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Food for Living: Guard Your Secret
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
As human beings, we have different character traits, personalities, gifts/talents, skills and abilities. These are what makes us unique beings, but at the top of this different genes lies our secrets. It should be noted that your secret is what makes you strong and probably successful. Your secret is basically your life. A person without secret can simply be regarded as half dead. During the course of this article, we shall be discussing how our secrets can impact our lives, and how we can use our secrets to empower ourselves.
In every sphere of life, there’s a place called Holy of Holies. This can be black room, black box, vault etc. where the secret or power of the organization is kept. Even the book of life stated, wherever your treasure is, that’s where your heart will be. Even in government offices, there’s always a secret place. As a student, your secret place might your academic certificates.
Depending on your lifestyle and profession, everyone has a secret place; where they take time to relax, re-energize and re-ignite with their inner being. This secret place can serve as antibodies to our immune system. Your secret place is where you allow your peace of mind to reign supreme. Your secret place is devoid of bitterness and stress, but peace and love. If you allow negativity to fill your mind, you’ll experience bitterness, stress, anxiety, worry, and negative traits that will drain you.
Your secret place should be a place of peace and stability. Secret place is the core value of who you are. Your secret place should be regarded as your guard room. Only permitted people are allowed to come inside. When you allow unguarded minds into your secret peace, you give them the opportunity to deposit negative traits which drains positive energy.
Every great person experience so many challenges in their lives ranging from health, relationship to finance among others. But the good thing about them is that they keep their eyes on the prize. They don’t allow negativity to affect them. They remain focused on their goal. Your secret place can be regarded as your powerhouse which can only be destroyed when you allow outside forces to penetrate inside. For instance, no matter the waves that might make a ship to sink, the ship will not sink unless the water is able to find itself inside the ship. Moral: You can’t stop the storm from coming, but you can stop it from letting it affect you.
When you face opposition that’s when your inner strength gets tested. Your ability to stand your ground can be groundbreaking to overcoming any challenge that may pose as a threat to you. As a way of advice, be careful about the kind people you let into your inner life. If you allow negative minds, they may change the tune, especially if they have any idea about what your secret place looks like.
In the journey of life, you don’t need everyone to ride the boat with you. You need to select your friends, associates, mentors, partners, etc. This is more so when you are dealing with business or have a great idea you’ll like to implement. Your greatest power and strength will be to tap into your subconscious minds to birth your pet project.
When you allow Tom, Dick, and Harry into the arena of your master plan, you might be surprised to know that they may either tap your idea and creatively implement it, or they pose negative voices into your project to either discourage or make you see reasons why it won’t work. Don’t get carried away by what people say, keep your head high by keeping valuable information close to your heart.
Furthermore, people may gossip about you at work, they may even throw several fallacious rumors in public areas just to dent your name, keep forging ahead, knowing fully well, this too shall pass. etc. Don’t allow little thing to distract you from the big things. Remember, when they go low, you go high. Nobody will talk about you if you’re nobody. You have to come to the simple realization that not everyone will like you and that’s perfectly fine. What you play in your mind is what you allow in your secret place. If you know who you are, you don’t need the affirmation of anyone because he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. Only insecure minds need the affirmation of people.
Business:
Every business has a secret, this secret can be regarded as trade secrets. Trade secrets are secrets that only the principal actors in the business know. it is this secret that makes them successful. As an entrepreneur or corporate entity, it is imperative for you to know how to deliver your products to your target audience in such a way it will be appealing to them. In business, packaging is very important, your ability to understand the market, your competitors and creative way to give values to your customers can be a deciding factor in your business. According to Robin Sharma, the business of business is human relations, but the business of life is human connection.
What many people fail to understand is that every business is different, and every business has a secret. That’s why two people may be having the same products but one of them is able to outsmart the other by improving his/her business style. If you let out the secret of your business, nobody will come to you, especially if they know how you do what you do. For instance, Coca-Cola has been in business since 1886 and no one seems to know the actual contents of the drink except the family. That’s trade secret. You may be wondering how and why it is so. This is simple logic, people come to you because they believe you can solve their problems or you have value to offer. Once the ordinary man on the secret is able to decipher the secret contents that makes up Coca-Cola, he/she will simply produce Cocoa cola thereby limiting the sales of the actual manufacturers.
Family
The greatest and strongest unit in the world is family. Every family has a secret; for instance, Coco-Cola. The secret to a family might be their name, love, understanding, peace, sacrifice, love or even knowledge. All this helps to address problems facing the family. Once the secret is let out, the family will be empty. What works for one family might not work for another family. You can only know what works for a particular family when you live/interact with them.
Relationship
Every marriage, relationship or friendship has a secret. This secret can be love, understanding, humility, sacrifice, peace, and wisdom. Every case is different. As popularly opined by some schools of thought, behind every successful man, there’s a lady. In the same vein, behind every successful marriage, there’s a secret. It is this secret that makes the marriage stronger. Relationship play a major role in defining the future of any progressive mind. It is interesting to note that during dating, intending couples normally hide a part of their character from their partner. It is only when both parties officially marry that they start to show their true characters.
