Attaining Freedom: Simple Acts That Create Joy and Peace of Mind Regardless of Your Current Situation

“Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life.” –Bob Marley

How often do you get to sit and enjoy the simple things around you?

You might say, “I don’t have anything to enjoy around me. There is no such thing as “joy” in my life”. You are always right whatever perceptions you have at the moment.

Attaining your freedom are the accumulations of small yet simple acts that create joy and peace of mind regardless of your current situation.

THE SWAMP GIRL

Back when I was a swamp girl just arriving in America, I desperately wanted to fulfill one of my big dreams: Dress in professional clothes, wear high heel shoes and rose lipstick color working in a fancy sky-rise building coperate office!

I wanted more out of life!

But the fact that I could not even speak English, super shy and uneducated young girl presented a rather serious laughable challenge.

One thing I had was the simple joy of freedom!

At the time, my family and I lived in a tiny apartment, on the second floor without a balcony or patio. There were windows to see outside of the apartment. It’s the rundown, highest crime and most dangerous city to live in.

When people asked me where I lived, and when I told them, you should see their reactions. They got so scared and avoided driving through the area. No body wanted to visit me. To them it was a way visiting trip and no return.

We had a roof without holes over our heads. The apartment had four secured walls. All the locks on the doors worked. The place protected us from rain, cold and heat.

We didn’t need to own stereos or speakers because there were always parties and music playing by our neighbors, sometimes into the early hours of the morning after midnight.

We had foods to eat. The foods available at the grocery stores were affordable. There were so many items that I had never seen in my entire life. Some of them were familiar while other items were exotically strange and completely weird.

We had some beautiful new clothes and brand new pair of shoes.

We could roam around to different places in a car, not having to walk on our blisters feet for hours or days before getting to the destinations.

I had the freedom to buy necessary things and a few luxury things which gave me zealous pleasure of loving life a little more. There were cool stuff like hair spray and moose. It helped me looking a little less like a swamp girl.

Nonetheless, we had enough to live by.

The fact is that I always choose to accept the reality “of what is and is not” and be myself. I was so grateful for what we had. We had a loving and warm family (still have) who looked after one another.

And I knew there were millions of people in this world who wanted to live in that tiny haven apartment and dangerous neighborhood.

I didn’t sit around, moping, hating every second of my life and comparing myself to those who were living in a nicer and big houses, driving newer cars, dressed pretty, wearing the high heel shoes and red lipstick.

You might say, “Oh My God, how could you call THAT a joyful life?”

That is just one view of perceptions. What really matter is my own reality and is living in the true moment while working toward bigger and greater dreams what will bring more joy and happiness into life.

THIS MOMENT

At the moment I’m writing this with you in mind, I enjoy more freedom and have fulfilled many of my dreams.

Yes, you bet that I worked in the tall building (more than one building), wore nice clothes, slipped on the high heel shoes and finished up with rose lipstick!

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

What does this mean for you? Simple. If a total uneducated, shy, and swamp girl like me can successfully adapt in suburban situations, transformed and continue to have an authentic joyful moment while living a life with purposefully alive, then imagine what these real-life experiences lessons learned can do for a better quality person like you.