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Food for Living: Take a Deep Breath

Published

5 years ago

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By Henry Ukazu

Dear Destiny Friends

One of the best things God has given us is the gift of breath. Imagine we are to buy breath, that would be tragic because many of us won’t be alive. Wealthy people would buy up the breath of poor people and store for generations unborn. It will be safe to say your breath is your life because, without it, you won’t be in existence. In my humble opinion, your breath is the most important part of your being. Just so you understand how important it is, a normal human being can hardly stay alive for more than three minutes without breathing. That’s why athletes are always asked to breathe in and out. This is because their coaches know the effects it has on their bodies. Deep breathing helps you to lower stress in your body because when you breathe deep, it sends a message to your brain to calm down, and ultimately makes you relax. Since the brain is regarded as the compass of the body, it sends messages to the other parts of the body for stability.

Disclosure

Be informed, I’m not a medical practitioner, neither am I a health practitioner of any kind. This article is not centered on health or exercise, but rather on the importance of taking life easy as opposed to being hard on yourself when things don’t add up for you.

It’s always painful to feel bad when you fail an examination, especially after spending countless hours reading and sacrificing other engagements just to prepare for the exam. It is also very painful when you spend hours learning a trade, investing in a business, and building a global brand only for it to crash for reasons you can’t understand. The most painful experience might be a man who has spent a fortune to train a lady in school and empowered her to be financially stable only for her to ditch him for a flimsy excuse at the slightest opportunity. Alternatively, as a lady who loved a man with everything in you, you stood by him and supported him wholeheartedly for him to get his act together, and only for him to ditch you for another guy at the slightest provocation. Such is life. There are many reasons to feel bad and used in this journey called life, but I have good news for you; just be glad it happened because you never can tell what would have happened in the nearest future if it didn’t happen. This is the more reason I always pray to fail fast.

You may be wondering what message I’m trying to send? Just hold on for a minute and you’ll understand. Have you ever wondered why you didn’t get a promotion, why you weren’t hired for a job, denied an opportunity of meeting a high-profile person who can change the course of your destiny, or even feel bad if life is not adding up for you? There may be a thousand and one reasons out there. But I have good news for you, take a deep breath.

Again, you may be wondering why I said, take a deep breath, the answer is not far-fetched. Most times as human beings, we don’t take time to take stock of our life and examine why lines are not adding up as expected. Sometimes, we feel the universe is against us. We think there are “physical & spiritual forces” working against our progress. All these thoughts can make us assume there’s a reason why the lines are not falling in place.

Again, take a deep breath.

According to Socrates, an “unexamined life is not worth living”. One of the worst things you can do as a human being is to assume. I have always admonished my friends, when in doubt do not act. That’s why it’s always good to ask questions for clarity.

Taking a deep breath in life allows you to think out of the box and re-strategize on why things are not adding up. Taking a breath allows you to create boundaries by accessing what’s working and what’s not working and what needs to be done. But the biggest gain in taking a breath is making you understand you have done a good job. Once you have done all you are supposed to do in life or any project and the lines don’t add up, please don’t be hard on yourself. There are many lessons for you to learn. Most times, we don’t look at the inherent lessons life is giving to us either because we are “physically or spiritually blind” or we don’t have a grateful heart.

Let’s take a case of a man/woman who wants to get married but it didn’t work out. It will surely be painful after investing time and resources to the person only for it to crash at the end. You may be wondering what happened, why the person acted in a particular way, why the family rejected you, or even why or how a particular incident happened which led to the separation. The funny thing is that you might be feeling the issue was because of you or maybe it wasn’t properly managed, or probably ego was at stake. There may be many reasons out there but again, I say, take a deep breath. Do you know that it’s better to appreciate what didn’t happen because it would have prevented you from what would have happened? That’s food for thought.

