Podcast #384: What It Really Means to Be Self-Reliant

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When you hear self-reliance, what do you think of? Living off the grid in a cabin somewhere? Doing everything yourself, and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps?

Do these images get at what it really means to be self-reliant, or is there a deeper and even more profound meaning to be grasped?

Indeed there is, and my guest today is here to help us unpack it. His name is Kyle Eschenroeder. He’s a regular contributor at AoM and we’ve just published a little pocket guide filled with his meditations on what it truly means to be self-reliant called The Pocket Guide to Self-Reliance. Today on the show, Kyle and I discuss what most people get wrong about self-reliance and how he defines it. We then get into specific tactics you can use to trust yourself more like spending time in solitude, developing an inner scorecard, not seeking advice when you’re first starting a big project, and using intentional introspection. Kyle and I then discuss how to jive self-reliance with belonging to a community and how to know if you’re becoming a self-reliant man. Developing a self-reliant mindset is more difficult than ever in our modern world, and yet vital to living a satisfying life on your own terms; you don’t want to miss this show.

Show Highlights

What do most people get wrong about the idea of self-reliance?
Why self-reliance has more to do with your inner self than how you live externally
That attributes that really capture the spirit of what self-reliance means
The thinkers who have helped Kyle flesh out this idea
Why developing this type of self-reliance is incredibly difficult
What role does solitude play in self-reliance?
Why digital solitude is especially important
Why airplane mode is your friend
Why you should partake in an “input deprivation week”
What is an “inner scorecard,” and how do you develop it?
How “the score takes care of itself” as long as you’re doing your part
Why self-reliant people should ignore probabilities
The merits of listening to advice versus relying on your own ideas
What is “intentional introspection”?
What does it mean to set your own law? How do you do it?
The importance of embracing tradition
How do you know if you’re becoming more self-reliant?

Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in Podcast

Connect With Kyle

Kyle on Twitter

Kyle’s Files

Buy the Pocket Guide to Self-Reliance

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