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Food for Living: Making the Best of Adversity
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Life is filled with joy and sorrow. And of course, both balance life. No one has ever had it all rosy in life. No successful person has ever made it in life without some form of adversity, no matter how minute. When relating to a great person, one of the ways to learn from the person is by asking what mistakes they made in life and what they would have done differently if they had the opportunity of changing the status quo. It is generally stated that when a man has not experienced misfortune, his/her life is missing something.
Adversity is a normal stage in life. We can hardly run from it no matter how we try to avoid it. It still has its own way of navigating through the back door. It can either come through death, failure, betrayal, marriage, business, academics, emotion, misfortune, personal or professional engagement.
Whether we like it or not, we all must experience adversity one day, so the earlier you begin to prepare for it, the better. Even if we don’t pray for it, we have to open our minds to it for according to Sherrilyn Kenyon, sometimes things have to go wrong in order to go right.
Adversity is not that bad as many people see it. It can lead to new opportunities and discoveries. There’s always something to learn from any form of adversity. According to Napoleon Hill “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.
Adversity comes in several forms. It can be in the form of hardship, death of a loved one, accident, marriage challenges, business, or job loss. It could even be physical, psychological or emotional. What’s important is knowing how to manage it.
When people experience adversity, the greatest challenge they face is how to cope. We all have different coping mechanisms. The way a man/woman copes with pain arising from divorce, misfortune, failure, poverty, and disappointment is quite different from another person.
When some people suffer adversity, they tend to give up, commit suicide, or forge ahead. Adversity can be likened to FEAR. Face Everything And Rise or Forget Everything And Run.
Despite the challenges that come with adversity, it also comes with blessings. Below are some of the advantages and benefits of adversity.
Do you know adversity can assist you to discover who you are? Adversity can strengthen you in addition to unleashing your potential. When you go through a form of adversity, you tend to discover some hidden part of you. According to Maya Angelou, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, and how you can still come out of it.” Zig Ziglar also stated “Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.
Adversity makes one to be strong: Whatever doesn’t kill you will strengthen you. Adversity can make or mar you. Adversity will make you resilient and determined in the pursuit of your life goals. When you experience challenges in life, it has a way of giving you mental and emotional strength if you can overcome it.
Growth: Adversity can also make you grow. When you experience a serious setback like failure, a rational mind will take time to study the mistakes by going to the drawing board and see how one can learn from it. Benjamin Disraeli was right when said, “there is no education like adversity”.
Adversity promotes empathy. Anyone, who has faced hardship tends to express empathy when they see people experiencing a similar phase. One of the ways to know a man is to look at how he reacts to issues of humanity. According to Joseph Wirthlin, “As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people.
Adversity changes and shapes one’s perspective to life. You will notice that when a poor man suddenly begins to make money, his tastes, understanding and desires for life tend to change. Adversity will shape your experience and understanding of life due the information and revelation you may have encountered during the process.
The question we need to ask ourselves is, how do we cope with adversity? To overcome adversity, one must learn to let go of expectations. It is because we think of opportunities and promises that make adversity hit us differently when our needs and desires are not met. It’s always better to prepare for the best and expect the worst.
The second is change your state of mind. The way you see determines how life will unfold to you. Did you know, it’s your attitude to life, and not your aptitude that will determine your altitude in life. Whenever you experience adversity, it’s your mindset that will determine how you will overcome it.
You can also overcome adversity with your sense of humor. As fondly stated, laughter is the best medicine, especially for one’s mental health. When you laugh, the hormones triggering stress reactions in your body calm, boosting the effectiveness of your immune system.
Your faith can also play a role in overcoming adversity. Your belief factor works with your mindset and understanding to allay your fears and concerns. It’s imperative to surround yourself with people who have similar positive faith and mindset like you. It will go a long way to addressing your fears and concerns.
In conclusion, adversity is like a knife, when you grasp it by the handle it will serve you well, but when you grasp it by the blade, it will cut you. So, your attitude, and how you see life has a greater part to play in overcoming the adversity that comes with life.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer Design Your Destiny and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Telecommunications giant, Globacom, has charged Christians to embrace the virtues that Christ preached as the 2025 Easter celebrations hold this weekend.
While congratulating Christians in Nigeria in a goodwill message released from its Lagos Head Office on Thursday, Globacom admonished them to imbibe the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
According to Glo, “Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”
Globacom charged all Nigerians to espouse the lessons of selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society and called on all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
The company praised their perseverance through the 40-day Lenten period which comes before Easter as it emphasized the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
Easter comes yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of unhindered voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
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.
