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Food for Living: The Opportunity You Need in 2021
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
“The secret of success is to be ready when your opportunity comes” – Benjamin Disraeli
Happy New Year. It is a thing of joy to celebrate a new year. Today being the first of January 2021 is very symbolic because it gives us an opportunity to make new resolutions, it ushers in new opportunities and new vision depending on what you are working on. It should be noted that the new year doesn’t come with opportunities, you create the opportunities, and in creating the opportunities, you have to be intentional and deliberate on what you are doing.
What really is opportunity? Opportunity means different things to different people. Opportunity can be defined as a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. As we journey into 2021, the task before us is how we can create the right opportunity in order to have a fruitful year. We shall be looking for how to create the right opportunity.
In 2021, everyone’s desire is to succeed and achieve greater success than they did in 2020. Some people had amazing opportunities in 2020, while some had, but could not make use of it. Opportunity comes to everyone in several ways. For some, it literally makes itself available and expects one to grab it. For others, the opportunity must be created by thinking out of the box.
Just like Coronavirus pandemic caused so much harm to many people through loss of loved ones, and businesses which couldn’t function at optimal capacity, any longer, yet, it created the opportunity for creative minds like Eric Yuan, the creator of Zoom to become a billionaire because of the demand for zoom meetings.
The point here is that in whatever circumstances you find yourself, an opportunity will always present itself for you if only you can think out of the box. For example, the right opportunity enables you to acquire new skills, financial gain, greater access to leadership roles.
What most people don’t understand is 2021 won’t offer you the right opportunity you need, in most cases, you will have to create the opportunity in order to fulfil the yearnings of your heart; in our search for financial stability, we have to the right opportunity in our search for fulfilment in life, we have to create the right that opportunity will make us happy.
The new year definitely offers new opportunities to succeed, but the question we have to ask ourselves is, how do we take advantage of those opportunities?
Look for opportunities
Opportunities don’t come to us, rather it presents itself to us. For you to take advantage of any opportunity, you must be prepared for it. As a rational mind, your focus in 2021 is to look for the right opportunity which could be via networking, serving, travelling, attending professional events among others. It can also involve going to odd places which ordinarily may sound foolish to most people, but as a rational mind who is able to think out of the box, you can create an opportunity when you see a market to sell a product or convert people to buy your idea.
Be willing to read and research
This is another great way of creating opportunity. A philosopher once said, if I can’t find the answer, I know where to find it. He was basically talking about researching. It is generally believed that knowledge is power, but in reality, knowledge is information, and it is the application of that knowledge or information which gives you power.
Be clear on what you want.
The more specific you are with respect to your business and what you want generally, the better it will be for people to assist you. When you know what you want, you’ll take proactive steps to create the right opportunities you need. When you don’t really know what you want, it will be difficult to know when an opportunity arrives.
When you are clear about what you are looking for, it creates a road map and avenue that causes you to see opportunities that match your interest and disregard other opportunities that are just distractions.
Know what steps are necessary to achieve it
If you really know what you want, you will make necessary efforts to achieve it. In this age where technology rules, it’s literally easy to get what you want if you’re internet savvy. Identifying the necessary steps is a key part of the process that may require investigating, studying and learning lots of new information.
There are several ways to attract the right opportunities. For example, you must decide on what you want, know when the right opportunity presents itself, you must pay attention, be diligent and be able to network strategically.
Think about services people need
In order for you to create wealth, you need to create a service or product people are willing to purchase. Before starting a business, ask yourself if there is a demand for the product. There was a story about two friends who were walking in a village and one discovered there’s a market for them to make footwears for the villagers, who weren’t wearing any footwear, while the other was seeing lack of market based on the fact the people won’t be able to purchase the product.
Surround yourself with the right people
In 2021, try to surround yourself with the right people. It is widely acclaimed; your network is your networth and if you’re the smartest person in the room, leave the room. Having the right people around you can create numerous opportunities for you. The right people can be the right mentors, mentees, friends, books, etc. For instance, if nine of your friends are billionaires, it won’t take long for you to become the next billionaire.
According to Olajide Abiola “Opportunities do not wear name tags.
“You’ve been socialized wrongly if you believe opportunities must announce itself with a public address system. Most or all of us are constantly presented with opportunities. There is hardly anyone who doesn’t get an opportunity. That people are unable to recognize or interpret situations to identify the opportunities doesn’t invalidate the opportunity. Opportunities do not wear name tags and aren’t pre-announced. You cannot stereotype how opportunities manifest.
Opportunity can manifest through misfortune.
Opportunity can manifest through crisis.
Opportunity can manifest through pain.
Opportunity can manifest through disappointment.
Opportunity can manifest through inconveniences.
Some opportunities have to be cultivated, watered, fertilized et al. Some opportunities require you to prune things. The reason many miss opportunities is because they see opportunity as a RIPENED fruit that should simply be plucked out. There are opportunities for everything all around, you just need to have an enlightened mind. You must also know that you may have to plant an opportunity, water an opportunity, fumigate an opportunity, fertilize an opportunity”.
In conclusion, what opportunity are you willing to create in 2021 by thinking out of the box?
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and transformational coach. 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
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.
