Opinion
Food for Living: The Effect of Digital Age of Innovation
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Friends!
I will like to begin this article by thanking the first founders and inventors of internet, Robert E. Kahn Internet who developed protocol suite (TCP/IP) in the 1950’s, and Vint Cerf in the 1970s. It’s also important to mention the Computer Scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web. This giant idea led to other great inventions and innovations from great minds such as Warren Buffet – the inventor of Microsoft Corporation and Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook.
Before we proceed proper, let’s have an overview or background information on digital information. There are two main areas where the nature of innovation has been changed as a result of the direct impact of the digital revolution: 1. Research and Development which is mostly used by big corporations and government agencies. R&D is one of the most important units of any organization because it helps to bring new products to the company in order to make it contemporaneous with the demands of the world. 2. Product and process innovation which is used by mainly used manufacturing companies. Digital technology made it possible for new products and services to produce quality advantages and business model innovation. This is mainly used by entrepreneurs and business oriented companies. 3. Business Model innovation which allow businesses to entirely re-imagine traditional business models by leveraging a powerful mix of emerged digital tools, advanced machinery and adjusted workforce, giving price and quality of service advantages over incumbents. The modern innovation of business models is originated by the tech professionals’ community and is taken further by business professionals that have acknowledged new opportunities
This is not really a technological and digital article per se, rather it is an article that sheds light on the effects of digital innovation. Today’s article will be a little bit controversial, but I will encourage you to think out of the box in order to appreciate the message inherent in it. It’s undisputable fact that the internet has made the world a small village. A lot of transformation has taken place between 19th century and now. The 2Ist century can literally be called the jet age. This progressive view of life has made many companies to scot for exceptional beings with ideas who will add value to their company as opposed to the theoretical knowledge (formal education) that comes with fundamental trainings and procedure. It is on this note we shall be discussing about the formal education and the informal education which we have been exposed to in contemporary times.
I strongly believe it will be right to say ideas rule the world. With the invention of technology, the world has seen and felt ingenuity of ideas which has led major innovations. This digital age of innovation has caused some controversies in some quarters because of the ingenuity of ideas that has sprang up from it. Some of this ingenuity of ideas has made many people to believe that skills, talent and ideas are the ultimate in life. No doubt to a reasonable extent, that is true because many companies are always looking for ideas on how to take their business to the next level in addition to maximizing cost, but at the same time they also know that having a form of theoretical and formal knowledge and background in the industry is also necessary.
This is a topic of interest to me because I see a lot information making rounds in the world with respect to people who have achieved success without formal education. Some of this people achieved success with their skills, network, ideas and talent. Some of them also achieved success with little or formal education. And even people who have formal education figured out that true success lies in thinking out of the box in addition to developing themselves by thinking out of the box.
As an advocate of education, I strongly believe a good education is priceless. Even though you are talented it is also good for you to attain some level of formal education if you have the opportunity because there are certain information which you may not be exposed to on the street or talent. Even the Book of life stated in Proverbs 4: 13 “Your education is your life, guard it very well”. Even though education is not the yardstick for success, but it helps to prepare the way for success. I think it’s only percent of the world who have been extremely humbled to have attained amazing success without having formal education. Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gate attended one of the best schools in the world before dropping out when they discovered they had a lot to offer to the world. I recently gave a talk to the Urban Male Leadership Academy in Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York, and I remembered asking the students what does success mean to you? Most of the students gave various answers which sounded right and indeed were right based on the area their thought process. I explained to them success is indeed relative and true success is doing better than you did yesterday. I also enlightened them about skills acquisition and value creation which I call ideas for sustainable growth.
As mentioned earlier, the focus on this article is about making us to think out of the box by comparing and contrasting formal education and informal education. In as much I believe in informal education which I likened to skills, talent and ideas, I also believe formal education is the foundation of all information. Some schools of thought opine that life begins after High school and college. This is because it is what you do with the knowledge you have acquired that makes the difference and how you apply it to solve the problems in the world. In today’s labour market, employers also look for candidates who have really distinguished themselves with ideas because ideas truly rule the world. Yes, it is true, I however, think it also depends on the nature of the involved. Some jobs needed theoretical knowledge and expertise like medicine and law.
