News
Food for Living: The Change You Need to Grow
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.- Mahatma Gandhi
Change is truly necessary for our growth. Without change, it will be difficult for one to grow.
It is often said that the only permanent thing in life is change. Change involves a transformation. Change occurs in every aspect of our life. From birth, a new baby begins to change his/her skin, the food they eat, how they crawl, walk and run. This sequence tells you a baby grows into a toddler, pre-teen, teen and adult. The importance of change cannot be over-emphasized; you graduate from kindergarten to nursery school, middle school, High school, Secondary school, College, Masters, Ph.D., and Professorial. These are all stages of growth.
As progressive beings, we all need change to grow because one can’t be doing the same thing repeatedly and expect to see change. That’s practically impossible.
Change means several things to several people. A businessman has a different perception and understanding of change; a student has a different meaning, a politician understands it differently, a motivational speaker interprets it differently, a Priest/Pastor has a different interpretation, and so does every walk of life. The only connecting factor is the fact they are all trying to achieve something. Change means different things to them.
To truly make progress, change must occur in three areas of your life, and they are the principles you keep, the places you go, and the people you meet. These three areas play a huge role in transforming your life. When you adopt the right principles, you send a message to the world on what is acceptable and what is not. You also attract the right people who believe in your message.
When you are at the right places, and at the right time, you are bound to receive insights and great experiences, and when you meet the right people you are likely to get the right information and knowledge that can change your life.
In whatever you do in life, you must constantly evaluate it by way of meditation to determine if you are getting the right message. For instance, as a leader, it is imperative you must make laws, policies, regulations, and decisions that will stand the test of time. Great leaders create and determine change, they don’t wait for change to happen.
It is instructive to note that you must work for anything you want in life. Nobody will give you anything of value on a platter of gold. You must earn it.
According to Mahatma Gandhi, you must be the change you wish to see in the world. When you decide to grow, you must take the bold steps to do the needful.
Let me share a personal experience; when I published my first book, a lot of doors and opportunities opened globally. I didn’t really know what it means to be a published author until I became one. I was profiled in the news and received many invitations and interviews nationally and internationally all because of my book.
When you decide to change, you are setting up yourself for growth. Whilst a change can happen overnight, growth always takes time. So, when you decide to change, you have to give yourself time to adjust. While changes can come from the outside, growth always comes from within you. It is important to note that since it’s your decision to change, it’s correspondingly necessary to grow and that growth must come from you because it involves internal motivation which others can’t see but feel.
The underlying question you need to ask yourself is, do you need change or growth in your life. To understand the difference, you need change when you graduate from college and you get a job you are not passionate about and your mental health is been affected, but you need growth when you are you are no longer comfortable with the status quo, e.g. your current job responsibilities are now boring and no longer challenging. While the two are important, change changes the status quo while growth elevates change.
According to a philosopher, here are six specific ways change and growth are different:
1. Change can be instant — growth is slow
2. Change can be imposed from the outside — growth is internal
3. Change can be a one-off event — growth is an incremental process
4. Change can be made by a single decision — growth requires consistent motivation and learning
5. Change can be negative or positive – growth is always positive
6. Change can be the beginning of growth — growth always starts with a decision for change
Do you want to see changes in your finance? If yes, you need change.
According to former President of South Africa, late Nelson Mandela, education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
With the right education in place, you can do wonders. It is instructive to note that you can’t change the past, it’s now history, you can’t stop the future from happening, but you can influence it.
Below are some benefits of change. Change pushes you to become a better person. Whether you decide to transform or evolve both in your personal and professional life, you are bound to experience the following positive vibes.
Value
If you want to know the importance of change, try and make an impact in your life. For instance, as a student, when you make good grades, you might be in the spotlight and that alone can change you. As an entrepreneur, develop a product, as a writer publish a book, as a politician win an election, and as Minster of God, heal a sick person. Additionally, as a President make an Executive Law. You will discover that you are bound to be celebrated because of the value you bring to the table.
Awareness
Change creates awareness. It helps you to learn, relearn and unlearn. Change helps you to become more self-aware.
New Opportunities in a new environment.
When you are in a new environment, change is bound to occur. Change pushes you to become a more evolved person. You will learn how to adapt to new circumstances, You will learn a new language, culture or lifestyle in general.
Change itself has its pros and cons. It is quite unfortunate many people are afraid of change. They prefer the status quo either because they are uncertain of what tomorrow will bring for them or they imagine the backlash that will come if the change doesn’t go as planned.
In conclusion, what are the big changes you’ve made in the past that have influenced your growth, if none, what are the changes you need to adapt to change your fortune?
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
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.
The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.
The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There is no gainsaying the fact that everyone desirous of making impact in life must live a life of purpose. This is where knowledge and information come to play. It is these knowledge and information that will set an individual apart from his contemporaries.
