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Food for Living: The Blessings of Success
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
Today, we shall be discussing the fundamentals and foundation of success, and we shall concentrate on our biological parents. It’s important to note that our parents have a role to play in our success, but it’s quite unfortunate to note that most people don’t really know this.
If you ask a thousand and one persons what the requirements and price of success are, trust me, you’ll get a thousand one different answers. Some of the likely answers you’ll get are hard work, failure, keeping late nights and waking up early, dedication, smart work, persistence, networking, reading and researching amongst other factors. Yes, these are among the hurdles one will have to go through just to attain success. On a personal note, I experienced all of them before I published my first trailblazing book, Design Your-Destiny-Actualizing Your Birthright to Success, but I won’t attribute the success of my book to my smart work, no; my creator and my parents contributed to the success.
This article is tailored to make you understand that success can have a supernatural force attached to it. Just like mentors assist in facilitating the success of a mentee by introducing them to his network, advising and giving them practical guidance which can’t be learnt in the four walls of the classroom, our parents also have a role to play in shaping not only our success, but our future.
It should be noted that one can be successful without being fulfilled. Success is not only limited to money as what some uninformed minds believe, rather it is relative because what is success for one might be not be a priority for another person. It is just like the saying; beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
If you truly want to be successful, you need to know your purpose, but more than that you need to know the originator of that purpose because success cannot appear from the moon, it has to be planned and programmed like a circuit. For instance, if you want to know how Facebook works, you’ll need to ask Mark Zuckerberg, if you want to know how Microsoft works, you’ll need to reach out to Bill Gate, if you want to know how Ford Motors work, ask Henry Ford. In the same manner, if you want to know how you function you have to ask your creator.
Let’s take the conversation a little bit further; you didn’t appear from nowhere; somebody gave birth to you. In fact, a “union” took place before you were formed. The interesting thing about your birth is that you have some traits from your biological parents when your mother gave birth to you. Not only did they have their genes in you, they nurtured and trained you to be a rational mind before you came of age and decided the route to explore.
What most people don’t understand is that their success in life has a supernatural force attached to it. Some people feel their smart and hard work, academic grades, degrees, network and mentors are responsible for their success in life. No doubt they have a role to play, but that can be likened to hard success. The world has experienced cases where many people became successful with little or no effort. Even when asked how they did it, they simply say, honestly, I can’t really say, I didn’t expect my tweet will go viral neither did I expect my book or movie will win an award. The story can be surreal, but the reality is, it happened beyond human imagination.
The interesting and ironic difference here is that while most people might be thinking their hard work can be their arsenal, some other informed minds will tap into the blessing of their parents to succeed, thereby making them work less, but achieve more.
You may be wondering how parents influence one’s success. If I may ask you, are you not aware your parent’s genes formed you? It is the sperm from your father which fertilized your mother’s egg that made it possible for you to come into existence. Therefore, your biological parents made you, and if that is the case, won’t it be wise to say that, without their nurturing and training, it will be hard to be a responsible being? What most people don’t know is that the blessings of their parents have a lot to do with their success apart from the training parents give to their children. Your parent’s blessings can be a sort of grace, favour, unmerited opportunities and mercy from humanity if you truly believe in them.
On a personal note, sometimes, when I look at the opportunities I have been exposed to, I ask myself how I came this far to merit them without much effort. I simply attribute the success to two factors: God and the blessings of my biological parents inclusive of my late grandmother. Their words, kind thoughts, prayers, affirmations are truly priceless. As a matter of advice, if you are wondering why the lines are not adding up for you, please consider speaking to your parents if you are not on the same page with them, and ask for their blessings, trust you’ll be surprised to see how your life and business will turn around. Moral: Your creator gave the foundational keys of your success to your parents.
As parents, we owe it to our children to continually bless them. This is because you have the key to their fortune. No one has greater impact in their lives than you do. Your children may hear different affirmations from friends, mentors and associates, but they always have a different feeling of fulfillment when they hear it from you. Let’s take a case study of young girls who didn’t experience their father’s love, they’ll have to go outside to hear it from several men to know they are beautiful and deeply appreciated. And sometimes, they might learn in a hard way.
Many people have low self-esteem for lack of approvals from their parents. This low self-esteem affects their productivity at work, relationship and life generally, especially when their parents speak negative words to them. As a parent, when you tell your children how special they are, it carries a new weight than what other people tell them. Most of us have seeds of greatness waiting to be tapped, but it will be unleashed and cultivated when you parents do the needful.
Just to let you know how special your parents are in your life, imagine the feeling your child will have when you cheer them up in a competition, it makes them give their best.
In conclusion, as a parent, today, I charge you to unleash the blessings and prayers for your children, your words have a healing and soothing touch of excellence in their lives. Your words can be so endearing and heart-warming. As children irrespective of your age, please tap into the fountain of wisdom which is in your biological parents’ possession. Remember the African adage, “What an old man sees sitting down, nor matter how tall a child is, he can’t see it.
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
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.
A Chief Magistrate in the Rivers State Judiciary, Mr. Ejike George, has resigned his appointment.
He hinged his decision on the unease over the appointment of a Sole Administrator to oversee the affairs of the State.
His resignation was contained in a letter dated April 11, 2025, and addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge of Rivers State through the Secretary of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission.
The letter was titled “Voluntary Retirement From Service.”
George, who disclosed that he had put in 16 years in the judiciary, said the appointment of a Sole Administrator is tantamount to a “quasi-military administration.”
He expressed dismay over the direction of the governance of the State, which he said is “alien” and “antithetical” to the values of the legal profession.
The statement read: “This present is intended to convey my decision to voluntarily retire my appointment as Magistrate of the Judiciary of Rivers State.
“This difficult and regrettable decision is informed largely by my discomfort with the recent appointment of a quasi-military administration to run the affairs of a modern state like ours.
“Milord will agree with me that this type of governance system is not only alien but also runs antithetical to our hallowed profession as legal practitioners and adjudicators.
“Having put in a whopping 16 (sixteen) out of my 22 (twenty-two) years of legal practice into this Judiciary as Magistrate under successive democratic administrations, I find it difficult to work with the current setting, as doing so would amount to a tacit and naive acquiescence.
“Thanks Milord, for the opportunity to serve.”
