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Food for Living: Just Make an Attempt
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
As human beings, it’s very easy for one to give up in life, especially when one must have made several attempts on a project. Let’s take a case study of a student who has taken an examination and failed several times. Several voices might be speaking to him, this is not for you, you have given your best, just give up, etc. However, a determined mind who knows what he wants will always look at the positive side of life and forge ahead despite the challenges and setbacks. If we try one more time, we may be surprised we make break even.
I remembered when I was in New York Law School studying taxation law, I failed my prerequisite course that would enable me to graduate into the main program. While I was contemplating doing another major, my dean advised me to try one more time and I did, and the rest is history.
There was a story that was told about two friends who were on a journey trying to get gold. When they got to their destination, they began to dig, one of them was able to find gold halfway, the other was frustrated because he has reached almost the bottom of the rock and yet to strike gold, he gave up, unbeknownst to him, if only he had struck one more time, he would have found gold in large quantities more than this friends
This story is not far from other works of life. For instance, a businessman who has been failing in his business and gave up, if only he tried one more time, he would have succeeded. A married couple who has been experiencing challenges in their marital journey decide to end their marriage, but if only they have tried to give it a chance one more time, their marriage may not have packed up. The same is true for athletes who have failed a couple of times and decided to give up. If only the athletes had tried one more time, maybe they would have succeeded.
There are many stories of great people who have succeeded in life just by attempting to start a project despite several failures. See below:
Business & Entrepreneurship
Colonel Harland Sanders (65): He was fired from many jobs and became broke at 65 before starting KFC. Imagine if I had not made an attempt to try.
Sam Walton (44): He founded the first Wal-Mart at 44.
Arts & Entertainment
Grandma Moses (78): She began her painting career at 78. Imagine if she hadn’t attempted to start.
Harry Bernstein (93): He published his first novel, The Invisible Wall, at 96. Imagine if he felt he was too old to write. He dared the odds and negative voice speaking to him.
Stan Lee (39): Co-created his first big comic book at 39. Imagine if he was thinking what the world will think about his book like I was thinking when I was writing my first book.
Alan Rickman (42): Gave up a graphic design career to pursue acting at 42. Imagine, if he had not taken the courage to quit graphic design to begin acting. Indeed, it takes guts to do the extraordinary.
Morgan Freeman (52): Landed his first major movie role at 52. Imagine, if he didn’t take the first step to begin his acting career.
Writing & Lifestyle
Julia Child (39/51): Released her first cookbook at 39 and got her show at 51. Julia’s success captures the saying, when the student is ready, the master appears. Imagine if Julia hadn’t taken the initiative to start.
Other Fields
Gladys Burrill (86): Began marathon running at 86 and set a record at 92. Do you know what it means to begin marathon running at 86? It’s unbelievable to say the least.
Yuichiro Miura (80): Became the oldest person to climb Mount Everest at 80. This was made possible because she took the first step.
These stories highlight that success often stems from accumulated experience, perseverance, and passion rather than youth.
In the journey of life, starting a project is one of the hardest journeys to embark upon. The challenge most people have is starting over when they fail, but what they fail to understand is that one must try to start before any meaningful result can be made.
Let me share a practical example, when I first began writing my first book, I had no idea what I was writing. The only thing I had was an inspiration from one of my mentors saying, “you are a very smart young man, have you considered writing a book”? Those words literally hit me hard. That was all I needed to hear to begin the project.
As mentioned earlier, I had no clue what I was writing, all I knew was that I was writing what was coming to my head whether it made sense or not. On one fateful day, I felt like giving up because I wouldn’t want to waste my time writing what doesn’t make sense. I reached out to two of my mentors to review what I have written so far, and they said to me, just write whatever comes to mind when you are done, an editor will help to edit it. In all honesty, that was my saving grace. The lesson I learned from that experience is that the universe will conspire to assist you when you take a leap of fate for a new task.
So, can you see that just the attempt to begin metamorphosed into a global book the world has celebrated. Imagine, if I had not taken time to attempt to write, maybe I wouldn’t have a book to my name today.
This is literally the story of almost everyone. Most times, we find it hard to begin, but far from it, is the fact that attempting to begin is actually the hardest part. According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished and sophisticated ghost writer, “the only thing that stands between you and what you want is the will to try and the faith to believe that it is possible. How do you know you can’t control when you haven’t even tried”.
To try one, you must have faith to begin. According to the Book of life in Matthew 17:20, “I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, ‘Go from here to there!’ and it will go. You could do anything!” To actualize this, one must attempt to begin.
In conclusion, if I ask you, what’s that thing you have always loved to do, but fear, lack of resources, procrastination etc. is holding you back? If you are on this page, I will tell you one thing, done is better than perfect when perfect is not done. So, don’t wait for a perfect time or wait for anyone to give you permission before you can begin, just attempt to start and see how the universe will conspire to work in your favor. Remember, when you are on a mission, you don’t need permission to begin.
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 simmering political battle in Rivers State appears to have taken a fresh turn, following the screening of aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries, with several loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara failing to make the party’s final list.
