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Food for Living: Be Intentional with Life
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
“Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us.” (Richie Norton)
Please permit me to begin this article with my humble knowledge and understanding of the law. At Law school, we were taught the doctrine of actus rea and mens rea in criminal law. While actus rea consists of the conduct, result or an omission of an alleged crime a defendant is being accused of, mens rea is the intention or knowledge of wrongdoing that constitutes part of a crime. In a lay man’s understanding, actus rea simply means the act or conduct, while mens rea looks at the intention of the alleged defendant.
Let me explain a little further: if someone steals food, the act of stealing itself is a crime, but what plays a bigger role in the case, is the reason or the intention of the alleged criminal. That’s why the law takes into consideration the intention to determine the punishment the person will get. If the defence is able to prove the alleged defendant stole because of hunger, the punishment will be reduced, otherwise, he/she will have to face the full wrath of the law.
You may be wondering why I began this article with the law, well, the answer is simple, in whatever you do in life, you must be intentional. To be intentional, you have to live your life on purpose. For you to attain a form of success in life, you must be intentional. Intentionality is everything. Without intention, you will be like a ship without a rudder, a plane without a compass, and a human being who is merely existing as opposed to living.
When you are intentional, you might consider social media and social functions as a form of distraction. When you are intentional, you will be kind because it’s humane to have empathy as opposed to helping someone because of vested interest.
According to Harold Kushner, “Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are. When you are intentional, you will do things that bring you joy. When you are intentional, you will make out time for self-reflection to examine the life you are living.
When you are intentional, you will be careful with how you spend/invest your money and you will know what you want and what you need. Intentional people cultivate a positive mindset. They are careful on their thoughts, words, and action.
When you are intentional you will be careful on the words you speak, especially if you don’t want to hurt your partner or close friend. Words can be hurtful if not properly chewed before spewed. Words are powerful. They can make us or break us, lift us up, or knock us down.
In our contemporary society, it is hard to remain focused in life because there are so many things battling for our attention, most especially as in this age of social media where the internet showcases much information which can make us lose focus on what matters.
If you are desirous of being successful, you have to be intentional, if you are desirous of writing a book, you have to be intentional, if you want to get married, you have to be intentional, if you want be rich/wealthy, you have to be intentional, if you are desirous of being a professor, you have to be intentional, if you are desirous of being the President of your country, you have to be intentional. I can go on and on, the list is literally endless. But the point here is that you must give time and attention to whatever you desire in life. You must be laser-focused to achieve your goals.
What then does it mean to be intentional? You are intentional when you make decisions and act on what’s important to you. When you are intentional, you set boundaries; you let people know what you stand for, what you can accept, and what you can’t accept. People who truly care and respect you will abide by your principles. Remember, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll die for nothing. Once you are intentional about your life, you will spend your time wisely
One good thing about intentional people is that they are action-oriented and have an unshakeable determination to accomplish what they’ve set out to achieve. Intentional people practice self-awareness.
Below are examples of how you can practice intentionality.
Be deliberate with your daily life
Every day is an opportunity to show the world what you stand for. To make your day fruitful, identify the important activities that will help you achieve the outcome you want and work on them. Commit to ensuring that you achieve the goals you set out for the day. Your daily activities can show the world what you value. It’s often said that if you want to know someone, look at what they do and not what they say.
Be clear on the result you want
Being specific in your thoughts, words, and action is very important. When you are clear on what you want and the importance of what you want, you wouldn’t want any form of distraction in your way. The whole world sets apart for the man who knows where he’s headed. Don’t allow people to assume or second guess what you have in mind. Human beings are not mind readers, they only work on what you show them. When you are clear on what you want, it will save you the stress of explaining yourself.
Be purposeful with your time
Be intentional and deliberate on the kind of relationships and collaborations that will help you achieve the results you want. You can do this by setting boundaries.
.Be focused and conscious
When you are intentional about your goals, you identify the result you want to achieve up front which gives you more direction and focus. This gives you clarity on how to invest your time and energy in your priorities.
Be mindful of your relationships
You must know who belongs to your inner circle. Your friends can turn to family and your family to core friends depending on how they respect your values and boundaries. Anyone who respects you, won’t take your business and what you value for granted.
Develop healthy habits
What most people don’t know is that the greatest gymnastics is in the kitchen. If you want to shed fat, you must be conscious of what you eat and engage more in exercise in addition to eating healthy.
In conclusion, I will leave you with these words of wisdom to keep you focused.
“It’s not about what can I accomplish? But what I want to accomplish? Paradigm shift” – Brene Brown
The busier you are, the more intentional you must be” – Michael Hyatt.
Intentional days create a life on purpose – Adrienne Enns.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and public speaker. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.
The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.
The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There is no gainsaying the fact that everyone desirous of making impact in life must live a life of purpose. This is where knowledge and information come to play. It is these knowledge and information that will set an individual apart from his contemporaries.
