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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
Fresh facts have emerged over the abduction of school pupils and the killing of two teachers alongside an okada rider in Ahoro-Esiele, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, as investigators uncovered how suspected informants allegedly maintained communication with the abductors through telephone conversations.
The Oyo State Police Command disclosed that investigators tracked the suspects through calls believed to have been exchanged with the bandits during and after the operation.
According to the police, the conversations allegedly contained details on how the criminals could successfully navigate routes within the National Park to hidden locations used as safe havens.
The breakthrough led to the arrest of no fewer than six suspects, who are currently in police custody and assisting security agencies with ongoing investigations into the gruesome incident.
Confirming the development on Tuesday morning, the State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said the suspects were apprehended during coordinated security operations across different locations in the State.
“We have six suspects in custody and they are assisting the investigation,” Ayanlade said.
He added that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly served as informants to the bandits responsible for the abduction and killings.
“Our findings showed that some of the suspects were in contact with the abductors through telephone conversations and investigators are analysing those communications as part of efforts to uncover the full network behind the crime,” he stated.
Ayanlade further disclosed that security agencies uncovered discussions allegedly centred on routes through the National Park and locations believed to have been used by the criminals as hideouts.
“The conversations contained information on how the abductors could move through the National Park undetected and reach safe locations,” he added.
The police spokesman explained that the suspects were arrested during joint operations involving the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Agro-Rangers.
“The arrests were made possible through intelligence-driven operations carried out by joint security operatives working collaboratively to dismantle the criminal network,” Ayanlade said.
He assured residents that security agencies were intensifying efforts to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate linked to the attack.
“We are committed to ensuring that every individual connected to this criminal act is identified, arrested and brought to justice. Investigations are still ongoing,” he said.
The incident, which claimed the lives of two teachers and an Okada rider while school pupils were abducted last Friday, has continued to generate concern among residents of the affected communities and neighbouring areas in Oyo State.
Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has confirmed that one of the teachers abducted during the recent terrorist attack on schools in Oriire LGA of the state, has been killed in captivity.
Speaking on Sunday during a press briefing on the incident, Makinde described the situation as “difficult and challenging”, saying the state government is intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining victims.
On Friday, gunmen riding motorcycles invaded communities within the Ahoro-Esiele/Yawota axis of Oriire, Ogbomoso, and abducted students and staff members of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, L.A. Primary School, Esiele, and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School.
The attack left an assistant headmaster, identified as Joel Adesiyan, and a commercial motorcyclist dead.
According to Makinde, a video received by the state government confirmed the killing of one of the abductees identified as a mathematics teacher.
“What we know is that seven teachers in all were abducted and unfortunately, we got a video this morning that one of the teachers, the maths teacher, was killed by the terrorists this morning,” Makinde said.
Authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of schoolchildren abducted.
In the aftermath of the incident, videos recorded from captivity began circulating on social media, showing abducted teachers pleading with the government and Nigerians for urgent intervention.
One of the viral videos featured Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Esiele, appealing to the government to help secure the release of the victims before they are killed.
Makinde detailed that six persons had been arrested within the affected locality over alleged links to the attackers, and that another three “persons of interest” were also arrested in connection with the attack.
“The information available from the Commissioner of Police is that six individuals have been arrested within the locality. Some of them were believed to perhaps be informants to people running logistics for the terrorists,” he said.
Following the attack, the Oyo Police Command announced the commencement of an intensive manhunt and rescue operation involving multiple security agencies.
Makinde said personnel of the police, military, the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun, and local hunters were mobilised immediately to pursue the attackers.
The governor said, however, some Amotekun operatives sustained injuries after encountering improvised explosive devices planted by the terrorists during the operation.
“After the incident, Amotekun, the police, military and hunters were mobilised to go after the terrorists and it was along that line that they ran into IEDs and some of the Amotekun operatives were wounded,” he said.
Sources told TheCable that the terrorists had initially opened fire on the security operatives who were approaching the Old Oyo national park on motorcycles, causing them to flee.
