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Food for Living: Challenge Yourself
Life is all about challenges, and every day we get one form of challenge or another. Whether you like it or not, you’ll surely get challenges. Challenges come from different shapes and sizes. The challenge can be personal or professional. The challenge can arise from either family, school, social, financial emotional, or even mental situations. In fact, dealing with challenges is a challenge on its own because it can be tasking. But I strongly believe every problem has a solution. What makes the difference is how you handle the challenge. Challenges can be likened to doors. In the same vein, problems are doors, they will never open unless you have the right set of key(s).
Let’s be honest, we all have at least one or two bad habits we’d like to ditch.
Every challenge that comes to you is a test to your mental and social capacity. Regardless of how the challenge comes, the ball is your court to address it, and how you address it will make the difference.
What really is challenging yourself and how do you challenge yourself?
Challenging yourself can mean different things to different people. The most insightful way of challenging yourself is to do better by not remaining in the same position. During the course of this article, we shall be discussing how we can challenge ourselves.
Leave Your Conform Zone
One of the best ways of challenging yourself is by leaving your your comfort zone. It’s always hard to bring change. Ideal change starts within. Leaving your comfort zone can mean taking worthy risk after exploring all options. If it works well for you, good, even it falls below expectation, you learn from the experience. In any case, there’s no harm in trying.
Improve Yourself
Success is not a destination, rather it is a journey. On a daily basis, one must strive to add value to his/her life. For example, you can decide to learn a new language, a new skill, a new trade, attend a seminar or even do an exercise on a daily basis, write a story, poem, a book, and network with people, travel. You can even decide to wake up early and do some work. These are great and resourceful ways of challenging yourself to do better. Be advised, if something doesn’t challenge you, then it doesn’t change you. You can even kick out bad habits by resisting the temptation of watching unproductive movies by going to bed early and meditating instead of watching
Overcome Your Fears
Living in fear is one of the most deadly and sad ways to live. A lot of people die before their death. This set of individuals are always apprehensive and scared of what might happen to them if their expectations are not met. No doubt we all experience fears in one way or the other, but living in fears can be likened to accepting defeat. A great way of overcoming your fears is by facing your fears. Are you afraid of failing, driving, and speaking up, marrying? If any of the answers is no, then you still have some hurdles to cross on your path to self-discovery.
Attend one career-related seminar a month
You can challenge yourself by taking a class on a career-related job. Every employer loves an employee who takes time to improve himself/herself on the job. Don’t settle for your current job position. Aim high in your career. Book conferences that are relevant to the industry of your profession. There, absorb the lesson.
Spend Less
As human beings, we are always in the habit of spending to get our wants and needs. However, a prudent way of spending is by spending on your needs and not wants. You can do this by prioritizing. Make a realistic budget and find out how you can cut back on something so you can invest more. Challenge yourself to step out of your current budget and develop a better budget for yourself. Money management is not about what you make – it’s what you do with what you make. Setting a savings goal can definitely be a challenge, and an especially uncomfortable one if it means cutting your spending to reach your goal. But in the long run, you’ll be so glad you challenged yourself in this way.
Exercise Daily
You don’t need to go to the gym to exercise. You can exercise at the comfort of your home. A simple 9-minute run around your neighborhood or an intense dance routine done in your living-room can do wonders for yourself. Aside from the obvious reason that exercise can help you maintain your regular weight or shed those unnecessary pounds, it can also aid in making you feel better about yourself by releasing endorphins. Exercise also helps you to focus well when you meditate rightly.
Start Small
A good way of challenging yourself is by starting small. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the right single step in the right journey. That said, the best way is to start with small steps and put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. For example, if you plan to read a book every month, you can start by reading a page daily and them grow from there. In the same way, if you plan to write a book or do any productive task, you can challenge yourself by starting small nor matter how little it is.
In conclusion, challenging yourself entails, doing better than you were yesterday, last month, a year or even a decade. However, the best form of challenge is challenging yourself as opposed to competing with another person. You can do healthy completion, but don’t try to imitate another person. Run Your race!
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. 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. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.comnry Ukazu
Africa’s biggest corporate supporter of culture, Globacom, is commemorating the life and legacy of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, at this year’s Ojude Oba Festival, marking the 21st consecutive year of its sponsorship of the cultural event.
This year’s edition, themed “Ojude Oba 2026: Celebrating the Legacy of Oba Sikiru Adetona,” is taking place at the Festival Pavilion opposite the royal palace in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
The celebration pays glowing tribute to the remarkable accomplishments of the late monarch, who transited on Sunday, July 13, 2025, after an illustrious reign spanning 65 years.
The departed monarch ascended the throne on April 2, 1960, and during his reign, the profile and prestige of the Ojude Oba Festival grew tremendously, making it one of Africa’s most celebrated cultural events.
In a statement issued in Lagos, Globacom posited that Oba Adetona’s unwavering dedication to preserving and promoting Ijebu culture, traditions, and values was a major factor behind the company’s continued support for the festival.
According to the company, “This year’s celebration goes beyond our traditional role as sponsor over the past two decades. It is an opportunity to honour the exceptional legacy of the revered monarch, Oba Adetona, whose vision and commitment elevated Ojude Oba to its present status.”
Globacom recalled that the late Awujale played a pivotal role in transforming the festival into a unifying platform that brought together Ijebu sons and daughters from across the world, regardless of religious affiliation.
