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Food for Living: The Humbling Effects of Success and Failure
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friend,
Nothing humbles a man like failure, and nothing elevates like success. Every human being aspires to succeed in every aspect of living including academic, business, career, family or personal life. In the same vein, everyone runs from, and detests anything called failure. The truth remains that we all experience both success and failure at one time or another in the journey of life. It is inevitable. We can only attempt to manage them very well when they occur.
Life is dynamic and unpredictable. As human beings, we always strive to achieve success because we are aware of the doors and opportunities it will open for us. In the same vein, failure can expose you to the other side of life – humility. By the time you taste success and failure, you will truly understand what life is because it will balance your understanding.
It is only a fool that will be exposed to wealth and turns around to use it to humiliate the poor or those he perceives as inferior despite being part of them during his humble beginnings.
A former Presidential aspirant in Nigeria, Chief Dele Momodu, once told me of the advice his late mother always gives him whenever he’s going out; “never forget the son of who you are and never forget where you are coming from”. The import of that message is never to forget your humble beginnings whenever you become successful.
There is this other mentor of mine, who was once a bus conductor in Nigeria when he was a teenager. It is instructive to note that this man now owns a private jet. This mentor of mine once told me, “I never forget who I am”. It may interest you to know that this man has a strong reverence for God. According to him, it’s God who has brought him this far and he’s always conscious of where he’s coming from. Again, what’s the significance of this message, having attained wealth in the society, this man understood that no condition is permanent, and as such success has humbled him.
Success and failure play an important role in our lives. Just like a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow, a rich man can become a poor man tomorrow. So, it makes no sense to brag about whatever you think you have today because whatever you think you have is somebody’s “toy” “change” or “rag”. Let me share some examples with you, Youssou N’ Dour, the richest African entertainer has an estimated net worth of $145 million, Aliko Dangote the richest Black man on earth is estimated to have $14.2 billion, while Elon Musk is estimated to have $220 billion dollars. The interesting thing here is that while Youssaou N’ Dour is regarded as Africa’s most wealthy celebrity entertainer, George Lucas, who is the wealthiest entertainer in the world is estimated to have a net worth of $6.5 billion. While Dangote is the most celebrated wealthy black man, Elon is celebrated as the wealthiest man on earth.
The interesting thing here is that both George Lucas and Elon Musk can employ or even buy over Youssou N’ Dour and Aliko Dangote. Do you see why nobody should brag about wealth or whatever they think they have because everything can be lost within a twinkle of an eye, after all, before Dangote and Elon Musk came on board, there were other great and wealthy people on top of the list.
Furthermore, even with Elon Musk being the richest man on planet earth, if Joe Biden, the United States President calls him for a meeting, he will be there within 24hours. The significance of this analysis is that despite Elon Musk’s money, which the American President does not have, President Joe Biden can humble Elon Musk with his position.
Failure on the other hand has been the major reason most people work hard. This set of people have tested poverty and know that it is not a good place to be. Both failure and success have their advantages and disadvantages. Your ability to manage them well will be the game-changer for your life.
While some people allow their success to get the better of them, informed minds are humbled by their success. While poverty stricken and myopic minds complain about their condition, “poor” progressive and rich mindsets don’t allow their situation or environment to limit them.
Question: where do you belong?
When you allow success to humble you, you will be celebrated. But when you allow failure to define you, you will be relegated. Therefore, to live a fruitful and productive life, the higher you go in life, the more humble you should become. Never allow worldly fame to rule you. Never allow money and material things control you, rather control them by making them your slave. My late dad will always say he trained himself as a poor man and as a rich man; anyone that comes, he will accept it in good faith.
In conclusion, as we journey through life, embrace your mistakes, successes and failures, and see how you can learn from them to develop your future. Also ensure you pay adequate attention to your success to expand your territory.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer Design Your Destiny and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Telecommunications giant, Globacom, has charged Christians to embrace the virtues that Christ preached as the 2025 Easter celebrations hold this weekend.
While congratulating Christians in Nigeria in a goodwill message released from its Lagos Head Office on Thursday, Globacom admonished them to imbibe the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
According to Glo, “Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”
Globacom charged all Nigerians to espouse the lessons of selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society and called on all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
The company praised their perseverance through the 40-day Lenten period which comes before Easter as it emphasized the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
Easter comes yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of unhindered voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
Dear Destiny Friends,
Every human being loves to get approval, either for the great work they have done or the ones they are doing. They love to be appreciated and admired. They also love to be given attention when they have something valuable to say or do. In all of these, one thing is certain, there is something special about us, and this special thing makes one unique, and ultimately attracts people to us.
Let’s face it, nobody will admire you, appreciate you, approve you and give you attention if you don’t have anything to offer. The reason most people associate with someone is because they feel or know there’s something they can gain from the person. It’s hard for someone to relate closely with someone who they don’t see potential value in.
There is no doubt each and everyone of us is unique, yes, there’s something unique about you. You can sing, you can write, you can dance, you can lead, you can serve, you can cook, etc. One can even be a good actor, athlete, comedian, or preacher. The list is literally endless. Now, what’s unique about you?
When you discover what’s unique about you, please do all within your reach to nurture and develop it. One day, the right person, who truly appreciates and knows your value will celebrate you.
I have a friend who is exceptionally skilled in writing and developing creative contents. I call him a genius because he can literally write a book within a week. How he does it is what I don’t understand. I was surprised when he once told me he wrote a book and manuscript in one week. According to him, he has been developing the contents mentally, but hasn’t found time to put his thoughts together, and when he finally gets his thoughts together, he was able to write the book and manuscript. This is a typical way of knowing a unique being.