“When the shooting subsided, the operatives decided to go for their motorbikes. Unfortunately, a dynamite exploded against one Amotekun corps member and he was wounded. He has been taken to the hospital for medical attention,” a source said.
“Apart from air raid, the Old Oyo National Park Area can’t be easily accessed through infantry. It’s a long distance from the Oowe River which forms a natural landmark boundary for the park. Motorcycles would have to be used for the journey, but the noise of the approaching motorcycles alerted the terrorists.”
Makinde linked the attack to increasing pressure being mounted on terrorist groups in the north-east, warning that fleeing armed groups are moving into other parts of the country, including the south-west.
“With the pressure on the terrorists in the north-east theatre, they will keep moving southwards. Today, the governor of Kwara state has spoken to me. But the problem we have is that when you have pressure in one place, we must be prepared on this side to either repel or neutralise any terrorists fleeing the pressure,” he said.
The governor harped on the need for sustained government and security presence in vulnerable communities, warning that temporary military operations without long-term security measures could leave residents exposed to future attacks.
“If all we can do is clearance operations for a week or two and leave that place, the terrorists will come back and the people will become vulnerable,” he said.
He assured residents that the state government would be deploying military and non-military strategies to secure the release of the abducted victims and tackle the growing security threat.
“We have decided that we will adopt not just the kinetic approach. We have not taken this lightly,” he added.
Makinde also appealed for calm and patience from residents, acknowledging the complexity of the operation.
“I want to appeal to everyone that we are doing everything within our power to ensure that this would be resolved quickly and we bring our children back safely, but it is a very difficult and challenging situation so there may not be quick fixes,” he added.
Source: TheCable
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Complaining is part of human nature. We complain about our health, school, family, friends, work, finances, government, and life in general. Human beings literally complain about everything and anything.
Over time, I have come to discover something about life: complaining doesn’t solve a problem; it adds to it. According to the Book of Life, why worry when you can pray? The moral of this statement is that instead of worrying, why not look for solutions? When you worry, it only accumulates the problems, but when you explore avenues to solve a problem, you’re literally praying.
Complaining is like having a problem and apportioning blame to another person instead of fixing it. One of the hallmarks of great minds is the ability to solve problems, while little minds complain.
In the world of visionary leaders, they don’t complain; rather, they see complaints as challenges of life, while lesser minds see complaints as problems of life. Again, while great leaders see problems as a gateway to make money and succeed by proffering solutions, little minds see problems as obstacles limiting their growth to succeed. Same action but different results and consequences.
As human beings, we tend to focus on what we don’t have instead of focusing on what we have. It’s only when we appreciate what we have that we give room for opportunities and favors to come to us. It’s unfortunate some of fucus on what we are going through instead of what we are becoming.
It’s instructive to note that complaints don’t lead us anywhere, rather it hinders our progress. Nobody likes complainers; complainers are usually seen as energy suckers because all they do is take without giving. Instead of complaining, why not practice gratitude? Gratitude helps to draw and attract opportunities.
In the world of human relations, the ability to manage people is an uncommon skill. One must learn to nurture relationships. Human beings can be difficult to manage. While some exhibit meekness, gratitude, cheerfulness, and loyalty, some exhibit bitterness, frustration, depression, sadness, and sorrow. What most people don’t know is that we have the ability to change how we manage our lives and how we react to what life throws at us through our attitude.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not insinuating that complaining is wrong; rather, I’m insinuating it’s not healthy for our mental health. The only time we can complain about something is when we are proffering a solution; by so doing, we have highlighted the problems and proffered the solution.
Complaints make us blind to see the good in others. As a word of advice, if you focus exclusively on the shortcomings of the people with whom you have to relate and forget that they have a good point, it will be difficult to see the good in them.
According to Yomi Garnett, focus on the good side of people and be intentional in learning about their mindset and inquire what made them who they are. Also, focusing on the good side of people despite their bad or weak side makes them feel valuable as human beings, and by so doing, we show our empathic personality.
In conclusion, resolve today to stop complaining and start appreciating the challenges of life with gratitude.
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