This inclusive vision and royal leadership, said Glo, inspired the company to begin sponsoring the festival 21 years ago. Over the years of Globacom’s sponsorship, Ojude Oba has evolved into a globally recognized cultural celebration, attracting thousands of visitors and dignitaries from within and outside Nigeria.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining its support for the festival as part of its broader objective of showcasing Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage to the world.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Everyone experiences life in different ways. There’s absolutely nobody on planet earth who hasn’t encountered situations or circumstances that shaped them or gave them different perceptions of life. No matter how we try, we can’t run away from problems. A friend once jokingly said, problems are like women; they are the “necessary evil” you can’t avoid, especially when they have an interest in you.
We all experience life in our families, relationships, academics, spiritual life, careers, health, and even personal life. But what makes the ultimate difference is how we’ll react to it.
Let me explain a little bit using a case study of family, health, career, academic, spiritual, and personal aspects.
Family
It’s instructive to note that what makes a family is secret, so imagine a case where the secret of a family is divulged. There’s bound to be problems that will arise. Another scenario is when a family experiences the death of a loved one. I think that’s one of the most painful experiences one can ever experience because losing a loved one is no joke. The death of a family member can shatter a family if not properly managed.
Imagine a case where the head of the family, say a father, passes to glory and his wife is not financially stable to manage the family. The children will experience challenges that will shape their future. The question we need to ask ourselves is, how do we manage death when it happens?
Health
Another scenario that can shape us is our health. Health is so important that without it, one will not be able to function properly. There have been life-threatening health cases that lead to the untimely death of a sick patient. The question we need to ask ourselves is: how do we respond to these health challenges when it comes to us?
Career
Do you know your career can serve as an encounter which can shape you? Yes, an encounter is like an experience which can make one not remain the same. Do you also know that your career can make or mar you? Yes, while one’s career can serve as an instrument to one’s success, it can also lead to the demise of someone, especially if it’s not a purposeful career befitting the person.
Academic
Some schools of thought say that examination is not the true test of knowledge. There have been situations where one’s academic background can metamorphose them in the right direction, especially when one is intentional and purposeful in their chosen academic pursuit, and there have been scenarios when someone ventured into academic pursuits that are not suitable for them.
I was once a victim of this ugly experience when I ventured into Taxation Law at New York Law School. Despite earning a scholarship in the program, I knew for a fact, assuming I got a job, it won’t be fulfilling because I will be a victim of defective success.
Spiritual
One of the most defining moments of one’s life can be seen in their spiritual life. It’s sad to see most people playing with their spiritual life. They fail to realize that spirituality controls the physical. When we talk of spirituality, there are two types. Those for God and those for gods. It’s always good for one to align to one side, but as a matter of advice, it’s always good for one to stay on the side of God.
There are many situations that would have ended one’s life, but due to one’s neglect of one’s spiritual life, the life can be cut short. Question: How do you respond to spiritual things when spiritual forces push you around?
Personal
Last but not least is our personal life. How we respond to life challenges in our academic, health, finance, relationship, career, or even spiritual life can determine how far we go in life. Remember, it’s instructive to note that it is our attitude and not aptitude that will determine our altitude to life.
The big question we need to ask ourselves now is: how do we respond to these challenging circumstances or issues? The answer is attitude. You’ll agree with me, you may not always be able to choose your circumstances, but you can choose to respond to them.
There was a touching story about a man who was unjustly and wrongfully convicted for murder, and he spent many years in prison awaiting trial, another fifteen years for final judgment to be delivered, and yet another ten years on death row. In all this travail, he managed to keep his sanity.
Finally, on the day he was to be executed, fresh evidence indicating his innocence prompted the governor to order his immediate release. At the prison gates he sad “ all a man can be taken from him, except the last form of the human freedoms, -the power to choose one’s attitude in all circumstances”.
Do you see, life is not really about what happens to us, but how we react. That’s what will make the difference.
In conclusion, regardless of how life challenges, circumstances, and situations push you around, just have a good attitude and outlook to life. Don’t allow it to weigh you down.
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 and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Defence Headquarters has said the recent kidnap incident in Oyo State was carried out by terrorists displaced from other parts of the country following intensified military operations.
The military high command stated this on Thursday while reacting to what it described as “mischievous and misleading publications” surrounding comments credited to the Defence Headquarters on the classification of terrorists and criminal elements operating in the South-West.
In a statement signed by the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Michael Onoja, the DHQ said the attackers behind the Oyo abduction were members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad terrorist group displaced by sustained military offensives across the country.
“The recent incidence of kidnap in Oyo State was clearly perpetrated by terrorists of the JAS Group that have been dislodged from other parts of the country due to high-intensity operations being conducted all over,” the statement read.
The DHQ denied reports suggesting it referred to terrorists operating in the South-West as ordinary criminals, insisting that such interpretations were inaccurate and misleading.
“It is, therefore, inaccurate and misleading to suggest that the Defence Headquarters, at any point, referred to vicious and violent terrorists as criminals,” Onoja stated.
The military said its earlier clarification on security developments in the South-West was aimed at providing an intelligence-based context to avoid misinformation and unnecessary panic among residents.
It also stressed that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remained committed to supporting constitutional governance and protecting democratic institutions.
“At no time did the Defence Headquarters undermine the authority of any democratically elected leader or seek to diminish the gravity of the heinous crime committed against innocent citizens by terrorist elements,” the statement added.
The DHQ further disclosed that troops remained actively deployed across affected areas in collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders to dismantle terrorist and criminal networks threatening national peace and stability.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria remain resolute in dismantling all criminal and terrorist networks threatening the peace, stability and unity of the nation,” the statement said.
The clarification followed recent attacks on communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed terrorists abducted pupils, teachers and other residents from Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle.
The incident also left several persons dead, while one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was later killed after a video linked to the attack surfaced online.
