What freedom feels like
When I quit my last corporate job to start my own venture, I knew life was about to change. But I didn’t fully realise how quickly those changes would hit me.
There were no more luxury car pickups, no business class flights, no plush stays at five-star hotels, and certainly no corporate travel budgets to lean on.
And then came my first flight as a startup founder — walking into the economy section with a backpack instead of a cabin bag. It felt unfamiliar. Almost uncomfortable.
But something unexpected happened.
Letting Go of Luxury, Finding a New Normal
In a short time, I adapted. I started using Ola, Uber, and autorickshaws without a second thought. I skipped the usual hotel chains and discovered clean, affordable accommodations that served their purpose — and sometimes surprised me with their charm.
What some would call a “downgraded lifestyle” started to feel completely normal. In fact, it felt like something more than that.
It felt like freedom.
Freedom Doesn’t Come From Having More — It Comes From Needing Less
There’s a strange pressure that comes with maintaining a certain lifestyle — the dinners, the upgrades, the image. You start making choices not because you want to, but because you feel you’re expected to.
Letting go of that expectation was liberating.
I no longer felt the need to appear successful in a conventional sense. I stopped measuring my life by how I traveled or where I stayed. I spent what I could afford, without trying to live up to an image that wasn’t mine anymore.
That shift was powerful.
What You Think You Own Might Actually Own You
The moment we feel we need something to feel complete — whether it’s a car, a lifestyle, or a brand name — we give up a part of our freedom.
Because now, that thing starts owning us.
We protect it, maintain it, and often, make decisions just to preserve it. That’s when we stop being free — not because someone took our freedom away, but because we handed it over.
True freedom, I discovered, is about not needing to impress anyone — not even yourself.
Real Strength Comes From Simplicity
There’s a quiet power in needing less.
You feel lighter. You become more adaptable. You stop being afraid of loss, because you’ve already proven to yourself that you don’t need much to be content.
And that, perhaps, is the greatest kind of strength — to be comfortable with simplicity, and to know that your self-worth isn’t tied to your possessions or the image you project.
The Most Powerful Person Is the One Who Wants Nothing
What leverage does the world have over someone who doesn’t crave status or luxury?
Not much.
When you can walk away from the perks, the attention, the approval — that’s when you’re truly in control.
So, if you’re chasing freedom, don’t just look at what you can add to your life. Also ask: what can I let go of?
Because sometimes, letting go is how you really move forward.
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