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Food for Living: Success and the Laws of Karma
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Success is something everyone of us aspire to achieve. While some of us will achieve success, some others will only attempt. There are variable factors which lead to success and there are variable factors which contribute to failure. If you do all you are supposed to do, you are likely to attain success, and if you don’t get it, that’s simply because it’s not yet time for you to get the desired success. You will get what you deserve only when you have earned the capacity to receive it. For instance, as a man, to get married, you must be of full age and capacity. However, you might have these two qualities, but ladies might still reject you for reasons best known to them.
It is instructive to note that if you prepare for your exam or any work, you’ll reap success, if you sow gratitude, you will reap appreciation. You can’t sow hatred on earth and expect to reap love. You can’t sow rice and reap beans. It’s simply against the law of nature.
Success neither depends on karma or luck. It is completely based on how you define it. Just like there are positives and negatives that associate any law that comes into existence, success also has its own advantages and disadvantages. For instance, when you attain a particular height in life, you have more expectations and responsibilities. It is not just about coming first in class, nor becoming rich, you are expected to maintain it, otherwise it will creep away.
The Karma of success works in different ways. It can prevent you from disaster when the force of the universe is working in your favour as a result of good deeds. For instance, if you are supposed to travel or win an election and God knows that if you travel by flight or road, your plane or car might crash, He will command the force of the universe to prevent you from making that trip. Do you know that sometimes God prevents you from attaining success because destruction might be waiting for you at the seat of success?
To succeed in life, you must know how to attract success like a magnet, and this entails laying a solid foundation. It is important to note that, “any seed you sow, you must reap it”. You can’t sow a bad seat and expect to reap a good seed, neither can you sow a good seed and reap a bad seed. However, there are situations when you sow a good seed and you reap a bad harvest, if that happens, just know that life happens to everyone. The good news is that the universe has a way of compensating you in ways and manners you won’t comprehend. The universe can pay you back via your child, family member, relative, unmerited opportunity, grace or even favour. All these might take years to happen, but when it does happen, you might not know it’s the good you sowed many years ago.
Let me share a practical experience with you. Many years ago, while in college, I once requested money from my late dad and he said, if he gives me money, I will use it for politics. I told him, if I take an extra penny from him, my child or children will take double from me even though I’m the richest man in the world, but if I save a penny for him, my child or children will save two pennies for me even though I’m the poorest man in the world. Do you see how good deeds can come back to you in the nearest future through your children because you have paid it forward? That’s simply how the Karma of success works.
Sometimes in life, you might do all you are expected to do, and don’t get the desired result. The question you should be asking yourself is, what seeds are you sowing? If you are determined to succeed in life, you must be extremely careful and intentional in how you approach the process. For instance, if you are seeking promotion in any company, you must be careful not to play odd cards to get the position. This is because when you destroy someone to get to a position, destruction surely awaits when you get to that position. When you pull people down to get an opportunity, be assured there are people waiting to pull you down when you get that opportunity. That’s simply how life and nature work.
To understand how the law of Karma works, any young lady who desires for her mother in- law to pass away before she marries her son should know that such fate awaits when her son wants to get married. It’s very sad and unfortunate to know that some women want to marry a man whose mother is dead. Again, it simply means that you’ll die before your son marries.
Many people who succeeded in life did not succeed on their own accord, strength, knowledge or connection. Sometimes their success is a result of the good deeds they have done for family, friends, or strangers for many years and that person either prayed for them or wished them well. Alternatively, it can be the law of nature or the universe working on that person for their past deeds and that person might not know. To understand how this works, have you noticed that, sometimes when you apply for a job, you might not have the best performance during the interview or even have the best grade, but for reasons beyond your comprehension, you were favored. That’s how the positive act of Karma works.
In conclusion, just like Isaac Newton stated, “whatever goes up must come down”. That’s Karma’s way of paying everyone of us back in due time for any deeds we commit. So, I charge you to sow good seeds as you journey through life because you don’t know the seeds that will germinate and sprout out into a mighty tree.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer. 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
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Secrets are exclusive preserves of certain individuals or institutions. They are one’s advantage over others, in the sense of ‘there’s something I know, which no one else knows. No one can ever claim that they don’t have a secret, either in the good or bad light.
Secrets therefore, exist in the family circle, business terrain, academic environment, career/professional pursuit, health management, spiritual connectivity and even in everyday personal living. It is an undeniable fact that everyone has a secret that works for them.
Let’s take a minute to discuss some of the aforementioned secrets.
Family
Every family has a secret. It will be foolhardy for anyone to disclose family secrets. Most families die with their secrets. To understand how family secrets work, imagine the Coca-Cola company. The family is said to be the only one in the world that has the formula for the beverage; a trade secret that originated with its creator, John Pemberton.
It is said that not even all family members enter the room where Coca-Cola is mixed or manufactured for fear of the secret being divulged. Imagine where spouses have access to the room and the marriage goes south, there’s a tendency that a spiteful divorced partner might leak the secret and the rest as they say is history.
There are many secrets that bind many families which only the immediate family members know. In some cases, only the parents or grandparents know. They can decide to share the secret to either the first male child, first female child or even a member of the family that one considers rational. For instance, imagine where a family is faced with a peculiar life threatening illness which ordinarily might scare anyone who wants to get married into that family, it will be stupid for anyone to spit it out, that act alone can make the intending spouse to reconsider his/her plan to marry from the family.
Business
Every business has a trade secret. Trade secrets are what makes a business unique. Every business has a unique selling point. (USP), which is a distinct benefit that sets the business or product apart from its competitors. A shrewd businessman will never leak his secret to his employees or competitors. The best his employees will know are the values, the operational systems or structures of the business and how his mindset works. But what makes the business stand out is the mystery that one will need to unravel.