In a development already stirring political intrigue across the state, former Obio/Akpor council chairman Chijioke Ihunwo and serving lawmakers Sokari Goodboy and Victor Oko-Jumbo — all widely regarded as strong allies of Governor Fubara — were among those not cleared by the party’s screening committee for various reasons.
Political observers are interpreting their failure to scale through as more than just a routine internal party exercise. They say it is the latest signal of the deepening political fault lines in Rivers, where Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Minister Nyesom Wike, remain locked in a prolonged struggle for political supremacy.
On the other side of the divide, the list of cleared aspirants appears to favour established political figures and returning lawmakers, largely seen as loyal to the Wike camp.
Among those cleared are:
Maol Dumle
Major Jack
Enemi Alabo George
Tonye Smart Adoki
Tekenari Granville
Their emergence is being viewed as a reinforcement of the influence of the former governor within the APC structure in Rivers State.
The screening exercise, announced by Rivers APC publicity secretary Chibike Ikenga, comes at a politically sensitive time, with alignments already forming ahead of future elections and control of the Rivers State House of Assembly remaining a critical battleground.
For many political watchers, the outcome raises fresh questions: Is the APC in Rivers consolidating into a single power bloc? And does this effectively shut the door on Fubara’s loyalists seeking alternative political platforms?
Fubara, elected under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, joined the APC last year, following a political dispute with Wike.
The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has been factionalized ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The rival factions emerged after its chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, was reportedly removed on Thursday.
While Uzodimma insists that he remains PGF chairman, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun and his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, are reportedly leading a separate faction.
Another bloc within the forum has reportedly queued behind the duo of Abiodun and AbdulRazaq.
The development, which comes amid growing political realignments within the ruling party, marks a significant crack in the ranks of APC governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to reports by Arise TV, details surrounding the disagreement remain unclear, but sources within the party said tensions have been building over internal leadership control and strategic positioning ahead of the next election season.
As of the time of filing this report, none of the factions had made an official clarification regarding the alleged division.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It would not be out of place to state that every human has experienced one challenge or another in his lifetime, and somehow still experiencing some form of challenges, no matter how mild or insignificant. No one can claim he is without experience.
Against this backdrop therefore, I ask, what’s your experience like?
Different life experiences are encountered in our everyday living including business, marriage, academic, spiritual, family personal or professional. Sometimes, our experiences shape us and leave us with lasting memories.
One of the things I have learnt about life is never to complain; complaining doesn’t change anything, rather it aggravates everything. If I may ask, why worry when you can’t change the situation? According to the Serenity Prayer, God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
As humans, it’s normal to give up when the odds are against one, pushing becomes a herculean task when the odds are against one, motivation becomes an illusion, and inspiration becomes imagination.
One of the great ways to succeed in life is to live each day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, and accepting hardships as one of the “pathways” to succeed despite all the odds. This is one of the important teachings of the Serenity Prayer.
Let’s analyze the Serenity Prayer. We were instructed to accept the things we cannot change, have the courage to change the things we can change, and then seek discernment to know when we need to accept our faith and when we need to move on despite the odds staring at us.
An example of what we cannot change is death; we just must live through it with the right attitude. An example of what we can change is our lifestyle, and to know the difference, we need to listen to our inner heart.
As we explore life vicissitudes, we are supposed to know when to act, when we are supposed to relax, and when the universe, God, or life is teaching us or telling us something.
Understanding the concept of against all odds is not for the faint-hearted because it is hard to trust something or surrender to someone when one doesn’t feel secure. Imagine a case scenario when one is trying to contest for an election, and the institutions and gatekeepers are against one’s candidacy, and still the person perseveres. Taking a case study of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States of America, very few people believed he would win the election because he’s a Black man. Against all odds, he won the election and re-election twice against two formidable, wealthy White politicians.
The significance of this victory is that president Obama has faith and believes in himself despite the numerous nay voices he was hearing from within and outside.
We have all experienced this situation in one way or another, but we refused to give up. I remembered when I had my first election, I wasn’t given a chance to win, but to my detractors’ greatest concern, I won with an impressive result.
Another scenario, played out while I was in New York Law School, I was pursuing a program I had little or no interest in. I personally didn’t believe I would graduate from the school, but as fate may have it, I was able to get a scholarship when my results were considered an uncommon academic success.
The moral of these scenarios is that, in the journey of life, we must have faith in our vision and we must believe in our capacity to succeed against all odds. When you do, people will see and feel it and potentially come through for you, all things being equal.
Furthermore, in the journey to life, life throws different arrows and shades at us. The best we can do is to accept it and be open. Sometimes, what we fail to understand is that our blessings and opportunities come in places we don’t expect. Sometimes, unexpected doors and opportunities come to us in places we least expect.
So, when the odds come up, please don’t give up, just gear up to the challenge and understand the inherent lessons life wants you to learn because at the end of the day, though times never last, tough people do.
In conclusion, never allow the odds of life to define you; rather, use it as a stepping stone to build a castle. That was exactly what I did when I was told I couldn’t succeed in the USA and when I was told I was a horrible writer. Against all odds, by the special grace of God, I was able to exceed expectations by publishing three books and appeared several times on television.
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