One of the major reasons some people agree that ideas are more valuable than formal education is because some of the disciples of this school of thought have been able to generate good money with their creativity. For example, the app and robot inventors. Without sounding immodest, I will like to state that formal education is still very important in today’s society. In fact, it is a plus for you if you have it and have other great ideas. Acquiring it will go a good a long way to create opportunities for you. I’m speaking from experience because I have seen and tasted it from various aspect.
I have a question of interest. Has the effects of digital age of innovation done more harm than good? I will say no because it has really made the world a better place. However, the only negative influence I can think of which is not really a negative influence per se is that it has influenced a lot of people to think formal education is not as important as it ought to be due to the ideas some creative minds have been able to conceive.
Further more, it is important to note a real education enables a rational mind to think out of the box. When you add your skills the value increases. I’m particularly interested in this article because contemporary youths are paying more attention to what the society is showing them, thereby making it hard for some students go to school or even concentrate while in school forgetting that rational and informed youths combine both academic knowledge and informal knowledge. As a matter of fact, if the only knowledge you have is what you have upstairs which is devoid of formal education, your chances of conquering new grounds might be limited. The world has truly grown and new business needs some form of knowledge and information which can come in form of formal education in order for it to properly executed.
Let me share a personal experience with you, I have a legal background, but that has not stopped me from exploring other options. During the course of writing my book, I shared valuable and resourceful information relating to my legal background, tax background and all my professional work experience and the message has really resonated with so many people when they read my book. Some of the opportunities I have received in recent times came from people who have interest in my professional and academic experience. All this experience add up to and make me a resourceful being when I write and speak. What people often see is the finish work (public speaking), but they don’t see the background work. To some people, I am a great public speaker and writer but I know for a fact a lot of factors and experience contributed to it. I didn’t allow my skills to overshadow my professional and academic accomplishment.
In conclusion, since we are all concerned about achieving success, the best way to do go about it is to know yourself just like Bill Gate, Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, Richard Branson and Henry Ukazu did. By so doing, you’ll will be able to know the path to thread because each and everyone of us is different.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with 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.
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
One of the best things that can happen to anyone is to believe in themselves. Often, we don’t see the value and potential we have due to several factors including detractors’ utterances, disbelief in oneself or even past mistakes. Sometimes, we want other people to believe in us before we can believe in ourselves. Ordinarily, this shouldn’t be so.
If one is desirous of stepping up their game, one must understand how to use affirmations. Affirmations are powerful. And more powerful when they are positive. When you affirm to yourself, the universe has a way of affirming your thoughts, imaginations and words. However, it should be noted that affirmations are not about stating what you want, one must also work towards the affirmations, and believe the universe will align with you. One can practice affirmations by either writing it down or speaking it into existence.
Affirmations can be spiritual; they work like faith. If you don’t have faith, affirmations won’t work. You can attract opportunities, blessings, and favors from people when one affirms right. When people see your faith in action, they will generally feel the impulse to support your convictions.
Regardless of whatever situation one may be experiencing, it’s always good for one to feel good about oneself. It’s easy for one to feel discouraged, frustrated and depressed when the lines are not adding up, however, one can change the narrative by affirming to oneself, I expect my every need to be met; I expect the answer to every problem; I expect abundance; I will not lack; I will be great, I will attract blessings, favors, opportunities, etc. All these positive words are meant to trigger us to always think positive thoughts about our life regardless of our situations or what we are experiencing.
As human beings, sometimes, we don’t know the power we have. We tend to give other people power over us. In some cases, we want the world to give us opportunities or platforms to thrive, we fail to understand we are the platform we are seeking. For instance, sometimes we look for big companies, organization to showcase our work or give us opportunities to thrive, and when they fail, we become demoralized. However, if we can look into ourselves, we will realize in this age of technology we can showcase our work and when our supposed idols and organization see our work, they will rate us and give us potential opportunities.
It’s sad to see people begging for platforms to showcase their work. Sometimes they go extra to seek for roles and opportunities as interns or volunteers just to get an opportunity to have their name on their resume. They don’t know they can use the internet to showcase what they have. It’s instructive to note that when you showcase what you have, the platforms you are looking for, will begin to look for you. And when you showcase what you have, speak into it and affirmatively believe it.
This is how affirmation works. When you showcase your work, say I believe my work will thrive, I will get recommendations, my work will attract attention, my business will not fail, my articles will go viral etc. Trust me, when you do this, the people and organizations you are looking for, will start to look for you. As a seasoned creative writer, each week I publish articles, before I send my article to my editor, I do say a word of prayer over my work and trust me, the grace to write and succeed has truly been felt from my tribe. I say this because I do get positive feedback almost on a weekly basis. creative.
