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Food for Living: Purge Your Heart of Negative Thoughts
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
The joy of life is not how happy you are, but how happy others can be because of you. Nothing soothes and excites the heart more than happiness. When your body is excited, it excretes adrenaline hormone. If you will agree with me, happiness cannot be hidden no matter how one tries. In the same way, sadness cannot be hidden. It’s just like poverty, you can hardly hide it. Sylvia Boorstein, in his book, “Happiness is an inside job”, enlightens us to have great thoughts that will keep us happy as opposed to having negative thoughts or believing someone is responsible for our happiness. Be informed, nobody is responsible for our happiness. We are literally responsible for our own happiness. Trust me, even if you are rich, and appear physically strong, if you don’t have the inner peace, happiness will elude you.
Nothing drains our life more than negativity. Living a life of negativity is the most traumatic and frustrating experience anyone can have. This is because you’ll never see anything good in a person. In order to see the light in yourself, you must illuminate your mind, body, and soul by emptying the basket of negativity in your life.
Sometimes we fail to move forward because we are holding back what has left us. Today, I charge you to empty all the negativity in your life. It’s difficult to go through and think of problems and situations you have experienced, and remain focused. These problems weigh us down and limit our productivity level. When your mind is filled with negative thoughts such as revenge, hatred, guilt, envy, etc., you’ll find it difficult to focus. For example, when you have fear in your mind, and worry about things you can’t change or what somebody did to you, it will be difficulty focusing.
It is normal to have challenges in your life, however, what makes the difference is how to manage the challenge. When you allow negative traits to dwell in your heart, you give up precious space that is reserved for light. Our life is like a container, what you allow in the container stays inside until you decide to empty any dirt insider the container.
It’s sad to know that many of us are living with stinking dirts on our body, and still expect full capacity function. Today, I charge you to clean your heart, sanitize your mind, purify your soul and purge your body of anything that prevents you from growing. You can do this. Our thoughts are very powerful, they rely on the feelings, beliefs, and energy we feed on to grow.
Whenever you feel betrayed by a friend, or disappointed by a colleague at work, or felt let down by a mentor, the best thing to do is to free your mind by emptying all negative thoughts into the trash can. Appreciate the lessons you learned from such experience. See the experience as an opportunity that will make you grow as opposed to the problem which somebody has caused you. It should be noted that whatever doesn’t’ kill you will make you stronger. It’s quite unfortunate to note many people attribute their failures to other people. This makes them inhibit negative thoughts which hinder them from forging ahead. When your heart is contaminated with negativity, it will be hard to enjoy life. You have to continually empty your hearts from all negative thoughts and energy in order to allow fresh energy to reign supreme.
Our body system is composed of one hundred percent positive energy, but sometimes we allow a fraction of negative traits to frustrate our progressive efforts. Negative traits such as jealousy, hatred for friends, neighbours, competitive business organisations are some of the energies that hider progress. Therefore, I charge you today; don’t give any room/space for bitter or sour taste in your life. Quit thinking or worrying about that happened. Your energy should be channeled towards having a progressive lifestyle. Empty your mind of any form of stress that reigns in your mind. Bitterness and stress have no place in our hearts. You’re in charge of your life and as such you’re responsible for whatever you put insider the container of your mind.
As human beings, we all have negative emotions, feelings, living inside us. This negative emotion can be as a result of our marriage/ relationship, it could be work-related, it could be from losses in business, it could be due to factors beyond your comprehension. Your goal should be turning lemon into lemonade.
Furthermore, the best way to empty your negative container is by emptying all thoughts and experience that has caused you pain every night before you sleep. It’s normal for someone to be hurt once, but, don’t allow that same pain to have a second chance in your life.
Negative pains come in different ways. For example, when you have bills to take care of, health concerns, family disagreements, etc. You might be thinking how will I take care of it? When you empty your heart of insecurity, you get confidence, when you empty your heart of worry, you get peace. When you empty your container, you free your mind for noble and sane ideas that will make you have a stable mind. For instance, when you forgive your detractors, don’t think you have done them a favour, we fail to realize that when you forgive others who offended you, you create make room for more opportunities and blessings in your life, but more especially, you gain peace and clarity of mind.
Relationship Experience
This is one of the areas we need to pay close attention to our individual life. One of the pillars of marriage is love and patience. Successful marriages are no fluke. It was planned and nurtured each step of the day by both parties. It’s quite unfortunate to note that many couples find it hard to forgive their partners after a heated conversation, especially when they throw tantrums at each other. It’s important to note that forgiveness, understanding, peace, patience, and love can be regarded as the bedrock of marriage, it is sad to note that many couples have accumulated so much pain and hatred in their heart which makes it hard for them to live a fruitful and loving life.
It is easy to feel that you are a victim of circumstances when the odds are against you. Please do yourself a favour by emptying all those thoughts surrounding your heart when you experience financial or social challenges. It’s easy to get worn out when somebody deprives you of what belongs to you. For example, a man or lady feels bad because someone took their supposed partner from them; quit having such negative feelings. Just know that the person was not supposed to be for you. If that person was supposed to be for you, nothing will change that course.
Every negative trait in your body system affects you. Negative traits can be regarded as infection. When the symptoms are properly treated, it metamorphoses into poison which becomes very deadly. Purge your heart of any negative feelings you may have developed consciously or unconsciously. When such infection grows, it will be easy to contaminate other parts of the body. You can overcome negative traits in your life by releasing toxins in your life.
It’s easy to assume you’re a victim of circumstances like why it is this happening to me? Beloved, It’s not personal, just know that it’s your own time of having the fair share of the cake life offers to everyone. Common sense demands you be patient and appreciate the moment which lasts for a while. As a way of advice, don’t be hard on yourself.
