News
Food for Living: Mindset As Tool for Success
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Life is governed by principles, and principles are products of mindset. When the right principles are applied, one is bound to get the right results. Amidst the principles of life, it is imperative that the right thoughts are applied. The right formula to any mathematical problem will always create easy access to the solution.
What really is mindset? Mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how people see themselves and the world around them. It can also be described as one’s thoughts towards life.
Mindset works with your energy. Did you know that your mindset towards life shows your understanding about life. As a student of mindset, and mindset coach, I look beyond someone’s words by looking deeper at their subconscious thoughts. My late mother once advised me, that when someone is talking, I should pay little attention to their words, but focus more on what’s inside their mind.
One’s understanding and perception towards life can be seen in their mindsets. This is because everything starts first in the mind before it sees the light of the day. Love starts from the mind. It’s from the mind that attraction comes in. Success and failure start from the mind. If you believe you will succeed, you will succeed, if you believe you will fail, you will fail.
According to Napoleon Hill in his book, “Think and Grow Rich”, whatsoever the mind can conceive, it can achieve. Even the book of life says in 1 John 4:4, he that is in you is greater and stronger than he that is in the world.
The mind is powerful just like the brain. It’s what you believe in that will work for you. If you don’t believe in anything, you will hardly get anything.
The mindset of a child is different from the mindset of a parent. The mindset of a student is different from the mindset of a professor. The mindset of a doctor is different from the mindset of a lawyer. The mindset of a businessman is different from the mindset of a clergy. The mindset of a student or employee is different from the mindset of an employer. The mindset of a regular citizen is different from the mindset of a president. The mindset of a poor man is different from the mindset of a rich man.
To give a proper perspective to mindset, it’s instructive to note that there are different attitudes to life and success. Whatever you want to accomplish, it’s important to connect with that spirit. Someone in a relationship has a different form of mindset, just as a student operates with a different form of mindset, and a businessman has a different form of mindset. Again, a clergy, Governor, President, and others, all have different forms of mindset depending on what they want to achieve.
Do you know that mindset works with values? It’s the value you place in someone, commodity, place, religion, policy, and deity that will determine how you will relate and engage with the person. It’s unfortunate to see uninformed minds requesting financial assistance from people instead of seeking opportunities to learn and serve. This set of people operate from a lack mentality.
It’s sad to note that most people don’t understand how powerful the mindset is. Do you know your mindset is like a magnet? You can connect and attract forces farther than you. If you want to connect with a resourceful person, your ability to know what works for the person will go a long way to determine if the person will connect with you. For instance, if an entrepreneur wants to get a grant from a businessman or a company, the entrepreneur must speak in the language the donors will understand and what appeals to the mindset of that person.
Let me share a practical example of how my mindset played a game-changer role in my life. In 2017, after I published my first book, I traveled to Nigeria to see my grandmother after seeing her in my dream a couple of times begging me to come back. I initially downplayed it because I felt it’s just normal for a grandmother to miss her grandchildren, especially since my younger brother has given her a copy of my book to bless me. She still insisted she want to see me.
After giving it a serious thought, I decided to resign from my job and traveled home to see her. It’s important to state that the decision appeared unpopular among my family members and friends for several reasons. I believed my instincts, and took the risk. Be advised, my grandmother was hale and hearty without any health challenge before I traveled. One may wonder, what gave me the courage; well, I just have the belief that my grandmother’s prayers will play a big role in my life.
Trust me, it happened the exact way I thought it would. When I came back to the USA, I had no job and had to resort to selling my book on the streets of New York. On one fateful day, I met a news anchor on the street of New York and told him about my book and my plans for the youths. He was impressed and gave me his number. We couldn’t communicate for three years until President Trump issued a travel ban against Nigeria. His boss read my interview in the New York Times and reached out to him about my interview. He told his boss he knows me. He reached out to me via Instagram and texted directly on my phone inquiring if I can do an interview with respect to the travel ban. I agreed. He was impressed with my interview and my composure on the television and stated that since I do lots of work on youth advocacy, he will send his team to my house to interview me.
That was how I got featured in News12 and since then I have been a regular guest on television. Now, what’s the moral of this story? Imagine if I didn’t believe in my instinct to travel home, maybe today, I wouldn’t have been featured on the television in addition to attracting the attention I have today. Above all, nothing gave me joy more than the ten minutes of prayer my grandmother showered on me. And guess, what she passed on to glory a year later.
In conclusion, if you want to bring a positive change in your life, consider changing your attitude to life, because it’s your attitude not your aptitude that will determine your attitude to 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 Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
A federal judge in the United States, on Thursday, put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.
The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.
It comes after lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington State.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.
Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America’s national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.
It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.
AFP
The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.
“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.
The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.
Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions
Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.
The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.
He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.
In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.
But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.
The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.
The Nigeria Police have announced that their operatives have rescued Mrs Folasade Odumosu, the wife of a former Assistant Inspector General, Hakeem Odumosu, who was last Thursday, kidnapped at the entrance of her home in Arepo, Ogun State.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, noting that two of the kidnappers were killed while four others escaped without their weapons.
Adejobi said with the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged Odumosu’s abductors in a gun duel and neutralized the criminals in the swampy area of Ikorodu on Wednesday.
The police spokesman added that Mrs Odumosu is currently undergoing a medical evaluation and has since been reunited with her family.
The statement read, “In a commendable display of teamwork and swift action, police operatives attached to the Ogun State Command have successfully neutralized the kidnappers of Mrs. Odumosu, wife of Retired Assistant-Inspector General, AIG Hakeem Odumosu, and rescued her unharmed.
“On January 16, 2025, at approximately 9:45 PM, four masked gunmen forcibly abducted Mrs. Odumosu from her Lexus Jeep outside her residence in Arepo, Ogun State. The abduction sparked an immediate response from the anti-kidnapping unit of the Ogun State Police Command, who commenced a thorough investigation and targeted pursuit of the kidnappers.
“With the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged in extensive surveillance of the creeks surrounding Arepo, gathering crucial information to track down the assailants. Their efforts culminated in a raid on January 23, 2025, at around 06:45 AM. The intelligence-led operation took the police to a creek in the swampy area of Ikorodu, where the kidnappers were reportedly planning their next attack.
“Upon arrival, the operatives encountered the kidnappers, who opened fire. In the ensuing confrontation, two of the gunmen were neutralized, while four others fled the scene, abandoning their operational weapons.”
Adejobi said the police operatives recovered N10m initially paid to the kidnappers, four Ak-47 rifles, three locally made single barrel rifles, and ammunition of various calibres.
He added, “The victim, Mrs Odumosu was rescued within the swampy creeks during the operation, unharmed. She is currently undergoing medical evaluation as a precautionary measure and has since been reunited with her family. The police also recovered 4 Ak-47 rifles, 3 locally made single barrel rifles, ammunition of various calibres, and the sum of N10,000,000 ransom previously demanded by the kidnappers, further ensuring that justice is served.”
Adejobi said the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the police operatives and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, for the rescue operation.
He asserted that the Police Force is committed to safeguarding the citizens and combat kidnapping and other violent crimes.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has commended the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, and his operatives for their displayed gallantry in this successful operation.
“This operation exemplifies the dedication and resilience of our Police officers. The Nigeria Police Force remains steadfast in its mission to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes, providing safety and security to all citizens,” he added.