Let me share personal experience with you, I have been blogging for quite a while before big media platforms began to give me recognition and opportunity to publish my articles on their media platforms. I believe some of them saw my little effort before they gave me an opportunity.
On a personal note, I have practiced affirmations, and it has worked for me. Let me share a practical example, when I was studying taxation law as a graduate student in New York Law School, I remember when a friend of mine asked me a question, Henry, if your exam is tomorrow, how do you feel you will perform? In all honesty and sincerity, I do know if my professor is kind to me, I will score a C or D, but I told her, I will score an A or B the least. You will be surprised to know, I scored an A- and B+ during that semester. That’s the power of positive affirmation. T
There’s another scenario where I shared on Facebook, I would like Mr. Peter Obi a former Governor in Nigeria who was aspiring to be the President of Nigeria. In three months, the universe connected me to him, and the most interesting thing about our meeting was that he gave me his number and advised me to keep in touch.
In conclusion, in your search for validation and opportunity, endeavor to practice affirmation and see it work like wonder in your life.
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
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
There’s always the urge to get certain things done as a living person. Most times, the urge transcends to impatience and desperation as the thirst for fame, power, wealth and success increases. This happens to the extent that the average human being either forgets or fails to take into consideration the process and most importantly, the foundation or origin of their inspiration.
It is worth noting that before anyone decides to go on a journey, several factors play a role; before anyone decides to study a course in college, he must have a sponsor assuming they don’t have the personal financial muscle; before anyone becomes a millionaire or billionaire, there’s always someone responsible for the opportunity; before one becomes a Chief Executive Officer of a company, he must have climbed through the ropes from internship either in the said company or another, and it’s also instructive to note that someone gave him the opportunity to showcase his charismatic work skills; before anyone decides to go into politics, different people play roles either in form of mentors or citizens. There’s always a significant source in the making of a the person. The list is endless.
Why is it necessary to highlight these significant points? The answer is quite simple; nobody achieves greatness on his or her own. Nobody is self made no matter what one may claim. Even God in his infinite knowledge used Virgin Mary to birth Jesus Christ. So, if the saviour of mankind can come in the form of man, why should anyone think he is self made?
It’s sad to see certain people think they have arrived either because they now have money, power, influence or attained a certain height. They begin to act like demi-gods, and sometimes, play God in the affairs of men. They fail to remember they were once nobody, and had nothing.
It’s always good for one to remember their source, and this is very important. Sometimes, when we see people doing great and big things in the world, we wonder what their secret or source is. While some people will be bold to acknowledge their source, others might be a little bit hesitant and decide to keep it as their best kept secret, especially when it involves trade and merchandise.
To know the secret of anyone, look at their lifestyle, some people attribute it to God, some to mentors, mentees, good food, exercise, academics, rest, parents or spiritual leaders. For me, I am unapologetic to state three things responsible for who I am today; the first is God. We live in a society where some people find it hard to acknowledge God publicly for reasons best known to them. I truly know I am not the smartest, strongest or most intelligent, but I can authoritatively tell you, I have seen and experienced the hand of God upon my life.
Another great source of mine is my late parents comprising my late grandmother, my late father and my late mother. They all played significant roles in my life with their prayers and blessings. I can say with all boldness, they are my biggest inspiration and reason I do what I do today. It’s sad to see young men and women who fail to recognize and appreciate their parents because they are either old, not academically exposed or for whatever reason best known to them. Well, I won’t judge anyone, but I do know that the earlier one receives the sense to appreciate their parents, no matter their shortcomings, the better the positive influence it would have in their lives.
Finally, my third major source of strength is the people I work with, especially my immediate team. Like I always say; I’m not just smart, I am only smart by association. I have a team of ingenious minds, who I am very loyal and committed to in any way I can. What attracts me to them is their mindset, attitude and most importantly their talent/gift. If I may add a fourth category, I will say my mentors, there are certain people I look up to based on their position, accomplishment, personality. I call this set of mentors my pinnacle mentors because of who they are, or what they represent. If you would like to know the role of mentors in my life, please read one of my most insightful articles Mentors Are Life Savers.
Let’s get this clear, anyone can be a source. It might not really be a man of substance. Your mentee, child, partner or employee can be your source. What’s important is for one to recognize their role. Like I stated earlier, my team who I work with are my third greatest source, and I strongly believe God is using them to lift me up.