Even married couple is not exempted from this bliss; they always have what binds them together. In fact, what binds them together is more than what separates them. The interesting thing about happily married couples is that, they have come to the sublime realization of what works for them by understanding themselves. Despite been married, these married couples also have their own personal secrets.
It’s okay to feel down when people disappoint you, but it’s not okay to make it affect you otherwise it will poison your life. See disappointment as a ship; a ship can be turned around due to waves and yet not sink, but the moment it allows the water from outside to come in, it begins to sink.
Furthermore, people may think you don’t have difficulties, the difference is that we don’t allow outside things to affect what we have inside us. For instance, the medical report might not look good, marriage isn’t working out well, finance might be low, your ability to tap into your subconscious secret power can make the difference in your life.
Success
So many factors bring success and joy to our minds. Before one can be termed a success, a lot of factors might have played significant roles. It could be health, academics, family, friends, or even your significant other half. As mentioned earlier, every business has a secret. In the same manner, every work of life has a secret. As a prolific writer, I write from a unique perspective that no one can hardly reproduce. For instance, one of the secrets to a healthy lifestyle might be taking two cups of water daily, exercising, and having a strong positive mindset with an attitude of appreciating life’s challenges while seeing them as experiences.
In conclusion, above everything, I will strongly encourage you to protect your secret place and treasure it like gold because that’s all you have. Therefore, treat it like a priceless material, It will, in turn, affect everything around you, your attitude, joy and peace of mind.
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
Dear Destiny Friends,
Every human being loves to get approval, either for the great work they have done or the ones they are doing. They love to be appreciated and admired. They also love to be given attention when they have something valuable to say or do. In all of these, one thing is certain, there is something special about us, and this special thing makes one unique, and ultimately attracts people to us.
Let’s face it, nobody will admire you, appreciate you, approve you and give you attention if you don’t have anything to offer. The reason most people associate with someone is because they feel or know there’s something they can gain from the person. It’s hard for someone to relate closely with someone who they don’t see potential value in.
There is no doubt each and everyone of us is unique, yes, there’s something unique about you. You can sing, you can write, you can dance, you can lead, you can serve, you can cook, etc. One can even be a good actor, athlete, comedian, or preacher. The list is literally endless. Now, what’s unique about you?
When you discover what’s unique about you, please do all within your reach to nurture and develop it. One day, the right person, who truly appreciates and knows your value will celebrate you.
I have a friend who is exceptionally skilled in writing and developing creative contents. I call him a genius because he can literally write a book within a week. How he does it is what I don’t understand. I was surprised when he once told me he wrote a book and manuscript in one week. According to him, he has been developing the contents mentally, but hasn’t found time to put his thoughts together, and when he finally gets his thoughts together, he was able to write the book and manuscript. This is a typical way of knowing a unique being.
Many, however, do not know what’s unique about them. We focus our energy chasing what is not chasing us instead of focusing on developing what we already have. It’s sad to see young and old people living their lives in an unintentional manner with a belief that somehow lines, favour or opportunities will fall in place for them.
Sometimes, we rely on other people’s affirmation and opinion, and accept it as our fate. For instance, just because one is tall, he might be told he will be a great fit for basketball without considering if the athlete loves basketball; again, just because someone is very intelligent, his parents will encourage him to major in a particular discipline, which is perceived as lucrative without considering if the person likes it pr not.
I once experienced this fate when my late dad inspired me to study taxation law in New York Law School, a major I detest with passion. It was like a suicidal mission for me because I do know, it will take miracle to graduate from the program. How I was able to get a scholarship for my grades and graduate in record time is a story for another day. I’m not wired as a finance person, I will better serve humanity in the social and developmental space where my skills, talents, gift and passion will be better utilized. And ever since I joined the space, I have seen results.
There are many cases where many people lose their identities without knowing they are unique. We are all unique in our individual ways. Just like there are several gifts and talents, we have different skills. When you know what’s unique about you, you will stand out and the world will not only appreciate you, but will celebrate you.
When one discovers the power of their uniqueness, we will gather strength to unleash it to the world. Uniqueness works in several ways. For instance, the mere fact that ten people are genius, talented, skillful or valuable in a particular work, the person with the unique gift is the person who will not only stand out, but will be called upon to do the work.
Let me share more insight. If ten people sing a particular song with a great voice, the person who is called to be a singer will receive a unique appreciation because he/she is working on purpose. That is why it is easy to see a lot of people venturing into a particular form of business, but the favour of the business will not locate them because they are not uniquely destined to do business.
