Independence Day doesn't just have to be about celebrating America. It's a day to celebrate liberation, personal strength, and courage. If summer's greatest holiday has you thinking about your own independence, here are a few simple things that you can do that will make you feel more independent.

1. Go out to eat alone.

Few brave souls take on this venture, but if you do, you could learn to love it. There is something comforting about enjoying a good meal in solitude. Who cares what the other people in the restaurant think?

2. Go shopping by yourself.

This is an important one. When you shop without bringing someone along to offer opinions and advice, you lean solely on your own taste and opinion. Buy what you like, regardless of what anyone else thinks.

3. Make an investment.

Whether it is your first important purchase, like a car or a house, or the first time you invest in the stock market, making this important decision will allow you to feel independent and maybe a little terrified. Choose something that you are confident in and passionate about. Then, just go for it.

4. Write a list of your greatest goals.

Write down where you want to be and map out steps for how you can get there. Planning out how to reach your goals in an organized and understandable way will allow you to conceptualize them. Before you know it, all of these goals will be accomplished. Sit back and reflect on how far you have come.

5. Treat yourself.

No, I don't mean blow all of your money on a killer shopping spree. I mean that you should treat yourself. What is it that you enjoy? What is it that you want to do? Do it, despite what others may want. If it is laying in bed with a good book on Saturday night, do it. If it is hitting up your local amusement park, do that. Treat yourself to a day about you.