What Independence Really Means When You Weren’t Born With It
- Silivere Bakomeza
- Jul 4
- 5 min read
What This Post Is Really About
Freedom means something different when you were born without it.
This post is not about fireworks.
It is not about red, white, and blue.
This post is for the ones who had to earn freedom the hard way.
The ones who came from war zones, food stamps, foster care, or refugee camps.
The ones who never had a trust fund, a money blueprint, or a backup plan.
It’s about real independence, the kind you build with your own hands.
I know that story because I’m living it.
And I’m writing it down so someone else can believe it’s possible too.
My First July 4 in America
In 2009, I watched my first fireworks in Englewood, Colorado.
I was a teenager.
Didn’t speak much English.
Fresh off the plane from Rwanda.
Raised in a refugee camp in Congo.
I didn’t understand why people were celebrating.
In Rwanda, we had an Independence Day, but nothing like this.
It was loud. Big. Chaotic.
For someone from a war-torn background, it felt overwhelming.
But I didn’t feel free.
Not yet.
I was still trying to understand this new country and my place in it.
That night, I smiled. But inside, I was nervous.
Because I had no idea what freedom really meant in America.
The Freedom Shift
Freedom didn’t come from that first firework.
It came years later, in silence.
When I realized I didn’t want to die poor.
When I realized working until retirement and hoping for Social Security wasn’t freedom.
When I realized most people around me were stuck, even the professors teaching about money.
That’s when I started thinking differently.
Not like a worker. Like an owner.
From Refugee to Bus Driver to Investor
I drove buses to pay for college.
My major was Political Science. Minor in Economics.
While everyone else focused on grades and papers, I was thinking about leverage.
About money. About how to escape the cycle.
I launched a nonprofit to help others. It didn’t work.
Looking back, I realized I was replaying my childhood, growing up around NGOs and foreign aid.
Everything around me in the camp was donation-based.
So I copied that model, hoping it would bring meaning and stability.
But I was still broke.
Still worried about rent.
Still dependent.
That’s when I discovered stocks.
The Day That Changed It All
I made my first trade in 2018.
It was a pharmaceutical stock. It exploded overnight, from $100 to $300.
I was hooked.
I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew something powerful had just been unlocked.
Then came the losses.
Options. Crypto. Timing mistakes.
But I stayed in the game.
Because even with the mistakes, I knew something most people never figure out:
Ownership is the only path to true independence.
The Lie They Sell You About Wealth
They tell you to:
Start a huge business
Wait until you’re debt free
Diversify into 30 stocks and 20 cryptos
Follow Wall Street’s 8 percent a year average
Work until you’re 65 and retire into a budget plan
But here’s the truth:
You can start with $1.
You can build wealth without starting a company.
You can beat the average by breaking the rules.
You don’t need to be rich. You need conviction.
My $50 a Day Protest
When I bought my first $50 of MicroStrategy, I was terrified.
Not because I didn’t believe, but because I knew I was going public with something that could take 20 years.
Most people never commit to anything for 20 minutes.
But I told the world. I posted it. I built a system.
Because this wasn’t a trade.
This was a protest.
A protest against mediocrity.
A protest against generic advice.
A protest against hiding.
I didn’t flinch, even when nobody cheered.
X went quiet.
People didn’t get it.
They thought I’d quit after a week.
But I’m still here.
Eleven weeks in. 1,000 plus to go.
Why I Chose MSTR
Most people chase 100 cryptos and lose them all.
Others hoard Bitcoin but forget their wallet password.
I chose MSTR because:
It’s a Bitcoin proxy with leverage
It moves 3 to 5 percent for every 1 percent Bitcoin moves
It’s publicly tradable
It’s led by a CEO who bets his reputation on conviction
It’s simple, boring, and effective
MSTR lets me build wealth fast without the stress of wallets or altcoins.
It’s not a gamble.
It’s asymmetric ownership.
The Real Definition of Independence
Most people think freedom means saying what you want.
Eating what you want. Wearing what you want.
That’s part of it.
But real freedom?
It’s financial independence.
The kind where your money works even when you’re asleep.
Where you choose your schedule.
Where your kids never have to see poverty the way you did.
Where you’re not afraid to open your bank app.
What They Don’t Tell You About Discipline
This journey is not easy.
There’s no guarantee Bitcoin will hit new highs.
MSTR could drop again like it did before.
Markets could freeze. Life could interrupt.
And 20 years is a long time.
A thousand and forty weeks.
I’m only in Week 11.
But I keep going.
Because the real risk is not taking one.
The real fear is waking up at 65, still dependent on a pension or government check.
Weekly Proof. Publicly Shared.
Every market day: $50 into MSTR.
Every Saturday: I post my results.
Not to flex.
But to show someone that this is real.
That boring systems build real wealth.
No hype. No shortcuts. No fake screenshots.
I document everything, real buys, real screenshots, real conviction.
Because somewhere, there’s a kid in a refugee camp who needs to see it can be done.
Independence Is Built. Not Given.
You don’t have to be born with it.
You don’t need an inheritance.
You don’t need a million followers.
You don’t need a perfect plan.
You need:
A reason
A system
A streak
A legacy mindset
I’m not chasing moonshots anymore.
I’m building a mountain, brick by brick.
Before You Go, Read This
You can be the first in your bloodline to break the cycle.
You can build wealth with $1 and a system.
You can inspire your family for generations with a boring habit done daily.
You don’t need anyone’s permission to start.
The system is not broken. It was never built for you.
So build your own.
You are not too late.
You are too early for their applause.
Join the Mission
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