Freedom is a mental, emotional or lifestyle decluttering. It's not just about material simplicity, it's about being truly free, in our thoughts and actions.
Growing up, the idea of going to the University was hammered into our heads. We were literally told that "If you don't go to the university, you won't make it in life". That idea sat on my chest for long, like a heavy load, and I was really working towards it.
For years I felt like I was running a race I didn't even register for, apart from the fact that I couldn't afford it, I was comparing myself to friends, classmates and neighbors who all wore their degrees like medals.
I didn't attend the university. Life chose a different path for and I was ashamed of that for long. That wasn't because I packed knowledge but because I didn't follow the script as expected, come out of secondary school, take JAMB exam and move to University. My head was filled with self-doubt, regret and a loud inner voice that kept asking "What if?"
But then something shifted. I thought to myself, in this country there are a lot of graduates and most of them don't even have a Job, and we all know that here without connection there's little or no possibility of getting a white collar job. So many have wasted their years in the university for nothing and most of them has come back to learn a skill.
So instead of obsessing myself over the conventional route, I diverted the energy to something else. I decided to learn a skill, and now I have the satisfaction of making beautiful dresses, creating something with my hand is amazing and it gives me the best feeling. And also there's hive, where I get to voice out my feelings in writing and share my creative side. I get beautiful and encouraging comments that make me believe that what I'm doing is really worth it. Nature is something else that gives me the inner pece. I love nature and the things in them, the trees, the birds, animals, etc.
With this I created space in my mind by letting go of expectations that didn’t belong to me, and I felt truly free.
Letting go of the scripted future, the classroom I never sat in, gave me freedom.
Minimalism For me wasn't just about having less clutter in a shelf, this time it was about freeing myself from the views of the society, the need to prove myself to everyone through a degree. I knew it was about discovering discovering that I could learn, create, grow and contribute even without a University certificate on the wall.
My freedom came the moment I stopped comparing myself to others and what they were doing, and started to see the ground I was already standing on.
Today I may not have the title of "graduate", but I have inner peace. And to me, that's the most minimalist form of success: carrying only what makes you light.
So a low key minimalist trick is this: Stop comparing your journey to anyone else’s.
It might seem like the hardest but it is the most freeing.
And yes the goal is to be truly free! 💪 “I Let Go of the Race—And Found Peace”
