Each day presents me vista of opportunities for new discoveries and adventures. As nature adds years to my life and as I consciously add life to my years, I discovered a fact about life. The freest human beings are those who do things their way. I found out that the life of an imitator is a very stressful life.

Those who do things their way are quick to borrow from the knowledge of others but they are not stereotyped. They don’t pretend to know everything but they don’t allow themselves to be caged to a thought process. They fear less about what tomorrow will bring because they are not restricted to a one size fits all approach to any problem.

It is good to aspire to do the things that make other people great but smart people do not have to be like others before they do the great things that others do. They imitate good things but they don’t settle for an imitator as an identity because their own identity is never mistaken. They copy the great things but they do things their way to achieve great results.

Those who want to be exactly like others usually don’t live a life of their own. They live in a world of make-believe where imaginary things are made to look real. They have more to prove because the things they do are not inborn. They fake to be real but nothing is real about them. They struggle to be who they are not but they are easily discovered to be unreal. The life of an imitator is indeed a stressful life.

Anytime I reflect about my school experience, I remember that those who make the best of what we call education are not necessarily those who got the best grades. The ones who saw education as a means to an end broaden their minds to seek answers beyond what the teacher provides. They do not limit themselves to the beauty in the grades but they see life as a stage. They learn dutifully but they do things their ways to get their grades without compromising values.

The freest human beings are open to possibilities and they are not quick to take a no for an answer. They recognise the fact that no two problems are the same even if they look alike. They recognise their uniqueness and they are not ashamed to answer their unique identity. They know the meaning of purpose, the essence of life and living.

This is what Myles Munroe said about purpose. “The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without a purpose”. The man who will fulfill his purpose will not be lost in a borrowed identity. The freest human on earth is the one who does things his own way. He takes responsibility for his errors and takes credit for his wins. Are you a free human being?

©️Akin Oluwadare Jnr
01 November 2021