News
Food for Living: Define Your Purpose
- Share
- Tweet /home/rhoncare/pointblank.ng/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 69
https://pointblank.ng/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/download.jpeg&description=Food for Living: Define Your Purpose', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
Today, I would like to ask some simple but intriguing questions. Who are you? Who do people say you are? What do you want from life? Be as honest as possible to tell yourself the truth. Remember, the worst thing you can ever do to yourself is to tell yourself lies. This is because you can lie to others but you can never lie to yourself.
Everyone one of us wants to live a life of purpose, but in actual sense, living a life of purpose can be challenging but fulfilling. Most times, we ask what should I do with my life? What is my life purpose?” It’s quite unfortunate to not note that many people don’t know really know themselves until they get to their 40s and 50s and still some of them have no clue what they want to do with themselves. The answers to some of these questions are what we shall be discussing today.
If you ask a million and one person what they want for themselves, trust me, you’ll get a million and one interesting and amazing answers. The reason is quite simple, just like we all have several taste buds, so also do we all have different choice and aspirations towards life.
The journey of life is such an interesting one that makes one to really ask what is the meaning of life? The meaning of life can simply be found inside you. Whatever you decide and value in addition to giving attention can be used as a perception guide to know what someone appreciates. For example, while some people care more about money, some others might have a preference for fulfillment in a career, or alternatively joy and peace of mind. In a relationship, a man and woman need various qualities in each partner before they make up their mind if they can either tolerate or outright reject the person. In business, every rational and informed mind chooses a business of interest he/she likes or is passionate about. Failure to do so might limit your motivation to forge ahead especially when the return of investment is not coming through.
I believe that every person on the planet is born with intrinsic value. I believe you were put on this earth for a specific purpose. So, regardless of where you are in life, I have a question: What’s the ultimate goal behind what you do every day?
What’s your mission, your calling, your purpose? Are you achieving it? Probably not. So, consider this one simple piece of advice that could change everything and help you live the life you’ve always desired.
We shall be exploring several areas of interest to elaborate how you can not only define yourself, but at the same time, how you can distinguish yourself. Many people suffer from indecision and this has contributed to a lot of failures in their personal and professional lives.
The first step in deciding what you want in life is by defining yourself. Defining oneself might be a little bit challenging. It is worthy to note that you’ll have a hard time defining yourself if you don’t know yourself.
Let’s share some practical examples of how we can shape our future.
What Are You Passionate About?
The question can be framed to be what are your values and interests to life. In our contemporary society, the world is in dire need of visionaries with great innovative thoughts and actions. Your values and interest can be used to define you. What most people don’t understand is that passion is the result of action, not the cause of it. Discovering what you are passionate is a lifetime adventure because it’s like a trial and error process. Some of us don’t really know what we like until we actually engage in that activity.
Who you are is defined by the struggles and values you stand for in the pursuit of success. For example, the people who enjoy the struggles of a gym are the ones who get in good shape.
Furthermore, since most people find it hard to know what they want in life, it is always better to ask them a simple but intriguing question- If you have everything you need in life, what will you do with your time? Alternatively, it can be framed to be if you are to live your house voluntarily to anywhere on planet earth, where will you go and what will you do? Whatever response anyone gives can be used to know their values, interest and what they are passionate about life.
In defining your life, it is imperative to ask yourself questions like, What change will you will like to see in the world, how will you like the world to remember you? How will you like to save the world? What are you going to do to save the world? These are some of the questions you can use to define oneself.
Employers are not left out in this struggle, in their pursuit to get the best employee to hire for a position of interest, they always look at the values, sacrifice and time a candidate has invested both theoretical and practical terms to show interest and passion in the industry.
Furthermore, people want an amazing physique but don’t want to put the pain and physical exercise that comes with it. People want to start up a business but are not willing to take a worthy risk. People want an amazing partner but are not willing to deal with the stress that comes with it-rejection and patience to get it right. We desire an amazing job, but yet we find it hard to put in the necessary work, skills, knowledge and associated networking that comes with it.
What Are Your Goals
Goals help to define us. One of the key ways to know what a person likes in life is by looking at where they spend their time on. If you have the desire to be on the television, you must do the work by learning the skills and profession very well. If you have a passion for fashion, you ought to be dressing to impress, if you want to be a great public speaker, you have to read great books and practice public speaking by joining local clubs in your neighborhood like Toastmasters International. Settings goals is not an easy feat, it is following through that makes the difference. An athlete, a vegetarian a lady or man looking for a particular shape know they have to work on their diet and also engage in physical exercise to get their desired goal. It is imperative to note that goals are necessary in order for you up to have a happy future. Do you have goals; career goals; family goals; spiritual goals? If yes, what are they? What determines your success is the pain and sacrifice you are willing to invest. You definitely have to know why you are pursuing your goals.