One of the best things that can happen to you in life is taking a breath. Many people underscore the importance of taking a deep breath in life. When you take a deep breath, it helps you appreciate yourself by patting yourself. Remember, nobody can console you more than yourself. Nobody can inspire you more than yourself, especially when your force is internal, and nobody can see, feel and experience what you are seeing, feeling, and experiencing more than you can do.

When you go through a tunnel of challenges, it is important to take a deep breath. When you do, you will realize that the feeling is different. In our contemporary society, we have seen numerous examples of people who are validating their life with social media while some people get depressed thinking they are not doing well for themselves or their life is messed up. My dear friend, please calm down, each and every one of us is battling with a secret frustration. Do you know that your life might be much better than that person you are admiring? Do you know if that person has peace of mind? Do you know if that person’s marriage is in shamble? Do you know if the person has an underlying ailment/disease? Do you know if the children are a bunch of disappointment? There are a litany of reasons out there. That’s why is it’s always good to take a deep breath because it’s not always green on the other side of the grass.

In conclusion, I don’t know what your situation is, but don’t allow your peace of mind to be threatened, don’t allow anyone to rent space in your head. You are doing well for yourself. Everyone is on a journey and our paths are different. It might take you 10 years, 20 years, or even 30 years to get to your destination, but the important thing is that you got to your desired destination. So, while you are on your journey take a deep breath along the way, appreciate those who have gone before you, and support those who are coming behind.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a  public speaker. 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

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Lagos Police Raid Dark Spots, Arrest 150 Crime Suspects, Recover Firearms, Illicit Drugs

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6 minutes ago

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July 7, 2026

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The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 150 suspected criminals and recovered 100 unregistered motorcycles, firearms, suspected stolen property and illicit drugs during a coordinated raid on criminal hideouts in the Igando area of the State.

The operation, conducted under the Command’s ongoing Operation KO S’AYE, took place at about 5:45am on Sunday at Boolar, Okofilling Bus Stop, Igando, and other identified black spots within the Area M, Idimu axis.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, the raid followed credible intelligence and involved a joint team of operatives drawn from different formations of the command.

He said the operation was aimed at flushing out hoodlums and other criminal elements allegedly terrorising the area.

Adebisi said a total of 150 suspects were arrested during the raid, while officers recovered 100 unregistered motorcycles, 54 mobile phones, one double-barrel gun, two single-barrel guns, one locally made double-barrel short gun, two military camouflage uniforms, assorted charms, six generators suspected to have been stolen, as well as substances suspected to be Indian hemp and other illicit drugs.

“All the suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations are ongoing to determine their individual culpability. Those found to have committed criminal offences will be charged to court accordingly,” he said.

The Commissioner of Police (CP), Lagos State Command, Tijani Fatai, commended the operatives for what he described as their professionalism and dedication during the operation.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to sustaining Operation KO S’AYE across the State to deny criminals safe havens and improve public safety.

“The operation will be sustained across the State to deny criminals any safe haven and ensure the safety and security of all residents,” the police commissioner said.

He also appealed to residents to continue providing timely and credible information to assist the police in identifying criminal hideouts, apprehending offenders and enhancing security across Lagos State.

The command urged members of the public to report emergencies and credible information through its designated emergency telephone lines.

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Metro

Okonjo-Iweala Rocks with Igbo Cultural Dances at WTO Open Day in Switzerland

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28 minutes ago

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July 7, 2026

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The masquerade stamped its feet to the escalating tempo of the drums, bringing the raw spirit of Southeastern Nigeria straight into the heart of global governance.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Okonjo-Iweala immediately caught the rhythm.

She matched the masquerade’s energy, rolling her shoulders and executing graceful, rhythmic steps that perfectly mirrored the cadence of the Ogene.

