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Food for Living: Don’t Give Up
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
We all have, at one point, felt like giving up on life. This natural feeling, especially comes to us when we have all it takes to create an idea, business, relationship or even learning a course or trade. You may have dreams, and may have done the needful to actualize those dreams, but still not sure what your fate is; please don’t give up, you might be close to the finish line.
A great way to stay focused on your craft is by listening to the inner voice inside you. It’s normal for people not to believe in you, it is normal for even your family, close friends, or potential sponsors not to believe in your work, please don’t take it personal. All you need is, stay true to your cause, learn the lesson you need because rejection is part of the process. Eventually, when your determination pays off, you may be surprised to know that the same people who neglected your work are the same people who will be your cheerleader when you succeed. They might even be kind enough to mention your works to captains of industries.
In the journey of life, many people will try to discourage you. Some will even mock your ideas as crazy. However, as human beings, we are all born with natural instincts to adapt and survive. Just like little babies always cry for milk when they are hungry until they are properly fed, the same way we have to stay hungry until we get what we want.
You may have failed a couple of times, and even get tired of failing, but then you have to understand failure is part of the learning process. No great man arrived where they are today without experiencing failure. According to Michael Jordan “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” A great example of a champion who failed and never gave up until he succeeded was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln’s road to the White House:
- 1816: His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
- 1818: His mother died.
- 1831: Failed in business.
- 1832: Ran for state legislature – lost.
- 1832: Also lost his job – wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in.
- 1833: Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.
- 1834: Ran for state legislature again – won.
- 1835: Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.
- 1836: Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.
- 1838: Sought to become speaker of the state legislature – defeated.
- 1840: Sought to become elector – defeated.
- 1843: Ran for Congress – lost.
- 1846: Ran for Congress again – this time he won – went to Washington and did a good job.
- 1848: Ran for re-election to Congress – lost.
- 1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state – rejected.
- 1854: Ran for Senate of the United States – lost.
- 1856: Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party’s national convention – got less than 100 votes.
- 1858: Ran for U.S. Senate again – again he lost.
- 1860: Elected president of the United States.
So what’s your reason for giving up? The best things in life are the most difficult to get. In order for you to succeed, you must have a strong tenacity. Talent no doubt is great, but without tenacity, talent won’t get you very far. I have received compliments about my writing skills. Some have said that I am a talented writer, but I do know that I put in so much work to produce good content. I am also aware of the fact; I was once a horrible writer and still learning the art of writing. The question now becomes, how do you stay focused when the odds are against you?
Know Your Gift
Every human being has a gift. Your gift will announce you where your skill can’t take you. The world is in dire need of your gifts and talents. When you give up, you give people the opportunity to conclude about your personality. Refuse to give detractors the edge to have an opinion about you.
Believe in Your Dreams
Even if no one believes in you, do yourself a favour by believing in yourself and your product. There have been millions of dreamers before you, and if they had given up, the world would not have been the same.
You Have Everything You Need
It is normal for people to say the system is structured against them or they are victims. I personally don’t subscribe to the victim mentality. I agree some people might have a privileged background or opportunity, but I strongly believe that if you are able to think out of the box, you’ll know that everything you need to succeed is around you. Victim mentality will always try to find why each and every successful individual is lucky. If you think, the odds are against you, just know that there are people out there who have much bigger problems.
Let’s see examples of great minds who rose above victim mentality and succeeded
Mark Cuban was a bartender at 25, Harrison Ford was a carpenter at 30; the founder of 5Hour energy drink was a taxi driver at 30; the author of Harry Potter was a mother on welfare at 31; the Founder of McDonald sold the paper cups at 52!
You Inspire Others When You Succeed
When you succeed like Abraham Lincoln, you inspire others with your story, but most especially you tell people their dreams are valid and it’s normal to feel in a certain way.
Success is failure turned Inside Out
Sometimes when some people fail, it is because they have not done their homework very well. A critical point to note is that we all need maturity and time in whatever we do. You might do all you need to do, but if the timing is not right, you won’t get any further. Maturity entails meeting the right person, learning the rope, and being at the right place at the right time.
The key here is to simply take time out for deep self-reflection. Reflect on your situation, focus on solutions and work on finding answers that you may not have been aware of before
In conclusion, I will leave you with a list of some people who didn’t give up. They are Jack Ma, Oprah Winfrey, Walt Disney, Jay Z, Henry Ford, Henry Ukazu among others. Feel free to add yours.
Armed policemen have taken over the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, as tension continues to mount over the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which is expected to hold today.
Channels Television quoted an unnamed party official, who alleged that the police were deployed to stop the proposed NEC Expanded Caucus meeting.
Though some staff members of the party were initially allowed to go into the premises of the secretariat without any resistance from the police, they were later sent out.
Journalists were also been asked to leave the premises of the secretariat.
Some policemen were seen cordoning off Dalaba Street, which is the road leading to Wadata Plaza.
The Presidency has said there has been no change in the position of Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“There has been no change in the status of His Excellency, Senator George Akume, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement made available to journalists.
The statement is titled ‘Akume Remains SGF.’
This followed multiple reports which quoted Presidency sources saying Tinubu had named his Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, to serve as the new SGF.
Onanuga said, “President Bola Tinubu, currently in Saint Lucia, has not made any new appointments.
