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Food for Living: The Blessings of by Hope
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It is instructive to note that nobody has ever succeeded on their own without the support and blessings of others. This is because nobody succeeds in life without blessings.
Blessings come in different kinds, styles, and dimensions. Your parents can bless you; your mentors can bless you, and these mentor-blessings can operate in various forms. It can be political, business, professional or even academic. Your spiritual director can bless you; your creator can bless you; you can even bless yourself. Above all, apart from God, the highest and best blessings anyone can have is personal blessings, and this is the blessings one attract to himself based on the work the person has done.
Everyone needs blessings to succeed. Nobody succeeds on their own accord. That’s why it’s imperatively advisable for one to be as calm as a dove, and as wise as a serpent to decipher when their blessings are around. Your blessings can come from anyone and from unexpected sources.
Some people have however, missed it due to pride, ego, what people will say, ignorance or lack of understanding of the principle of life. Blessings bring hope and succor because when one understands he or she is blessed or has been blessed, there’s this level of joy, happiness, satisfaction, and fulfilment one will have because of the blessings of hope that have been accrued and waiting to manifest.
What is hope? Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. When you have hope, you will be relatively at ease. According to a Nigerian adage, a hunger that has hope can never kill anyone. This is because when you know you have food at home, you won’t cry too much. It’s just like when you are poor and you don’t have anyone you can borrow from, the feeling can be disastrous.
Hope is a success ingredient each one of us needs to prosper. Whenever you have hope, fear, despair, tension, and desperate feelings will appear alien to you. One may be wondering, what are the blessings of hope? The blessing of hope brings patience, love, understanding, wisdom, and maturity. How do the blessings of hope work?
As a student, if you are diligent with your studies, you’ll reap the fruits of your labor. As an entrepreneur, if you are diligent in your business and do what you are supposed to do, you’ll reap the fruit of your labor. As a parent, if you train your children well, you’ll reap the fruit of your labor. The question we need to ask ourselves is, are we doing what we are supposed to do to receive the blessings of hope? I say this because you can’t build something on nothing. You can’t wish for an opportunity without reaching out.
It’s instructive to note that life operates with principles. In the same manner, the blessings of hope work with principles. When you do the needful, the principles of life work for you. To show how this principle works. Can you receive it with a clenched hand? The giver’s hand is always on top. Can you sow rice and reap beans? The more strategic risk you take, the more you open yourself to opportunities. The list can go on and on.
As human beings, it’s normal for one to be desperate when one is searching for a job, life partner, money, opportunities etc. This feeling can make you do unholy things or exhibit characters unbecoming of a rational being. But when you know who you are, the understanding will be different.
Whenever you are desperate for anything, you will settle for less than you deserve. Desperate attitudes can detach you from opportunities because the universe doesn’t respond to rush, rather, it responds to calmness. That’s why it’s not advisable to show how desperate you are, especially when you need something.
When people see how desperate you are, they can use it as bait against you. This is because you will get what you desire and deserve when you have earned the capacity to receive it. Therefore, before you can understand how hope works, you must practice self-discovery. So, whenever you need anything, it’s imperatively important you plan for the best and expect the worst.
Even though some schools of thought believe that it’s always good to think positive, and as such they don’t think negative, yes, I concur to that line of thought, however, I also believe, it’s always good to plan for the best and expect the worst to the extent your plan doesn’t work. This, to me, is a healthy way of living.
Several factors can lead to hopelessness. Whenever you are not prepared, you will have little hope for opportunities, when you are properly trained, educated, informed etc., you will have little hope. But if the reverse is the case, you will get the blessings of hope.
As Christians, many people don’t experience God until they go through the experience of despondency, despair, and abject emptiness. They only rush to God and their creator when they need help or opportunities. The same feeling is applicable to students, mentees, entrepreneurs etc. These latter set of individuals don’t take time to understand the basics of life and the principles of life.
In conclusion, to receive the blessings of hope, you need to practice detachment, only then will you see how the universe will resonate towards you.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer Design Your Destiny and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Telecommunications giant, Globacom, has charged Christians to embrace the virtues that Christ preached as the 2025 Easter celebrations hold this weekend.
While congratulating Christians in Nigeria in a goodwill message released from its Lagos Head Office on Thursday, Globacom admonished them to imbibe the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
According to Glo, “Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”
Globacom charged all Nigerians to espouse the lessons of selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society and called on all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
The company praised their perseverance through the 40-day Lenten period which comes before Easter as it emphasized the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
Easter comes yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of unhindered voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
Dear Destiny Friends,
Every human being loves to get approval, either for the great work they have done or the ones they are doing. They love to be appreciated and admired. They also love to be given attention when they have something valuable to say or do. In all of these, one thing is certain, there is something special about us, and this special thing makes one unique, and ultimately attracts people to us.
Let’s face it, nobody will admire you, appreciate you, approve you and give you attention if you don’t have anything to offer. The reason most people associate with someone is because they feel or know there’s something they can gain from the person. It’s hard for someone to relate closely with someone who they don’t see potential value in.
There is no doubt each and everyone of us is unique, yes, there’s something unique about you. You can sing, you can write, you can dance, you can lead, you can serve, you can cook, etc. One can even be a good actor, athlete, comedian, or preacher. The list is literally endless. Now, what’s unique about you?
When you discover what’s unique about you, please do all within your reach to nurture and develop it. One day, the right person, who truly appreciates and knows your value will celebrate you.