The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.
The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There is no gainsaying the fact that everyone desirous of making impact in life must live a life of purpose. This is where knowledge and information come to play. It is these knowledge and information that will set an individual apart from his contemporaries.
I strongly believe, if one is not informed, they are ill-informed, and when they are ill-informed, they can’t perform well in any given endeavour. This is because information leads to reformation and transformation. We can therefore, confidently say that information leads to formation because everyone is a product of what they know.
Knowledge acquisition is one of the best things that can happen to anyone. People with knowledge are revered, and highly respected. Having knowledge is like having money. People from all walks of life will seek you.
There are different kinds of knowledge, and they include Revealed Knowledge, which comes from those who wrote the Bible and Intuitive Knowledge, which comes from the mind. It is the ability to gain knowledge without conscious reason or explanation.
Others are Empirical Knowledge, which is information gained through observation, experimentation, and direct experience, rather than through theoretical reason or intuition; Authoritative Knowledge, which is the knowledge a man has because of his expertise in a particular field; and finally but not the least, Rational Knowledge, which is a form of knowledge that uses reasoning and philosophy to understand the world.
From this illustration, a decisive mind can see that knowledge is priceless. Knowledge is like education. It can provide security and access. Even the Book of life says in Proverbs 4:13, “your education is your life, guard it very well”; and in Hosea 4:6 that “my people perish for lack of knowledge”.
From my personal experience in life, apart from death, one of the greatest levelers of all time is education. This is because the child of a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow if properly educated. That explains why children from humble backgrounds ought to take their education very seriously, especially if they don’t have affluence.
On a personal note, I come from a very humble background, my late parents didn’t have the opportunity of acquiring a decent education, but they knew the value of education and endeavored to give me and my siblings a decent education. In retrospect, when I look back and see some of my contemporaries whose parents couldn’t give them a decent education, I bless my late parents because education has exposed me to lots of opportunities in the United States, and the global world in addition to granting me an audience with the high and mighty in society.
Sometimes, when I look at my modest achievement, I’m deeply humbled because I know it is the grace of God. Who am I to author two amazing trailblazers’ books, get featured and profiled by the New York Times, engage in high level conversation with leaders of thought and captains of industries. Apart from the grace of God, intentional seeking of knowledge, and wise counsel from mentors and strategically positioning myself have been some of the cornerstone to my success.
Imagine if my late parents didn’t give me a decent education and opportunity of travelling to the United States, most of these opportunities and exposure wouldn’t have been readily available.
When one is decently enlightened, educated and informed about life, their level of reasoning and understanding differ from an ordinary man. If one desires to go far in life, one must seek knowledge.
It is your knowledge that sets you apart from others.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished Ghostwriter, “If you are a man of great knowledge, people will have great respect for you. If you are a man of great wisdom, people will have great reverence for you. And if you are a man of both, great knowledge and great wisdom, you will be the most eminent of men. But in real terms, people don’t care how much you know, or how much wisdom you have, unless they know how much you care.”
The moral of this quote is that despite the knowledge and information at one’s disposal, if one lacks empathy, their knowledge, experience and whatever they have mean nothing.
The importance of knowledge cannot be overemphasized. In our contemporary society, a fast way of attracting opportunities is by showcasing the knowledge at one’s disposal. It is so sad that many people don’t take time to read, research and learn new trends applicable in their industry, and in the world generally and as such, they find it difficult to fit in and grow.
It is instructive to note that when you seek knowledge, opportunities will seek for you. A major reason people are poor is simply because they are not solving problems and to solve problems, one ought to have understanding. Do you know that if you don’t have money, the reason is often because you are not solving a problem, or you are not solving enough problems, or you are not solving the right problem or you are not solving problems for the right people. Generally, we make money because we have something unique to offer to the world. Therefore, to solve problems, one must have knowledge and information.
We currently live in an age of technological, where skills, talent and creativity are in high demand. Any progressive being that desires to go far must be intentional in seeking knowledge. Successful acquisition of knowledge, information and understanding can lead to discernment and wisdom.
In conclusion, as you journey towards life, if you want to make an impact, seek opportunities, and earn more money, do yourself a favour by endeavoring to seek knowledge, wisdom, and information. You can’t get these by sitting on your sofa or staying in your comfort zone.
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
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced this in a statement, on Thursday.
A former aide of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Bwala worked actively for his former principal who lost to Tinubu.
However, after the elections, he worked his way into the camp of Tinubu, sparking controversy.
Onanuga also announced the appointments of three directors-general of various agencies.
They are:
(1) Mr. Olawale Olopade — Director-General, National Sports Commission
(2) Dr. Abisoye Fagade — Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism
(3) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun — Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement
Olopade, the new Director-General of the National Sports Commission, is a sports administrator with many years of experience in the sector.
He served as commissioner of youth and sports in Ogun state and was chairman of the local organising committee of the 2024 National Sports Festival.
The new Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Abisoye Fagade is a marketing communication professional. He is the founder and managing director of Sodium Brand Solutions.
Adedokun, the new helmsman of the Bureau of Public Procurement, was the director of Research/Training and Strategic Planning at the bureau before his appointment.
Daily Trust
