Fayetteville woman uses own spiritual journey to help others simplify
What is a soul? A soul is described as the spiritual, or immaterial, part of every living being.
Your soul is dependent upon the person you are within. Some of life’s roughest conditions produce the most beautiful souls.
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The essence of soul music is rooted in spiritual growth. To promote growth around you,you must grow within. The pressures of life often complicate the decision-making that guides our actions.
Omowonuola Alese, better known as The Amazing Soul, has developed fun ways to declutter your mind and simplify life.
Travel opened her mind
Born and raised in Nigeria, Wonu was taught at an early age that she would become a lawyer, doctor or accountant. Initially, she followed in the footsteps of her father and received an accounting degree.
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However, she soon realized that accounting was not her passion. She viewed the world differently from those around her. Wonu considered herself a citizen of the world rather than just a citizen of Nigeria.
Her parents, especially her mother, ensured that she and her three siblings were well-traveled. Traveling opened Wonu’s mind to possibilities beyond her native land.
A try at radio, but it did not fit
After receiving compliments on her voice, she decided she wanted to go into radio broadcasting. This decision was met with slight resistance from her father. Ultimately, her parents allowed her to go live in England to attend a school that specialized in radio production.
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She returned to Nigeria with her family to start her radio career but realized that was not the intended use for her voice.
Once she was back home, Alese had the realization that she was not meant to stay in Nigeria. During her world travels with her family, Wonu grew fond of the United States, after visiting as a teenager.
When she came for a visit to New York in 2017, her aunt suggested that she remain in the States.
Enter, Uncle Sam
One day at the DMV in Brooklyn, she met an Army recruiter. The recruiter made her aware of the benefits of enlisting. The greatest benefit to her was the ability to become a United States citizen.
According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration website, if a person is serving or served in the U.S. armed forces and are interested in becoming a U.S. citizen, they may be eligible to apply for naturalization under special provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
In addition, her family would be on the path to citizenship.
The process to become a United States citizen normally spans seven to 10 years. However, she would be eligible for citizenship in six months.
When she arrived for training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, she had no idea of what she signed up for.
Perseverance, then seeking the 'highest excitement'
However, she persevered and was stationed at Fort Liberty (then Fort Bragg) where she worked as a Human Resources Specialist.
After successfully completing her contract, she enlisted for an additional year and medically retired from service.
She remained in Fayetteville because of the mixture of cultures. For security reasons, she felt she needed a “9 to 5” (job).
So, she dedicated a year to learning how to write code through a program with tech giant, Microsoft. Once she finished the program, she turned down the opportunity to work for the company. One of her sisters works for Microsoft and another works for Google, so her decision was unconventional. Though the job was financially beneficial, it was not fun.
“Follow your highest excitement,” says the 32-year-old.
“Once you follow your highest excitement, money has to come,” she continued.
Teaching how to uncomplicate life
Wonu realized her highest excitement was when she is helping others to make their lives less complicated.
Under the moniker The Amazing Soul, she uses her trials and tribulations to guide those she encounters to a more simplistic method of decision-making. She believes her calling is to help people cut through life’s messes and see their truest potential.
However, she admits that she does not know everything. She considers herself a mirror. While she has no specified title, she just teaches people fun ways to “uncomplicate” their life.
Through her social media pages, The Amazing Soul shares her story — such as how she coped with physical pain after throwing away her medication and canceling her doctor’s appointments.
Recently, she decided to write a book titled, “The Truth Is I Do Not Know: Fun Ways to Make Your Life Less Complicated.” The book is a testament to embracing the unknown.
The intended release date is Nov. 11. For more information on her book or to contact The Amazing Soul, log on to www.theamazingsoul.com or follow her social media: @theamazingsoul.
Salute to The Amazing Soul and every activist getting active. Peace.
Rakeem “Keem” Jones is a community advocate and father of three from the Shaw Road/Bonnie Doone area of Fayetteville. He can be reached at keemj45@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville woman teaches a life less complicated, and 'highest excitement'
