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Food for Living: Knowledge is the New Gold
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
In contemporary times, the world has come to the realization of a new type of education that is different from the formal knowledge we are exposed to. Ordinarily, there are two types of education: formal education and informal information. Formal education is the education we receive in the classroom which is well-structured while informal education is the education we receive from our parents, friends, peers, community, etc. This kind of knowledge is not structured.
But amidst this form of knowledge, there’s a new form of knowledge called personal development, which I call the new gold. To me, this is the highest form of knowledge. You may be wondering why I said, so. With other forms of knowledge, it’s either taught or acquired, and earned with conscious and deliberate effort. But with the personal development knowledge, you are not only intentional in acquiring it, you are also deliberate in acquiring the knowledge. This is because nobody is teaching you, neither are you learning indirectly from your parents or environment, but rather you have made a decision not to remain where you are. You decided it’s high time, you took your destiny into your hands.
With personal development knowledge, you go all out. You don’t wait for the information or knowledge to come to your doorstep, rather you step out of your comfort zone because you have the passion and interest in the industry. With this form of education, you’re able to create opportunities where there is none.
There are many examples of great people who have experienced this form of knowledge. For example, Abraham Lincoln, a lawyer, and former U.S. president who finished one year of formal schooling, self-taught himself trigonometry, and read on his own to become a lawyer; Andrew Carnegie, an industrialist and philanthropist, and one of the first mega-billionaires in the US, who was an elementary school dropout; Andrew Jackson, former U.S. president, general, attorney, judge, congressman, who was home-schooled and became a practicing attorney by the age of 35; Justin Moskovitz, multi-millionaire co-founder of Facebook, who was a Harvard dropout. Mark Zuckerberg, also a co-founder of Facebook, dropped out of Harvard University.
Henry Ford, the billionaire founder of Ford Motor Company, did not attend college. Francois Pinault, the third-richest man in France quit high school in 1947 to work at his father’s lumber mill. One reason he quit school was because his classmates made fun of his poor background. Billy Joel once said, “If I’m not going to Columbia University, I’m going to Columbia Records and you don’t need a high school diploma over there.” He said this after learning he had fallen one credit short of his high school graduation requirement in 1967. The six-time Grammy Award winner has sold more than 150 million records worldwide.
Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) may have “99 problems,” but not having a high school diploma isn’t one. The American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists in America. In May 2016, Forbes estimated Jay Z’s net worth at $610 million. He is one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records while receiving 21 Grammy Awards for his musical works, as well as numerous additional nominations.
Carter grew up in one of Brooklyn’s roughest housing projects, dealing drugs before turning to hip hop. In 1995, Carter took his first single to Def Jam Records, the company he ended up running from 2004 until 2007. In 2008, he signed a 10-year, $150 million deal with Live Nation that gave him control over his records, tours, and endorsement deals with companies like Dell and Budweiser.
Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Atlantic Airline is the son of a barrister and a flight attendant. He dropped out of Stowe School at age 16 to start an arts and culture magazine called Student. In 1970, at age 20, he founded a mail-order record retailer called Virgin. He later opened a record shop and recording studio, which became a retail chain, Virgin Records, and record company, Virgin Music. His Virgin Group empire now includes 200 companies in 30 countries, spanning airlines, music festivals, mobile companies, and other businesses. Today Branson owns two private Caribbean islands, Necker and Mosquito, and has an estimated net worth of $5.8 billion as of 2021, according to Forbes.
Do you notice anything about these successful people, they were all self-taught, they didn’t wait for anyone to give them an opportunity, rather they did what they have to do in order to acquire the kind of knowledge, wealth, or position they were aiming for. But the most interesting part of them is that they acquired knowledge which made a difference for them. That’s why I call personal development knowledge the new gold.
The truth is that knowledge is priceless. In philosophy, we are taught there are five types of knowledge; Revealed knowledge, which is the type of knowledge that was revealed to those who wrote the Bible; Empirical knowledge, which is knowledge based on investigation, observation, experimentation or experience, as opposed to Theoretical knowledge, which is based on logical or mathematical assumptions; Rational knowledge, which is the kind of knowledge that is normally used in solving rational problems like logical reasoning; Authoritative knowledge, which is the knowledge one is normally exposed to due to the expertise a person has attained in a particular field of life, and Intuitive knowledge, which is the knowledge one gets from his innate nature which is devoid of reason or logic. It springs up spontaneously when you are faced with an unexpected situation like an accident or a crisis that needs a quick response.
Why am I saying these? When you spend your time acquiring knowledge, you are opening up yourself for new opportunities. The more you know, the more you earn, and the more you earn, the more you are respected. Do you see why knowledge is the new gold?
Acquiring this form of knowledge is not really hard, all that is necessary is for you to decide and then take action. With the advent of technology, knowledge is literally at our disposal. We can learn anything on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, google plus, Pinterest, Udemy Skillshare Coursera EdX Udacity Pluralsight, etc. Despite the availability of these learning platforms, it’s quite unfortunate to see that many people have failed to take advantage of this learning opportunity to change their lives.
According to Anne Scavotto, Knowledge is power. Without a goal, it is only an idea. Without a plan, it is only information. Without implementation, it is only a resource for the future! We have a choice: to be complacent with our present situation or to be temporarily uncomfortable with the unknown and institute change in our lives! “
Even when we agree that knowledge is power, knowledge is information in the real sense, it is the application of this knowledge that gives you the power. If you know something, but don’t make conscious effort to apply it, there will be no change.
In conclusion, I charge you today, to be intentional and deliberate in making a conscious effort to acquire knowledge, and information that will add value to your life. This type of knowledge must be the one that appeals to you. In order to acquire this knowledge, you can get mentors, coaches, or even peers who can play resourceful roles in this area because at the end of the day, knowledge is the new gold.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and public speaker. 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 and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
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
