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Food for Living: The First Step
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It is an incontrovertible fact that greatness is appealing and soothing to the heart. Globally, greatness is celebrated because of the accolades that come with it. The question we all fail to ask is what does it take to be great?
Several factors contribute to the greatness of an individual, among which are tenacity, discipline, failure, belief system, courage, etc.
According to Ernest Agyemang Yeboah, “There has never been any great person who never met great trials and oppositions, but their patience, tenacity, endurance and perseverance saw them to the end as great people”. It is these trials and oppositions that will determine how great we will be.
Just like gold must go through a furnace to be refined, we all must be tested in our way or another to determine our passion, interest and courage.
Greatness is not easy to come by. One must soil his hand to make ends meet. Ernest Agyemang Yeboah maintains that “anytime you enjoy the sweet fruits of the tree, remember the dirty roots of the tree”. To be great is like making money. Nobody acquires genuine money with clean hands, you must soil your hand in a mud for you to reap the fruits of your labour.
It’s instructive to note that everyone has greatness living inside of them, however, the challenge most of us have is not being able to activate the greatness. Taking the first step is the foundational step to greatness. It’s sad to see people who want to be great, but they are scared of taking the heat Greatness does not come from a place of comfort.
A great factor necessary for greatness to take shape is courage. Per Apostle Joshua Selma, “courage is not outsourced, it is generated.
He further stated that “behind every genuine result you see, there’s a testament of endurance and courage. You must date to succeed despite glaring failures staring at you.
Great people dare the consequences of what people will say. They are not scared of failing. They are not scared of walking alone. They are not scared of risking their lives to birth their vision. Research has it that Charles Leiper Grigg failed 6 times before he succeeded at the seventh time and he nailed the product, 7UP, meaning that he succeeded at the 7th time.
The first step in succeeding is very critical, and in most cases, it is the most important step. The first step is like the foundation of a building. The first step is like the first appearance. The first step is like your resume/curriculum vitae.
Without the first step, every other act is like putting the cat before the horse. Let’s take some practical examples, before a man wins the heart of a lady, he must take the first step in talking to her. Before a person becomes a celebrated author, he must have taken the first step to write the first set of words. Before someone becomes the President of a country or even serves in any elective position, he must have taken the first step in buying the form. Before someone gets a job, he must have taken the first step to apply. Before a mentee gets accepted by a mentor, he must have taken proactive steps to reach out. The list is literally endless.
Amid all these, one thing is certain, one must eliminate fear if one is desirous of taking the first step. Fear hinders one from taking the first step. It would be foolhardy to say we have not experienced fear in our daily lives. I have personally experienced the fear of the unknown. I can vividly remember when I was writing my first book, in all sincerity, I didn’t know what I was writing. I had to reach out to a couple of friends and mentors to review the work, some said just continue, some said, when you are done, the editors will review it. I was literally wondering how my work will be received by the public. Being a first-time author was no joke, but the good part is, the book came out as a resounding success.
The role of the first step in my life cannot be overemphasized. Most of the big accomplishments I was privileged to overcome were simply because I took the first step even when I was not prepared for the task or journey. I vividly remember when I joined the Nigerian Lawyers Association while studying Taxation Law in New York School. In all honesty, I was not prepared to occupy the position. I simply decided to test my faith. I literally failed and learnt on the job, but the interesting perspective to the job was the inherent opportunity that came with the job. The position exposed me to lots of High-Profile people I have access and relate with closely. Imagine if I have not taken the first step; I won’t know most of the people I have access to today.
According to an accomplished Ghost writer, Dr. Yomi Garnett, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great. If you have a rather big goal. Today take the biggest possible step in the direction of its fulfillment. If the step looks relatively tiny, do not worry if it’s the biggest possible for now.
In as much as it’s advisable to get prepared before you take an opportunity, however, there’s an exception to the rules, sometimes, you don’t have to have everything figured out before you take the first step, you just have to take the risk and, in most cases, it turns out good. Even if it turns out negative, you didn’t fail, rather, you learn from an experience.
In conclusion, do you have a project you would like to accomplish? If yes, take the first step. Don’t be afraid of the challenges, obstacles and forces that are likely to rear their ugly heads.
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,
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.