The secret to Success:
An indisputable definition of a genuine success is achieving success itself. Nothing defines a man than what he was to overcome in order to achieve success. Success truly defines us in many fashions. However, this success did not come on its own, it has many feathers such as focus, perseverance, determination, hard and smart work amongst other factors. For the sake of this topic, we shall concentrate on focus. No doubt there are many secrets to success, but one of the outstanding secrets of secret is focus. When you are as focused as an eagle, you see nothing else but the endpoint of your vision. One of the most powerful techniques you can use to ensure your immediate and continued success is to stay focused on what you want and don’t give in to worry doubt, or to the temporary circumstances or even set back that might be happening right now in your life.
In the light of the above points, can you in all sincerity define or say what you want in life?
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.com
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has released his handover document to counter the Anambra State Government’s claims that his administration left behind loans and other financial liabilities.
Obi’s challenge followed the release of his handover note, which showed the financial position of the State at the end of his administration.
The Interim National Coordinator of the Obedient Movement, Dr. Yinusa Tanko, published the handover document dated March 17, 2024, on Wednesday.
The document contained a summary of Anambra State’s financial position as of the close of business that day and showed a net positive balance of over N86 billion.
Tribune Online had earlier reported that the Anambra State Government said it is still repaying loans obtained by previous administrations, including those of former governors Peter Obi and Willie Obiano.
The Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, disclosed this on Sunday while speaking on the Ndi Anambra podcast released by the government’s New Media team.
Okafor said the inherited loans remained part of the financial commitments of the current administration, despite the Soludo government’s decision not to obtain fresh commercial bank loans since taking office.
Obi, however, rejected the claim and asked the Soludo administration to provide evidence to support its position. He also said he would end his campaign for the 2027 presidency if the allegation could be proven.
The Anambra State Government later disputed Obi’s claim that he left office without outstanding debts or other unpaid financial obligations.
The government maintained that its records showed that some liabilities incurred during Obi’s administration, as well as obligations inherited by it, remained unpaid.
In a statement titled; “Gov Peter Obi and Record of Public Debt in Anambra: Facts Beyond Propaganda and Lies,” the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, described Obi’s position on the State’s debt profile as false.
Mefor said eight external loans connected to projects implemented during Obi’s administration, or inherited by it, were still outstanding.
According to him, the loans had a combined balance of $92.35 million, which the State government said was equivalent to N127.37 billion as of June 30, 2026.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Greatness is something we all should aspire to attain as we explore what life has in store for us. To attain greatness is no joke. It takes a lot of sacrifice, patience, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, perseverance, and dedication. Isn’t it true that nothing good comes easy? According to my late dad, Chief Lazarus Anthony Ukazu, “If you want to bear a bear name, one must work hard to earn it”
That means success is not attained on a platter of gold. One must strategically work hard to attain any height or title one desires to have. If one desires to be a President, one must be intentional in the way they live their life. If a student desires to have a perfect Grade Point Average (GPA), the student must begin from their first year of college to have good grades; if an employee desires to rise up to a managerial position, the employee must put in the work by ensuring that they are punctual and their work ethic is top-notch. I can go on, but as the sage will say, a word is enough for the wise.
Aspiring for greatness can be difficult, no doubt, but it’s doable. One of the easiest ways of attaining greatness is by knowing yourself. Knowing who you are is a critical and fundamental tool necessary for success because it helps to speed up the process. One may be wondering why I said knowing oneself is the easiest and fastest way to succeed in life. Well, the answer is not far-fetched. According to Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself because others are taken”. This simply means one must focus on what they are naturally good at. It makes no sense to struggle to be what you are not. Like, I always say, you can copy my style, but you can’t imitate my creativity.
That said, it’s important for one to ask oneself: what’s that one thing they are good at; what’s that one thing one doesn’t struggle to do; what’s that one thing most people compliment about them; what’s that one thing you can do and you won’t be stressed; what’s that thing you can do for free and you’ll care less whether you are paid or not; what’s that one thing you can do with relative ease if you are woken from the sleep and you’ll do it well? If you were able to answer any of these questions, then you are fifty percent nearer to greatness. The other fifty percent is for one to develop that inherent talent or gift in them.