Few years ago, one of my mentors shared a deep insight with me. He said that, as a trained medical doctor, he once observed that despite the fact there are hundreds and thousands of medical doctors practicing their profession. One fateful day, he noticed a particular patient was not responding to treatment despite all the medication that had been given to him by a nurse, his health was deteriorating, then another nurse came and administered the same pill a nurse gave the patient, and the patient began to feel better. What does that tell you? The second nurse was probably working in her purpose which aligns with her profession, and as such the corresponding success. This goes to show that when one is unique, it has a way of robbing off on their work.
Furthermore, he stated that Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, and Beyonce are some of the gifted singers and dancers the world has ever celebrated. He went on to say that we have hundreds and thousands of musicians, but only a few have got the spotlight.
What does that tell you? When you are unique, the world will celebrate you. I have understood that the fastest way to get recognition in life is to work in areas where one’s strength and unique gift will better serve the purpose. This is simply because the world does not celebrate one’s weakness, rather, the world celebrates one’s strength.
In recent times, I have seen myself as a counselor and human inspiration. My counseling skills have enabled me to influence people to live positive lives. Overtime, I have realized that when people share their burden with me, they feel relieved after speaking with me. What amazes me most is the fact that even my elders feel comfortable to relate with me on a cordial basis. Maybe, I have a unique gift for counseling and educating.
Today, I am going to charge you to focus your energy and time on whatever will bring you the highest satisfaction. Even if you are looking for a job, applying for school, or seeking any opportunity, your focus should be centered on what you have that the job, school or opportunity will amplify. When you do so, you will be in high demand.
In conclusion, please affirm to yourself today, I am a unique being with a unique personality, purpose and gift.
Say to yourself, ‘I am original’, and refuse to be fake.
Again confess that your originality, authenticity and uniqueness will attract favours, blessings, opportunities from leaders and queens to you, and you will be celebrated.
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
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has emerged as the Best Road Safety Agency in Africa. This monumental achievement corroborates the Corps’ almost four decades of dedication, resilience and passion towards safeguarding lives on Nigerian roads.
The Corps, according to a statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), received the award at the 3rd edition of the Kofi Annan Road Safety Award held in Elzuwini in the Kingdom of Eswatini, South Africa between 14th and 15th of April 2025.
You may recall that Kofi Annan Road Safety Award was initiated by the Office of the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Road Safety in collaboration with Kofi Annan Foundation to immortalize the contributions of African illustrious son Kofi Annan who served as the Secretary General of the United Nations.
The prestigious Road Safety Management Award represents a badge of honour for Nigeria, and a pure testament of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to unflinching support for the Federal Road Safety Corps and his believe in the Corps’ potential to serve as a model for other African nations. Indeed, FRSC’s tireless efforts to reduce road crashes and promote safe driving practices have paid off, earning recognition across the continent.
The recognition further speaks volume, as well as justifies the giant strides Nigeria has made in ensuring safety of road users and her leadership role in the Sub-region.
Reacting to the recognition, the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed said that it is a testament to FRSC’s unrelenting passion for road safety. He thanked the entire community of the motoring public, stakeholders, partners, and the Nigerian people for their support. Emphasising that together, the Corps was able to achieve the enviable feat because of the collective energy and all round support received from the motoring public.
The Corps Marshal also revealed that FRSC’s winning formula includes, innovative strategies, implementing cutting-edge road safety initiatives that drive results, collaboration, fostering partnerships with stakeholders to promote road safety awareness, community engagement, educating the public on safe driving practices, full deployment of technology and road safety protocols.
The award was received on behalf of the Corps and the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the Principal Staff Officer to the Corps Marshal ACM Meshach Adigizi Jatau.
A Chief Magistrate in the Rivers State Judiciary, Mr. Ejike George, has resigned his appointment.
He hinged his decision on the unease over the appointment of a Sole Administrator to oversee the affairs of the State.
His resignation was contained in a letter dated April 11, 2025, and addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge of Rivers State through the Secretary of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission.
The letter was titled “Voluntary Retirement From Service.”
George, who disclosed that he had put in 16 years in the judiciary, said the appointment of a Sole Administrator is tantamount to a “quasi-military administration.”
He expressed dismay over the direction of the governance of the State, which he said is “alien” and “antithetical” to the values of the legal profession.
The statement read: “This present is intended to convey my decision to voluntarily retire my appointment as Magistrate of the Judiciary of Rivers State.
“This difficult and regrettable decision is informed largely by my discomfort with the recent appointment of a quasi-military administration to run the affairs of a modern state like ours.
“Milord will agree with me that this type of governance system is not only alien but also runs antithetical to our hallowed profession as legal practitioners and adjudicators.
“Having put in a whopping 16 (sixteen) out of my 22 (twenty-two) years of legal practice into this Judiciary as Magistrate under successive democratic administrations, I find it difficult to work with the current setting, as doing so would amount to a tacit and naive acquiescence.
“Thanks Milord, for the opportunity to serve.”