Academic
Every student has a distinct trait that makes him/her succeed academically. This unique trait makes the student exceptional. For any student to succeed in their academics, he must know himself and what works for him. While some might study at night, some might study during the day, others might just listen during the lecture and understand the key points.
It’s sad to see students, who haven’t discovered who they are and what works for them following students who have discovered who they are. For example, while some students have good listening and understanding ability, and can listen to lectures and read a little and pass their examinations, some other students will have to read the course material before the lecture, listen during the lecture, read after the lecture and read thoroughly for examination before they can get a decent grade.
In some cases, they might not get the desired grade. Some students will even party hard during the day and at night they study, while some will party at night and study during the day. So, you can see that while some students have discovered themselves and what works for them, some others follow them sheepishly. Moral: Know what works for you and do what works for you because according to Oscar Wilde, “be yourself because others are taken”.
Career/Profession
Every career professional has a secret that works for them. In the same way, every industry knows what makes it stands out. The secret of what makes someone in the entertainment industry successful is quite different from what makes someone in politics or law enforcement, energy, education, legal, or health sector different. They all have different strokes, and the ability of one to do the needful in addition to playing the associated game can be the game changer.
Health
Health is a personal thing. Nobody knows you more than you know yourself. To show you how secretive and important one’s health is, it’s been said that there are three kinds of life: Public life, private life and secret life.
Your public life is the life that is generally known by everyone. It is the character we exhibit in the public space. It can also be regarded as the image perception lifestyle; we don’t generally go around revealing our health status in the public domain except where necessary. The private lifestyle; this is the kind of life only our family and close friends know.
Again, we don’t disclose such pertinent information to them only where and when necessary, then we have the secret lifestyle which only us and our creator knows. In some cases, we go to the graveyard with this. Do you see why health is a personal issue which needs to be kept in a secret place?
Personal
As mentioned earlier, everyone is unique. One of the best things that can happen to anyone is knowing themselves, and knowing what makes them different. I strongly believe we all have seeds of greatness in us. What works for Mr. A might not work for Mr. B. Like I always say, you can copy my style, but you can’t be me because imitation is a limitation.
For instance, I have unique energy and inspiration when it comes to writing. I have developed a keen interest and passion for writing. If tomorrow I become very successful or attract a unique opportunity, and someone decides to try writing to attract similar opportunities, the person might fail because God is the one that decides what opportunities come to anyone nor matter how hard someone may work.
Spiritual
This is another interesting aspect of life. Life is indeed spiritual. There’s nothing that happens physically without taking place spiritually. Everyone has a covenant point that was assigned to them at birth. Once that covenant point is touched that fellow might lose their blessings, anointing or what makes them strong.
There have been many testimonies about this. For instance, in the Bible, Samson’s touching point was his hair. He knows his power lies in his hair, that’s why Delilah tried so many times to know the secret of his strength, but Samson refused to tell her. She tried to make him drunk, but Samson still has the power. Samson repeatedly lied to Delilah about the secret of his strength, first saying it was new bowstrings, then new ropes, and finally by weaving his hair into a loom. Each time, he easily broke free, but Delilah continued to pressure him.
Weary from her constant questioning, Samson finally confessed that his strength was tied to his hair, which had never been cut because he was a Nazirite from birth. Delilah then called for a man to shave Samson’s seven locks of hair while he slept in her lap. His secret was revealed. His hair was cut. He strength was gone.
Do you see that Samson’s secret place was his hair?
In conclusion, depending on what we are working on, we all have our secret strength and place. The onus is on us to cultivate and dwell on this secret place to avoid losing power and focus.
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
Amid growing insecurity in different parts of the country, Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has urged residents to defend themselves against persistent bandit attacks.
He insisted that his administration would neither negotiate with nor pay ransom to criminals under any circumstances.
Bago made the declaration during a visit to the Rijau and Magama local government areas, where several communities were recently attacked by bandits operating from the Kontagora axis.
The governor said the State has reached a critical stage that demands collective action, warning that ransom payments would only embolden the criminals and turn kidnapping into a profitable venture.
“I will not negotiate with bandits. I will not pay ransom.
“The moment we start paying, they will open shop on our heads and continue kidnapping people,” he said.
“The situation has reached a state of war that requires collective resistance. We are surrounded by enemies, but we will not give up.
“The constitution gives us the right to defend our lives and property, and we will do just that,” the governor added.
Describing the recurring attacks and displacement of residents as “embarrassing and unacceptable,” Bago announced plans to recruit and train 10,000 personnel into the state’s joint task force to strengthen community security and restore peace.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Print Media, Aisha Wakaso, the governor also announced a total ban on all mining activities across Zone C of the state.
The affected local government areas include Magama, Kontagora, Rijau, Wushishi, Mariga, Borgu, Mashegu, and Agwara.
Bago explained that illegal mining had become a major driver of insecurity in the zone, noting that many miners had unrestricted access to forest areas considered unsafe for residents.
“It is suspicious that miners can enter the forests freely, yet the bandits don’t touch them. I have ordered the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to arrest anyone caught engaging in mining activities,” he said.
Governor Bago also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ending the cycle of violence and restoring lasting peace throughout the state.
The Nigeria Police have reportedly arrested human rights activist Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore was taken into custody at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
This was revealed in a post on X by human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who accused the police and President Bola Tinubu’s administration of undermining Nigeria’s judicial system.
He wrote: “The arrest of Omoyele Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja moments ago is preposterous.
“The police and the Tinubu regime are making a mockery of our judicial system.He should be freed immediately. Stop the shenanigans.”
Sowore had earlier posted on Facebook that he was with Kanu Agabi, the lead lawyer for Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court.
According to him, Agabi disclosed that his team would be withdrawing from the case, leaving Kanu to continue his trial without representation.