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Metro

The Inherent Power of Gift-Nurturing

Published

2 days ago

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July 5, 2026

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By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
The saying, the joy of life is not how happy you are, but how happy others can be because of you, is no fluke. The statement emphasizes the importance of building human relationships. Relationships are skills that need to be nurtured.
Building and maintaining relationships is a skill that everyone needs to learn. But importantly, one must be intentional in the kind of relationship they intend to build because failure to cross the t’s and dot the i’s can have devastating effects on a person.
As human beings, sometimes, we don’t know what we have until we lose them. It’s instructive to note that one of the major challenges Third World countries have is maintaining culture. These third world countries find it difficult to maintain their roads, schools, provide good health hospitals, or build infrastructural facilities for their citizens. Even as human beings, sometimes, we lack this mindset of not maintaining or developing what we have. This is because we might know how to sing, swim, dance, play soccer, write or even teach, but we don’t develop it.
It’s instructive to note that the world is usually attracted to strength and not weakness. Isn’t it true that nobody celebrates poverty, rather they eulogize successful and wealthy people. So, if you desire to be celebrated, endeavor to develop what’s inside of you.
Let me tell you, nobody can celebrate or talk about you if you don’t talk or celebrate yourself, and nobody can save you without you making an attempt to save yourself. According to a former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, “you can’t wake a man who is pretending to be asleep”. That’s a powerful statement insinuating the power of self-determination. When you develop what you have, the world will resonate with you. This is what I mean by the power of maintenance.
The question we need to ask ourselves is how do we maintain what we have? Well, maintaining what we have is not as hard as it may appear. All that is necessary for one to be intentional in developing and adding value to their life.
Everyone has a gift or talent, but the challenge we have is that we don’t take time to groom it. Beloved, if you don’t groom your gift, nobody will do it for you. If you don’t speak about yourself, nobody will speak about you. Sometimes, we want glory, but we are not willing to pay the price.
Furthermore, in every sphere of life, maintenance culture is very important. Failure to do so can make one spend more. Imagine having a car with a minor break, if the car is not properly fixed, it will affect other parts of the car. The same principle is applicable if one has a house which needs repairs. The principle of the broken window tells us when a window is damaged, it will be better to pull it out or fix it so we can focus on other things otherwise, it will affect other components in the house.
This principle is also applicable to business, politicians, academics, spirituality, health and family. As a matter of fact, it is applicable in every area of our life. According to Myles Munroe “whatever we don’t manage we lose”. So, imagine what will happen if we don’t develop our skills and talent. The grave is considered the richest soil on earth because of the millions and billions of talents that have been buried inside the soil.
As a budding entrepreneur, we have been told about the power of consistency. When one is consistent, the universe has a way of showcasing us to the world. Let me share a practical example of how consistency works. In 2018, I was given an opportunity to publish weekly articles by Chief Dele Momodu on this online newspaper. I took up the challenge and have been consistently publishing inspirational and creative articles that will assist entrepreneurs and progressive minds to unleash their potential.
Here is the catch, I have received numerous opportunities and recognition globally from resourceful organizations, in addition to meeting great leaders of thought who have developed interest in my work. It’s important to note that I wasn’t a great writer at the initial stage, but over time, I have honed my writing skills by interacting and reading from resourceful minds
For business owners, if you have a business, consider learning all necessary information including taking certification classes, training and networking with the right people to acquaint yourself to the extent an opportunity presents itself. Also, sometimes we wait for people or big organizations to give you big opportunities to showcase your work to the world, but we fail to understand that we have what it takes to attract global attention which will bring the big names and organizations we desire to come to us. But we are not willing to pay the price.
I can remembered when I started my business, I had no clarity of what I was doing, but because I was intentional to learn, I attended many online trainings and today I can boldly say that by the special grace of God, my organization have partnered with global organizations and United Nations Development Programme to train youths in Rwanda on Leadership. The moral of this message is that I maintained my line, I maintained my skill, talent, I developed myself, but more importantly I didn’t give up on what I have inside me. I may not know your experiences or situations or expectations, but if you can stay focused and do the needful, I have no doubt the world will celebrate you in due time.
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
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