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Food for Living: See the Big Picture
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
The future means many things to many people.
As a doctor responding to questions about the cure and future of the COVID -19 pandemic, your response will definitely be different and maybe uncertain. As an undergraduate, graduate, or a Ph.D student, your response will also be different when asked about your plans upon graduation. What of a business man/woman, a teenager, a parent, an entrepreneur, an organization, association, politician looking at the picture with a lens of the eye about what the future holds? If you’ll agree with me, your response to these questions will definitely mean different things to you.
If I may ask, what does the future mean to you? Depending on how you see the future, one certain thing is certain; you can create the future you want to see. During the course of this article, we shall be discussing the future from a transformational mindset approach. According to Abraham Lincoln, “the best way to predict the future is to create it”. Abraham Lincoln was literally saying that the way you make your bed is the exact way you’ll lie on it. Alternatively, you can say, your life is “technically” in your hands.
Ben Carson advised us in his book “Think Big” to always see the big picture about life as opposed to thinking like a mediocre. The journey of succeeding has many roads. During the course of the journey, you’ll experience many roadblocks, bumps, green light and red light. Despite all these challenges, one thing is almost certain, you’ll get to your destination if you play by the rules and do what you are supposed to do in addition to having your creator’s presence.
I used this illustration to show how challenging life can be as an individual, corporate organization, or even public sector entity desirous of bringing change to the sector.
It is generally expected that you will face challenges as an entrepreneur or business person trying to introduce or market your product. It is generally expected that as a single male/female believing your creator for the right partner, you will feel a certain way, especially when you feel you are mature for marriage; it is expected of a student to feel disappointed after investing time and resources to prepare for an examination, but fail. It is also expected for a Job seeker to feel frustrated when he receives rejection letters from prospective employers. The list can be literally endless.
If I may ask again, what’s the big picture you see ahead despite the circumstance you are currently facing? Do you see light at the end of the tunnel? If you’re determined to succeed in life, you must see the big picture. Your present situation does not determine how your life will end, regardless. It is normal to feel bad. It is okay to cry. It is okay to feel disappointed. It is okay to be vulnerable. It is normal to fail, but one thing that is not normal is for one to live in regret. Be rest assured that everything happens for a reason. Wisdom makes us understand that your eyes and feet are forward looking for a reason. Does that tell you something? Whatever has happened to you is an experience, don’t allow it to define you. Move on! They are all part of the learning curve. Remember, if you don’t have experience, it will be hard to tell your story. People resonate more with stories than action.
As a mentee, you may have reached out to mentors, potential investors, friends or even family members to support your business, but all effort seems to be hitting the rock, please hang in there. Don’t feel too dejected to the point of giving up when people reject your product or fail to support you; please don’t take it personal, or ever think that humanity is not helpful or kind. Remember, nobody owes you anything. Everyone has his/her own issues. For instance, someone might not feel attracted to your product, or might not be in the right position to support you, it can even be that he/she has another cause he’s passionate about. It is also possible that corporate originations might have exhausted their corporate social responsibility incentives by the time you reach out to them.
Great minds like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Tony Elumelu, Femi Otedola, Dr. Dele Momodu, Dr. Mike Adenuga, Nelson Mandela, Henry Ukazu among others are always concerned about the big picture. They have been able to rise from ground zero to shape the world with their products and thought-provoking ideas.
It is important to note that great minds have eagle eyes and are capable of rising above others and elevating their game. Seeing the big picture entails preparing for the big future you desire. Isn’t is true that words not backed by action are dead. As you may know, nothing good comes easy, you must be prepared to meet unforeseen challenges and be prepared to fight for the cause you truly believe in, and believe the universe will find favour in it and complement your work.
Your desire for success should always outweigh your fear for failure. Today, I charge you to think big, don’t settle for less, aim for nothing but the best in all you do and if you get the second best manage it but don’t aim for whatever is available. Raise your benchmark high like a lady with high moral standards, strong enough to attract a marriage partner.
What’s the big picture you are dreaming about, and hoping to achieve and what are you putting in place to bring it to reality?
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 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