I strongly believe, if one is not informed, they are ill-informed, and when they are ill-informed, they can’t perform well in any given endeavour. This is because information leads to reformation and transformation. We can therefore, confidently say that information leads to formation because everyone is a product of what they know.
Knowledge acquisition is one of the best things that can happen to anyone. People with knowledge are revered, and highly respected. Having knowledge is like having money. People from all walks of life will seek you.
There are different kinds of knowledge, and they include Revealed Knowledge, which comes from those who wrote the Bible and Intuitive Knowledge, which comes from the mind. It is the ability to gain knowledge without conscious reason or explanation.
Others are Empirical Knowledge, which is information gained through observation, experimentation, and direct experience, rather than through theoretical reason or intuition; Authoritative Knowledge, which is the knowledge a man has because of his expertise in a particular field; and finally but not the least, Rational Knowledge, which is a form of knowledge that uses reasoning and philosophy to understand the world.
From this illustration, a decisive mind can see that knowledge is priceless. Knowledge is like education. It can provide security and access. Even the Book of life says in Proverbs 4:13, “your education is your life, guard it very well”; and in Hosea 4:6 that “my people perish for lack of knowledge”.
From my personal experience in life, apart from death, one of the greatest levelers of all time is education. This is because the child of a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow if properly educated. That explains why children from humble backgrounds ought to take their education very seriously, especially if they don’t have affluence.
On a personal note, I come from a very humble background, my late parents didn’t have the opportunity of acquiring a decent education, but they knew the value of education and endeavored to give me and my siblings a decent education. In retrospect, when I look back and see some of my contemporaries whose parents couldn’t give them a decent education, I bless my late parents because education has exposed me to lots of opportunities in the United States, and the global world in addition to granting me an audience with the high and mighty in society.
Sometimes, when I look at my modest achievement, I’m deeply humbled because I know it is the grace of God. Who am I to author two amazing trailblazers’ books, get featured and profiled by the New York Times, engage in high level conversation with leaders of thought and captains of industries. Apart from the grace of God, intentional seeking of knowledge, and wise counsel from mentors and strategically positioning myself have been some of the cornerstone to my success.
Imagine if my late parents didn’t give me a decent education and opportunity of travelling to the United States, most of these opportunities and exposure wouldn’t have been readily available.
When one is decently enlightened, educated and informed about life, their level of reasoning and understanding differ from an ordinary man. If one desires to go far in life, one must seek knowledge.
It is your knowledge that sets you apart from others.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished Ghostwriter, “If you are a man of great knowledge, people will have great respect for you. If you are a man of great wisdom, people will have great reverence for you. And if you are a man of both, great knowledge and great wisdom, you will be the most eminent of men. But in real terms, people don’t care how much you know, or how much wisdom you have, unless they know how much you care.”
The moral of this quote is that despite the knowledge and information at one’s disposal, if one lacks empathy, their knowledge, experience and whatever they have mean nothing.
The importance of knowledge cannot be overemphasized. In our contemporary society, a fast way of attracting opportunities is by showcasing the knowledge at one’s disposal. It is so sad that many people don’t take time to read, research and learn new trends applicable in their industry, and in the world generally and as such, they find it difficult to fit in and grow.
It is instructive to note that when you seek knowledge, opportunities will seek for you. A major reason people are poor is simply because they are not solving problems and to solve problems, one ought to have understanding. Do you know that if you don’t have money, the reason is often because you are not solving a problem, or you are not solving enough problems, or you are not solving the right problem or you are not solving problems for the right people. Generally, we make money because we have something unique to offer to the world. Therefore, to solve problems, one must have knowledge and information.
We currently live in an age of technological, where skills, talent and creativity are in high demand. Any progressive being that desires to go far must be intentional in seeking knowledge. Successful acquisition of knowledge, information and understanding can lead to discernment and wisdom.
In conclusion, as you journey towards life, if you want to make an impact, seek opportunities, and earn more money, do yourself a favour by endeavoring to seek knowledge, wisdom, and information. You can’t get these by sitting on your sofa or staying in your comfort zone.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced this in a statement, on Thursday.
A former aide of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Bwala worked actively for his former principal who lost to Tinubu.
However, after the elections, he worked his way into the camp of Tinubu, sparking controversy.
Onanuga also announced the appointments of three directors-general of various agencies.
They are:
(1) Mr. Olawale Olopade — Director-General, National Sports Commission
(2) Dr. Abisoye Fagade — Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism
(3) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun — Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement
Olopade, the new Director-General of the National Sports Commission, is a sports administrator with many years of experience in the sector.
He served as commissioner of youth and sports in Ogun state and was chairman of the local organising committee of the 2024 National Sports Festival.
The new Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Abisoye Fagade is a marketing communication professional. He is the founder and managing director of Sodium Brand Solutions.
Adedokun, the new helmsman of the Bureau of Public Procurement, was the director of Research/Training and Strategic Planning at the bureau before his appointment.
Daily Trust
