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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
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There’s no doubt that human beings by nature are insatiable. When we get one opportunity, we always look for another. When we attain one height, we always look for another accomplishment. Isn’t it true that the end of one mountain is the beginning of another.
However, I don’t think it’s selfish for anyone to dare to succeed.
Being ambitious doesn’t make one an opportunist or disloyal. It all depends on one’s perception or outlook to life. It’s just natural for one to dream big. It’s only ugly when the process one chooses to achieve his desires becomes dirty and nasty.
According to a former Nigerian presidential candidate and seasoned Economist, Mr. Peter Obi, “if you must be referred to as “Your Excellency”, then the process through which you arrived in office must be excellent”.
If you desire to be reckoned with on the journey of existence, you must be legitimately hungry for success. One’s hunger for success will facilitate the drive to accomplish great tasks despite daunting obstacles posing as challenges.
When one has this mindset, one will not be bothered by the noise which serves as obstacles and challenges along the way. Negative and weak minds are always concerned on why something won’t work. They tend to focus their energy and reasons on the obstacles facing them. But great and productive minds always focus their energy on the reasons why it will work. This is the spirit of an insatiable mind who is a goal- getter.
It’s instructive to note that we can’t please everyone. According to Bill Cosby, a famous actor, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.” Isn’t it true that when you talk, people will still talk about you, when you don’t talk, people will talk about you, so whether you talk or not, people will still judge you, so, do what’s best for you. There’s nothing you can do to please human beings. Your best option is to live your best life.
To understand how the insatiable nature of man works, one must be oneself. You don’t have to “please” anyone. Be yourself, and don’t try to be like anyone just to curry favour. It’s important to note that when you are yourself, the people that matter will come through for you, and the people that don’t matter will gradually find the bearing in another space because those that truly care don’t bother and those that bother don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Life has truly taught me to focus on the important things of life as opposed to the mundane things. It’s truly sad to see people spending more time on the little things of life, and spending little time on the important things of life. That’s just a misplaced priority.
When you are yourself, the best people can do is to copy or imitate your style. They can never imitate your creativity nor can take your originality from you.
We live in a world or society where people don’t generally care or show empathy. Most people tend to live around themselves, their family, and close associates. They generally find it hard to lift a finger to assist others for reasons best known to them. Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka once said, “we live in a wicked generation”, re-echoing the voices of a lot of people of the world. Some people in authority just have criminal expertise in amassing wealth of opportunities meant for the citizens without thinking of the citizens they are meant to serve.
It’s worthy of note that not everyone will like you nor support your work, but when you find people who truly care about you; please hold them tight. This is because despite having family members you have shown love and compassion, they might not still appreciate you even if you lay your life for them, they will still find something to say. Again, this is the insatiable nature of man.
It’s okay for everyone not to like you, normalize living your life for God, yourself, family and those that care about you. If everyone likes you, you have a problem.
Did you know that you can get a new family from friends, strangers, and acquaintances? These sets of people might appreciate you more than your own family members. They might not demand or under appreciate you like your family members and close friends or associates. Any little support you give them will be highly appreciated. Their focus is to see you do better.
In conclusion, as you desire to succeed in life, never give in to failure until you have made your last attempt, and never make your last attempt until you succeed. This literally means whatever you desire, dream it, think it, say it, and believe you can achieve it. This principle is generally applicable to relationships, businesses, family, personal and professional development.
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
A federal judge in the United States, on Thursday, put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.
The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.
It comes after lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington State.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.
Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America’s national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.
It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.
AFP
The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.
“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.
The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.
Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions
Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.
The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.
He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.
In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.
But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.
The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.