During your reflective time, consider how much space are you giving to guilts, shame, anger, etc., You won’t have the strength to move on if you consider what happened in the past. Your past is your past for a reason. Raise the bar and scale it up. Per Mitchell Obama: if they go low, you go up.
In conclusion, negativity is centered on having an unforgiving spirit. An unforgiving spirit can be regarded as a time bomb which can implode when one is not properly guided. The funny thing about an unforgiving person is that, you daily poison your heart with heavy load without knowing. I admonish you today to do yourself a favour by emptying all negative hormones in your body.
Moral: Don’t waste emotional intelligence that can be channeled to other fruitful cause.
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
Three Nigerian secondary schools are in the ring for the grand prize of N5m in the ongoing Glo Innov8 National STEM competition for girls in Senior Secondary Schools across the country.
The three top finalists were selected for their originality and innovation in the different entries for the competition. A total of 20 secondary schools were picked from over 200 schools which registered for the competition. After a series of considerations, 10 of them made it to the semifinal from which three; Ephraim High School, Isolo Campus, Lagos; Regina Pacis International School, Onitsha, Anambra State; and Peakfield Academy, Jos, Plateau State eventually coasted home to the finals.
Schools from Plateau, Kano, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Borno, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Oyo, Anambra, FCT, Delta, Kaduna and Adamawa states had signified intentions to participate following a call for entries by Glo Foundation, Globacom’s corporate social responsibility arm as part of its celebration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child.
Glo Innov8, a STEM-driven challenge, has scheduled prizes worth N5 million to the three schools in the finals. The competition “is geared at inspiring young girls to Compete, Innovate and Win, while also strengthening their confidence and expanding their knowledge in STEM subjects”, Glo Foundation explained.
The eventual overall winning school will go home with a cash prize of N2,000,000 while the 2 students representing the school will each get a laptop. The Teacher/Mentor/STEM Coordinator also gets N200,000.
The schools that come second and third places and their Teachers/Mentors/STEM Coordinators will also receive mouth-watering consolation prizes.
The three female judges of the virtual phase of selection of the top 20 schools said they were excited by the quality of presentations by the competing schools. One of them, Tosin Olabode said: “I was particularly impressed by the prototype presentations from some schools. They demonstrated that they had done their homework”.
In the same vein, Amina Gabriel disclosed that she was thrilled by the variety of ideas that the schools came up with. “The schools presented innovative solutions tackling issues in agriculture, security, waste management, and firefighting. The top 10 schools showcased outstanding prototypes, from apps to robots, making the judging process truly competitive. I’m grateful to Glo Foundation for the opportunity to serve and support young girls in STEM”, she said.
According to Sharon Ibejih, the third judge, “This competition has showcased a highly competitive next generation of women leaders in STEM. This was an excellent exercise and a means to encourage more students in STEM to develop problem-solving and innovative thinking skills”.
The overall winning school will emerge at an event set to hold later this year at the Mike Adenuga Centre (Alliance Française), Ikoyi, Lagos.
The leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a motion to stop the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in his trial for alleged terrorism.
Justice James Omotosho, on November 7, fixed November 20 for judgment on the case.
The judge fixed the date after Kanu’s defence was foreclosed following his insistence that he would not enter his defence under a repealed law.
However, in the motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, he personally filed, the IPoB leader sought seven reliefs.
In the application dated November 10 and filed same date, Kanu sought an order arresting the delivery of judgment in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015.
The document was made public on Tuesday.
In it, he alleged that the proceedings were conducted under a repealed and non-existent statute and in disobedience to the Supreme Court’s directive contrary to Section 287(1) CFRN 1999.”
He sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 287(1) CFRN, the trial court was constitutionally bound to give effect to the Supreme Court’s finding that count 15 (now count 7) “does not exist in law,” and its failure rendered all subsequent proceedings null and void.
He also sought a declaration that the court’s failure to take judicial notice of the repeal of the 2013 Terrorism Act, contrary to Section 122 Evidence Act 2011, vitiates all steps taken thereunder.
The IPOB leader equally sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 76(1)(d)(iii) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to try him in the absence of proof that the alleged conduct constituted an offence under Kenyan law or of any Kenyan judicial validation or extradition order.
Besides, Kanu sought “a declaration that the plea purportedly taken on March 29, under a repealed and non-existent statute and in violation of Section 220 ACJA 2015 is void and incapable of conferring jurisdiction.
President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a strong delegation to London to address the situation of Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, who has been imprisoned in the UK since March 2023.
The delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.
The team arrived in London on Monday and held discussions with officials from the UK’s Ministry of Justice.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for Tuggar, said on Tuesday that the presidential delegation was in London to engage with UK authorities to consider the possibility of Ekweremadu serving the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.
The London Metropolitan Police detained the Ekweremadus in June 2022 after a man was deceitfully presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free Hospital in London as a relative of their daughter Sonia, in what turned out to be a failed attempt to convince medical professionals to perform an £80,000 transplant.
The 21-year-old man, who had allegedly been promised employment in the UK, reported the incident to the police in May of that year, saying that he had been brought to the country for an organ transplant.
In March 2023, the former presiding officer of Nigeria’s Senate was convicted of organ trafficking by a UK court. Beatrice, his wife, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor connected to the case, were also found guilty.
This verdict marked the first of its kind under the UK Modern Slavery Act.
On May 5, 2023, Ekweremadu received a nine-year and eight-month prison sentence, while his wife was sentenced to four years and six months, and Obeta was given a ten-year prison sentence.
In his ruling, Judge Jeremy Johnson determined that Beatrice should serve half of her sentence in custody and be supervised for the remainder. However, she was released from prison in January and has since returned to Nigeria.
