m at the helm of antidependent, but for now I wanted to share the origin of my thoughts behind this word and what it means to me. My hope is that over time it will have significant meaning to many of you, the readers of this blog.