Many, however, do not know what’s unique about them. We focus our energy chasing what is not chasing us instead of focusing on developing what we already have. It’s sad to see young and old people living their lives in an unintentional manner with a belief that somehow lines, favour or opportunities will fall in place for them.
Sometimes, we rely on other people’s affirmation and opinion, and accept it as our fate. For instance, just because one is tall, he might be told he will be a great fit for basketball without considering if the athlete loves basketball; again, just because someone is very intelligent, his parents will encourage him to major in a particular discipline, which is perceived as lucrative without considering if the person likes it pr not.
I once experienced this fate when my late dad inspired me to study taxation law in New York Law School, a major I detest with passion. It was like a suicidal mission for me because I do know, it will take miracle to graduate from the program. How I was able to get a scholarship for my grades and graduate in record time is a story for another day. I’m not wired as a finance person, I will better serve humanity in the social and developmental space where my skills, talents, gift and passion will be better utilized. And ever since I joined the space, I have seen results.
There are many cases where many people lose their identities without knowing they are unique. We are all unique in our individual ways. Just like there are several gifts and talents, we have different skills. When you know what’s unique about you, you will stand out and the world will not only appreciate you, but will celebrate you.
When one discovers the power of their uniqueness, we will gather strength to unleash it to the world. Uniqueness works in several ways. For instance, the mere fact that ten people are genius, talented, skillful or valuable in a particular work, the person with the unique gift is the person who will not only stand out, but will be called upon to do the work.
Let me share more insight. If ten people sing a particular song with a great voice, the person who is called to be a singer will receive a unique appreciation because he/she is working on purpose. That is why it is easy to see a lot of people venturing into a particular form of business, but the favour of the business will not locate them because they are not uniquely destined to do business.
Few years ago, one of my mentors shared a deep insight with me. He said that, as a trained medical doctor, he once observed that despite the fact there are hundreds and thousands of medical doctors practicing their profession. One fateful day, he noticed a particular patient was not responding to treatment despite all the medication that had been given to him by a nurse, his health was deteriorating, then another nurse came and administered the same pill a nurse gave the patient, and the patient began to feel better. What does that tell you? The second nurse was probably working in her purpose which aligns with her profession, and as such the corresponding success. This goes to show that when one is unique, it has a way of robbing off on their work.
Furthermore, he stated that Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, and Beyonce are some of the gifted singers and dancers the world has ever celebrated. He went on to say that we have hundreds and thousands of musicians, but only a few have got the spotlight.
What does that tell you? When you are unique, the world will celebrate you. I have understood that the fastest way to get recognition in life is to work in areas where one’s strength and unique gift will better serve the purpose. This is simply because the world does not celebrate one’s weakness, rather, the world celebrates one’s strength.
In recent times, I have seen myself as a counselor and human inspiration. My counseling skills have enabled me to influence people to live positive lives. Overtime, I have realized that when people share their burden with me, they feel relieved after speaking with me. What amazes me most is the fact that even my elders feel comfortable to relate with me on a cordial basis. Maybe, I have a unique gift for counseling and educating.
Today, I am going to charge you to focus your energy and time on whatever will bring you the highest satisfaction. Even if you are looking for a job, applying for school, or seeking any opportunity, your focus should be centered on what you have that the job, school or opportunity will amplify. When you do so, you will be in high demand.
In conclusion, please affirm to yourself today, I am a unique being with a unique personality, purpose and gift.
Say to yourself, ‘I am original’, and refuse to be fake.
Again confess that your originality, authenticity and uniqueness will attract favours, blessings, opportunities from leaders and queens to you, and you will be celebrated.
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
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has emerged as the Best Road Safety Agency in Africa. This monumental achievement corroborates the Corps’ almost four decades of dedication, resilience and passion towards safeguarding lives on Nigerian roads.
The Corps, according to a statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), received the award at the 3rd edition of the Kofi Annan Road Safety Award held in Elzuwini in the Kingdom of Eswatini, South Africa between 14th and 15th of April 2025.
You may recall that Kofi Annan Road Safety Award was initiated by the Office of the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Road Safety in collaboration with Kofi Annan Foundation to immortalize the contributions of African illustrious son Kofi Annan who served as the Secretary General of the United Nations.
The prestigious Road Safety Management Award represents a badge of honour for Nigeria, and a pure testament of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to unflinching support for the Federal Road Safety Corps and his believe in the Corps’ potential to serve as a model for other African nations. Indeed, FRSC’s tireless efforts to reduce road crashes and promote safe driving practices have paid off, earning recognition across the continent.
The recognition further speaks volume, as well as justifies the giant strides Nigeria has made in ensuring safety of road users and her leadership role in the Sub-region.
Reacting to the recognition, the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed said that it is a testament to FRSC’s unrelenting passion for road safety. He thanked the entire community of the motoring public, stakeholders, partners, and the Nigerian people for their support. Emphasising that together, the Corps was able to achieve the enviable feat because of the collective energy and all round support received from the motoring public.
The Corps Marshal also revealed that FRSC’s winning formula includes, innovative strategies, implementing cutting-edge road safety initiatives that drive results, collaboration, fostering partnerships with stakeholders to promote road safety awareness, community engagement, educating the public on safe driving practices, full deployment of technology and road safety protocols.
The award was received on behalf of the Corps and the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the Principal Staff Officer to the Corps Marshal ACM Meshach Adigizi Jatau.