I strongly believe, if one is not informed, they are ill-informed, and when they are ill-informed, they can’t perform well in any given endeavour. This is because information leads to reformation and transformation. We can therefore, confidently say that information leads to formation because everyone is a product of what they know.
Knowledge acquisition is one of the best things that can happen to anyone. People with knowledge are revered, and highly respected. Having knowledge is like having money. People from all walks of life will seek you.
There are different kinds of knowledge, and they include Revealed Knowledge, which comes from those who wrote the Bible and Intuitive Knowledge, which comes from the mind. It is the ability to gain knowledge without conscious reason or explanation.
Others are Empirical Knowledge, which is information gained through observation, experimentation, and direct experience, rather than through theoretical reason or intuition; Authoritative Knowledge, which is the knowledge a man has because of his expertise in a particular field; and finally but not the least, Rational Knowledge, which is a form of knowledge that uses reasoning and philosophy to understand the world.
From this illustration, a decisive mind can see that knowledge is priceless. Knowledge is like education. It can provide security and access. Even the Book of life says in Proverbs 4:13, “your education is your life, guard it very well”; and in Hosea 4:6 that “my people perish for lack of knowledge”.
From my personal experience in life, apart from death, one of the greatest levelers of all time is education. This is because the child of a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow if properly educated. That explains why children from humble backgrounds ought to take their education very seriously, especially if they don’t have affluence.
On a personal note, I come from a very humble background, my late parents didn’t have the opportunity of acquiring a decent education, but they knew the value of education and endeavored to give me and my siblings a decent education. In retrospect, when I look back and see some of my contemporaries whose parents couldn’t give them a decent education, I bless my late parents because education has exposed me to lots of opportunities in the United States, and the global world in addition to granting me an audience with the high and mighty in society.
Sometimes, when I look at my modest achievement, I’m deeply humbled because I know it is the grace of God. Who am I to author two amazing trailblazers’ books, get featured and profiled by the New York Times, engage in high level conversation with leaders of thought and captains of industries. Apart from the grace of God, intentional seeking of knowledge, and wise counsel from mentors and strategically positioning myself have been some of the cornerstone to my success.
Imagine if my late parents didn’t give me a decent education and opportunity of travelling to the United States, most of these opportunities and exposure wouldn’t have been readily available.
When one is decently enlightened, educated and informed about life, their level of reasoning and understanding differ from an ordinary man. If one desires to go far in life, one must seek knowledge.
It is your knowledge that sets you apart from others.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished Ghostwriter, “If you are a man of great knowledge, people will have great respect for you. If you are a man of great wisdom, people will have great reverence for you. And if you are a man of both, great knowledge and great wisdom, you will be the most eminent of men. But in real terms, people don’t care how much you know, or how much wisdom you have, unless they know how much you care.”
The moral of this quote is that despite the knowledge and information at one’s disposal, if one lacks empathy, their knowledge, experience and whatever they have mean nothing.
The importance of knowledge cannot be overemphasized. In our contemporary society, a fast way of attracting opportunities is by showcasing the knowledge at one’s disposal. It is so sad that many people don’t take time to read, research and learn new trends applicable in their industry, and in the world generally and as such, they find it difficult to fit in and grow.
It is instructive to note that when you seek knowledge, opportunities will seek for you. A major reason people are poor is simply because they are not solving problems and to solve problems, one ought to have understanding. Do you know that if you don’t have money, the reason is often because you are not solving a problem, or you are not solving enough problems, or you are not solving the right problem or you are not solving problems for the right people. Generally, we make money because we have something unique to offer to the world. Therefore, to solve problems, one must have knowledge and information.
We currently live in an age of technological, where skills, talent and creativity are in high demand. Any progressive being that desires to go far must be intentional in seeking knowledge. Successful acquisition of knowledge, information and understanding can lead to discernment and wisdom.
In conclusion, as you journey towards life, if you want to make an impact, seek opportunities, and earn more money, do yourself a favour by endeavoring to seek knowledge, wisdom, and information. You can’t get these by sitting on your sofa or staying in your comfort zone.
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
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced this in a statement, on Thursday.
A former aide of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Bwala worked actively for his former principal who lost to Tinubu.
However, after the elections, he worked his way into the camp of Tinubu, sparking controversy.
Onanuga also announced the appointments of three directors-general of various agencies.
They are:
(1) Mr. Olawale Olopade — Director-General, National Sports Commission
(2) Dr. Abisoye Fagade — Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism
(3) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun — Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement
Olopade, the new Director-General of the National Sports Commission, is a sports administrator with many years of experience in the sector.
He served as commissioner of youth and sports in Ogun state and was chairman of the local organising committee of the 2024 National Sports Festival.
The new Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Abisoye Fagade is a marketing communication professional. He is the founder and managing director of Sodium Brand Solutions.
Adedokun, the new helmsman of the Bureau of Public Procurement, was the director of Research/Training and Strategic Planning at the bureau before his appointment.
Daily Trust