I have a friend who is exceptionally skilled in writing and developing creative contents. I call him a genius because he can literally write a book within a week. How he does it is what I don’t understand. I was surprised when he once told me he wrote a book and manuscript in one week. According to him, he has been developing the contents mentally, but hasn’t found time to put his thoughts together, and when he finally gets his thoughts together, he was able to write the book and manuscript. This is a typical way of knowing a unique being.
Many, however, do not know what’s unique about them. We focus our energy chasing what is not chasing us instead of focusing on developing what we already have. It’s sad to see young and old people living their lives in an unintentional manner with a belief that somehow lines, favour or opportunities will fall in place for them.
Sometimes, we rely on other people’s affirmation and opinion, and accept it as our fate. For instance, just because one is tall, he might be told he will be a great fit for basketball without considering if the athlete loves basketball; again, just because someone is very intelligent, his parents will encourage him to major in a particular discipline, which is perceived as lucrative without considering if the person likes it pr not.
I once experienced this fate when my late dad inspired me to study taxation law in New York Law School, a major I detest with passion. It was like a suicidal mission for me because I do know, it will take miracle to graduate from the program. How I was able to get a scholarship for my grades and graduate in record time is a story for another day. I’m not wired as a finance person, I will better serve humanity in the social and developmental space where my skills, talents, gift and passion will be better utilized. And ever since I joined the space, I have seen results.
There are many cases where many people lose their identities without knowing they are unique. We are all unique in our individual ways. Just like there are several gifts and talents, we have different skills. When you know what’s unique about you, you will stand out and the world will not only appreciate you, but will celebrate you.
When one discovers the power of their uniqueness, we will gather strength to unleash it to the world. Uniqueness works in several ways. For instance, the mere fact that ten people are genius, talented, skillful or valuable in a particular work, the person with the unique gift is the person who will not only stand out, but will be called upon to do the work.
Let me share more insight. If ten people sing a particular song with a great voice, the person who is called to be a singer will receive a unique appreciation because he/she is working on purpose. That is why it is easy to see a lot of people venturing into a particular form of business, but the favour of the business will not locate them because they are not uniquely destined to do business.
Few years ago, one of my mentors shared a deep insight with me. He said that, as a trained medical doctor, he once observed that despite the fact there are hundreds and thousands of medical doctors practicing their profession. One fateful day, he noticed a particular patient was not responding to treatment despite all the medication that had been given to him by a nurse, his health was deteriorating, then another nurse came and administered the same pill a nurse gave the patient, and the patient began to feel better. What does that tell you? The second nurse was probably working in her purpose which aligns with her profession, and as such the corresponding success. This goes to show that when one is unique, it has a way of robbing off on their work.
Furthermore, he stated that Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, and Beyonce are some of the gifted singers and dancers the world has ever celebrated. He went on to say that we have hundreds and thousands of musicians, but only a few have got the spotlight.
What does that tell you? When you are unique, the world will celebrate you. I have understood that the fastest way to get recognition in life is to work in areas where one’s strength and unique gift will better serve the purpose. This is simply because the world does not celebrate one’s weakness, rather, the world celebrates one’s strength.
In recent times, I have seen myself as a counselor and human inspiration. My counseling skills have enabled me to influence people to live positive lives. Overtime, I have realized that when people share their burden with me, they feel relieved after speaking with me. What amazes me most is the fact that even my elders feel comfortable to relate with me on a cordial basis. Maybe, I have a unique gift for counseling and educating.
Today, I am going to charge you to focus your energy and time on whatever will bring you the highest satisfaction. Even if you are looking for a job, applying for school, or seeking any opportunity, your focus should be centered on what you have that the job, school or opportunity will amplify. When you do so, you will be in high demand.
In conclusion, please affirm to yourself today, I am a unique being with a unique personality, purpose and gift.
Say to yourself, ‘I am original’, and refuse to be fake.
Again confess that your originality, authenticity and uniqueness will attract favours, blessings, opportunities from leaders and queens to you, and you will be celebrated.
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
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has emerged as the Best Road Safety Agency in Africa. This monumental achievement corroborates the Corps’ almost four decades of dedication, resilience and passion towards safeguarding lives on Nigerian roads.
The Corps, according to a statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), received the award at the 3rd edition of the Kofi Annan Road Safety Award held in Elzuwini in the Kingdom of Eswatini, South Africa between 14th and 15th of April 2025.
You may recall that Kofi Annan Road Safety Award was initiated by the Office of the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Road Safety in collaboration with Kofi Annan Foundation to immortalize the contributions of African illustrious son Kofi Annan who served as the Secretary General of the United Nations.
The prestigious Road Safety Management Award represents a badge of honour for Nigeria, and a pure testament of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to unflinching support for the Federal Road Safety Corps and his believe in the Corps’ potential to serve as a model for other African nations. Indeed, FRSC’s tireless efforts to reduce road crashes and promote safe driving practices have paid off, earning recognition across the continent.
The recognition further speaks volume, as well as justifies the giant strides Nigeria has made in ensuring safety of road users and her leadership role in the Sub-region.
Reacting to the recognition, the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed said that it is a testament to FRSC’s unrelenting passion for road safety. He thanked the entire community of the motoring public, stakeholders, partners, and the Nigerian people for their support. Emphasising that together, the Corps was able to achieve the enviable feat because of the collective energy and all round support received from the motoring public.
The Corps Marshal also revealed that FRSC’s winning formula includes, innovative strategies, implementing cutting-edge road safety initiatives that drive results, collaboration, fostering partnerships with stakeholders to promote road safety awareness, community engagement, educating the public on safe driving practices, full deployment of technology and road safety protocols.
The award was received on behalf of the Corps and the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the Principal Staff Officer to the Corps Marshal ACM Meshach Adigizi Jatau.