One may be wondering why I took my time to address these salient points. The reason is not farfetched. It’s regrettable to see people who have attained certain heights, and they seem to forget their roots. Some even forget their source. Like accomplished journalist, Dr. Dele Momodu, would always quote his late ‘unlettered mother’, who admonished him to “never forget the son of who you are”. That’s a very deep statement.
Acknowledging one’s source is very critical to one’s growth. It speaks volumes about one’s mindset and personality. Let’s take a case study where someone assisted you to become great, and ends up insulting or using sarcastic words on you. They may even be uncharitable to you. I get all these narratives, still acknowledge them.
Acknowledging one’s source can be ambiguous. As Christians, sometimes we pray to our creator, give up our daily bread. By doing so, we are remembering our source, but quite often sometimes when we eat this bread and become well fed, we tend to forget from whom it came, and in some cases, fail to give credit to whom it is due. This is the attitude of ungrateful minds.
I will conclude with a prayer thus; in our quest for greatness and search the material things of the world, may we not forget our source, who gave us opportunities when we were nothing. Can I hear you say amen!
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
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
When one grinds, he is practically working or studying very hard, often in a repetitive way for a better future outcome. It can also be the act of hustling or striving for success, according to internet overview. This principle explains the phrase, ‘rise and grind’, which encourages individuals to wake up and work hard to achieve goals.
Having said that, please permit me to be a bit personal about my next exposition. It’s for an instructive reason.
As a Christian, and practicing catholic, I’m trained on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. In one of the mysteries – Sorrowful mysteries, we have five other mysteries namely: The Agony in the garden, scourging at the pillar, crowning with thorns, carrying of the cross and death and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
One may be wondering what the symbolic and relative nature of the above mysteries are. Well, the answer is quite clear; the mysteries of the sorrow mysteries symbolize the difficult terrain Jesus Christ must go through for the salvation of mankind. As a Christian, each time I meditate on the sad experience of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind, it makes me rethink about life, especially whenever I am tempted to sin against God.
As human beings, we also experience the same trajectory in our effort to succeed, and this entails the act of ‘grinding’. Life never promises to be easy, and it will never be easy. As a matter of fact, the higher one goes, the tougher the hurdle.
It is an undisputable fact that nothing good comes easy. Whether you have an interest in running a business, raising a decent family, earning a degree, or improving on your personal development, one must grind, and this entails exploring all legitimate means. Sometimes, life does not give you what you want, but it will surely give you what you deserve.
So, when you grind, and life doesn’t give you what you desire, don’t give up, continue to grind. The mistake most people make is giving up quite early when the odds seem to be against you. Sometimes, when you don’t get what you want, there might be several reasons. It might be a case of one not being prepared or competent for such a position. It can also be a case where the universe has something different for you which one might not see in the immediate sense.
Again, when one doesn’t get what they desire, it is not because they don’t have the capacity, or competency, it might be a case of the timing not being right. On a personal note, I have applied for job opportunities and was rejected; I have tried to meet with resourceful people, but access was denied; I have written hundreds of articles, but only a few went viral. The stories are many, but one thing is certain; I learnt a lot from those experiences.
In your grinding, you might think nobody is watching or noticing your efforts, trust me, your efforts and work are seen. In due time, the work will be rewarded. I can testify to this statement because over time, I have been in the wilderness tilling the ground to make an impact. I am surprised to get award nominations in addition to being an award recipient on several occasions.
In some other cases, I get recommendations on the streets from people who see my work. One of the major challenges may be having the right person to spot your work. One may be wondering how it works. Let’s take the case of a man, who is trying to woo a lady. The lady in question knows what she wants in a man or the qualities and values. So, when you approach a lady, and she says no, what a rational mind will do is to explore other options that appear to be beneficial to both parties, and who knows in the long run, she might give consent.
Grinding can mean a thousand and one things depending on which aisle one is resting on. According to a notable ghost writer, Dr. Yomi Garnett, “The best pictures of you are yet to be taken. The best stories about you are yet to be told. The best of your years still lies ahead. So, affirm to yourself today: The good days are here, but the best is yet to come.”
So, while waiting for the best pictures, stories, and years ahead, continue to put in the work of learning, exploring opportunities, having faith in the creator and universe, and continue to grind. By so doing, the right opportunities will be attracted to you when the timing and the universe feel it’s for you.
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