“The information circulating about Akume’s replacement is untrue. Agents of mischief fabricated it.
“The Presidency advises Nigerians to disregard the fake news.”
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It is everybody’s desire to be successful in whatever field of endeavour he finds himself. It can be in career, family life, business endeavors or personal development. But there’s absolutely nothing good that comes easy. Everything in life involves a lot of hard work, smart work, dedication, discipline, network, sacrifice, prayers, and determination among a whole lot if one is intentional to succeed.
Of a truth, success is not for the faint-hearted. In all honesty, everyone wants to be ahead of everyone, especially contemporaries and funnily enough, the average human being sometimes have a bit of ill- feeling when competitors arise or seem to outsmart them either with better quality or price. The good thing about this however, is that it makes one sit up.
Now, this brings us to the essence of today’s article. For anyone to be ahead of their competitors, they must fly like the eagle. Eagles are known for their powerful build, sharp vision, and fearless nature. They are highflyers, capable of soaring to great heights, and gliding for extended periods. Eagles are also known for their tenacity, using storms to their advantage to gain altitude. Other notable characteristics include their strong talons and beaks, used for hunting, and their protective nature towards their young. These are some of the qualities that make it unique.
The eagle is not regarded as the king of the sky for fun, no. The eagle flies so high because that’s where it gets a chunk of its strength. This ability enables the eagle to take its prey and predators alike to it’s abode where it will have enough emotional and physical strength to dismantle them.
I will be sharing characteristics of an eagle to enable us know why we ought to be like the eagle if we want to soar.
VISION
The eagle has a sharp vision. Their vision is so precise. They can see farther than any animal. They possess exceptional eyesight, allowing them to spot prey from great distances. As human beings, we must have eagle eyes to know what we really want, and what we don’t want. Vision allows us to go for what we desire and deserve. When we have vision, we won’t wait for anyone to tell us when to strike. We flow through the wind despite the waves and heavy current and associated challenges. When our vision is precise, it will give people clarity to understand how they can assist us.
Let’s take a closer look at great leaders of this world who have come and gone. There are many great leaders that came and went but one characteristic that is common in all is “Vision”.
Vision is a successful leadership characteristic
You must have a vision that guides and leads your team towards the organizations or societal goals. The vision must be big and focused. A big, focused vision will produce big results
FLIGHT
Eagles are known for their ability to soar and glide, using their large wings to their advantage. Eagles can fly up to an altitude of 10,000 feet, but they are able to swiftly land on the ground. At 10, 000 feet, you will never find another bird. If you find another bird, it must be an eagle.
An eagle doesn’t mingle around with the pigeons. It was Dr. Myles Munroe who said that. Pigeons scavenge on the ground and grumble and complain all day long. Eagles are not. They fly and make less noise waiting for opportunities to strike their next prey or glide with the current of the storm.
Great leaders are problem solvers. They don’t complain like the pigeons do. They love to take challenges as the eagle does when the storm comes. As human beings, we all have our strengths and weaknesses.
It’s always good for one to take any fight to their home ground where it will give them advantage over their predators. For instance, a fish is stronger in water, but weak on land, a lion is stronger on land, but weak in water, a monkey is strong on trees but weak on air. Just like an eagle is strong on air and weak on water and land. That’s why it always takes its prey to the sky where they have greater advantage to shine.
As human beings, we also must know what we are naturally good at, the ability to know this will enable us to maximize our strength and work on our weakness. We can only do this when we know ourselves and what we are naturally good at. Our ability to focus on our expertise and what we are naturally good at will make us unique and ahead of our contemporaries.
TENACITY
The eagles are known for their ability to withstand storms and use them to their advantage, rising above the challenges. Watch an eagle when a storm comes. When other birds fly away from the storm with fear, an eagle spreads its mighty wings and uses the current to soar to greater heights. The eagle takes advantage of the very storm that lesser birds fear and head for cover.
Challenges in the life of a leader are many. These are the storms we must face as leaders to rise to greater heights. Like an eagle, a leader can only rise to greater heights if he takes up the challenges head on without running away from it. This is yet another leadership characteristic.
As humans, we all will experience challenges and setbacks, however, the ability to apply strength will go a long way to show how determined we are to overcome the hurdles that pose as challenges.
FEARLESS
An eagle will never surrender to the size or strength of its prey. It will always give a fight to win its prey or regain its territory.
Successful leaders are fearless, so we are expected to fear no man, but respect all men. They face problems head on. We are supposed to have the eagle fearless mindset regardless of how big the problem may appear. Confront your fear and rise or face your fear and run. The choice is yours.
VITALITY NATURE
One of the strongest characteristics of an eagle is their vitality. Eagles are full of life and are visionary, but they find time to look back at their life and re-energize themselves. This happens at about the age of 30. What happens is that when the eagles reach the age of 30, their physical body condition deteriorates fast making it difficult for them to survive.
What is interesting is that the eagle never gives up living, instead it retreats to a mountaintop and over a five-month period goes through a metamorphosis. As humans, we are expected to reexamine ourselves, retreat to a safe zone. We can do this by fasting as Christians, we can also do this by learning new skills, volunteering our time and seeking for mentors who can hold us by the hand to show us how the appearance of life is not the reality of life.
In conclusion, as human beings, we are encouraged to be like an eagle if we want to scale through life.
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