The interesting thing about self-discovery is that it helps one to spend less time and energy on a project that won’t add value to their life. For instance, if you know you are good at a particular project or subject, or have expertise or creativity in a particular skill, you’ll stand a better chance of succeeding faster in life when you hone it than learning a new skill that you’ll have to develop. That’s why it’s good to know oneself.
During my formative years in the USA, I engaged in many activities trying to figure out my path. I began by studying taxation law at New York Law School, a major I didn’t like. I worked in a tax firm, hoping I would find joy in the money I made. That turned out to be an illusion. I worked in a small boutique law firm; I worked in a Not-for-profit organization; I worked in a private corporation as a Case Manager; I also worked as an entrepreneur at one point, and now I am currently in the public sector. I did all this just to figure out my path.
In all of these, I was still confused, trying many things. My clarity began when I got a job as a Case Manager; that job gave me clarity, focus, and purpose to know what I should be focusing on.
Again, my writing skills gave me a better understanding of who I am because it projected my image. Today, some people look at me and say I am great simply because I have three books to my name; I have written hundreds of articles in addition to meeting great people the world has celebrated. But the truth is that I discovered what I love, what I am doing and building, and the universe conspired to connect me to the right people, in addition to attracting opportunities to me.
I can say for a fact that, assuming I worked in a tax firm as advised just because of the associated money I might make, I would be feeling frustrated and depressed, even though I might have made money, which is not even guaranteed.
The same principle is applicable to anyone who studies a major or works in an establishment they don’t like. They might make money, but not in the major. I have seen nurses, doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc. who are making good money but are not happy, and I have seen people who didn’t study professional courses, some didn’t even have a college degree, yet are extremely successful and happy.
What does that tell you? They have either discovered what makes them unique, or they are happy with their major. Alternatively, it can be a combination of both.
The message here is to focus on what you are good at and develop it. The world will come to seek your services wherever you may be on planet Earth.
Furthermore, according to John Maxwell’s father, if you want to be great, you need three things: Value people, believe in people, and unconditionally love people for who they are. These are great ways to succeed in life, especially if one desires to make a fortune out of life.
For me, when I write, I think about valuing people, believing in people, and unconditionally loving people. Also, when I speak, I value people, I believe in people, and unconditionally love them. Why? Because people do well when people think well of them. It’s wonderful when a person believes in the leader, but it’s powerful and wonderful when the leader believes in the people.
Do you know that when you value people, it brings out the best in them? People love to be appreciated; people love to get approval, people love to get attention; people love to be accepted for who they are; and people love to be valued and respected. The simple truth about value is that when I value people, it brings out the best in me.
Today, I will ask you: are you aspiring for greatness in your family, school, workplace, community, etc. If yes, your task will be to focus on developing what you are naturally good at.
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- Actualizing Your Birthright to Success, Unleash Your Destiny, and The Six Pillars of Success. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The United States has delivered military equipment to the Nigerian Air Force as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s fight against terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.
The supplies, which were disclosed in an X post by the US African Command (AFRICOM) on Thursday, were part of a foreign military sales agreement between Abuja and Washington.
“PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION: A U.S. Air Force C-17 delivers equipment to the Nigerian Air Force this weekend. The equipment is part of a foreign military sales agreement that furthers the U.S.-Nigerian partnership and will aid in Nigeria’s efforts to counter terrorism in the region.” U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) posted on X.
The development comes after US troops left Nigeria amid diplomatic engagement between Washington and Abuja over security challenges, particularly the activities of jihadist groups operating in parts of Nigeria.
The Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ) clarified that the reported withdrawal of about 200 United States personnel from Nigeria will not affect the country’s security cooperation with the US.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. S. Uba, made the clarification on Tuesday during the joint security spokespersons’ briefing.
Uba described the development as a routine, mission-specific adjustment linked to particular operational and counterterrorism objectives, stressing that it should not be interpreted as a breakdown or termination of the longstanding Nigeria-US security partnership.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to clarify that the reported withdrawal of about 200 United States personnel should not be interpreted as a breakdown or termination of the Nigeria-United States security partnership,” he said.
He said the relationship between both countries remained “strong, enduring, and mutually beneficial”, adding that intelligence cooperation, training and information sharing would continue.
According to him, Nigeria remained primarily responsible for defending its territory and protecting its citizens, while US support was aimed at strengthening the capabilities of the Nigerian military.
“Our cooperation with the United States is designed to strengthen our capabilities through intelligence sharing, training, technical assistance, and other forms of professional military cooperation,” he said.
