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Food for Living: The Success of 2023

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By Henry Ukazu

Compliments of the season. Today is a special day globally because many countries are already celebrating New Year’s Eve. No doubt, the year 2022 has been an interesting and eventful year. Depending on who you are speaking to you, some will opine that it was filled with challenges, experience, success, and memorable feelings. But one thing is certain, we came, we saw, and we “conquered” by the special grace of God. This is because we were not consumed by 2022 despite the numerous setbacks and challenges.

The greatest testimony anyone can appreciate in 2022 is practicing gratitude and appreciation. It will be foolhardy for anyone to say there’s nothing to celebrate in 2022 simply because they couldn’t meet their expectations. If nothing else, celebrate the fact that you are alive, or your family member is alive. Feeble minds fail to realize that once there’s life, there’s hope. That your plans didn’t work out in 2022 doesn’t mean that you are a failure. Sometimes in life, you will have to fail to gain. There might be lessons or nuts you must tighten up.

As the New Year unfolds in less than twenty hours time, it is pertinent to examine how your life was structured in 2022. Taking a holistic stock of your life will let you know what you did right and wrong. As we all plan to enter the new year in a grand style, it’s important to define what the New Year holds for you. You need to have a realistic vision board to decide what you’ll like to do in 2023.

I will be sharing ideas on some of the principles and strategies you can use to overcome 2023. It’s instructive to note that there are spiritual laws of success and there are principles of success. These laws and principles are universal if properly applied. Your ability to decipher how they work will be the game changer in 2023. I will be sharing some examples of spiritual laws of success and principles of success. Let me make a disclosure here, these principles and strategy are not exhaustive, they are merely suggestions you can apply. Everyone works differently. However, if you can apply them, I strongly believe you’ll thank me later.

To succeed in 2023, the first point of call you need is your creator. I don’t know what you believe in, but as for me and my household, we serve the living God. I cannot overemphasize the importance of God in your life. Most people just believe on their own they can achieve success without God, some don’t even believe in the existence of God, yet this set of individuals can’t authoritatively and intelligently say how they came into existence. To understand how God works, can you tell what happens when you are asleep? Can you determine the kind of dream you dream? Do you control what happens in your dream? Finally, do you decide when you’ll wake up from your sleep? I believe your answer is no. This is simply because when you are sleeping, you are practicing how you will die. If you wake up, it’s God that decides to give you a new life. Do you see that life and dreams can be spiritual?

I strongly believe there are forces that control heaven and earth which mere mortals like us don’t know. As generally acclaimed, the spiritual controls the physical. I also believe success in life is a result of principles and strategies and that’s what I will be sharing with you today.

For you to succeed in 2023, there are spiritual laws of success you must apply and there are principles of life you must apply. You can’t afford to miss them and expect to succeed. There might be other variable factors that can facilitate your success.

The first question you’ll need to ask yourself is, what do I want in life and what I do I want in 2023? These questions might sound so easy, but trust me, they are the hardest questions anyone can answer. Your ability to answer these questions will set you apart from your contemporaries. Your ability to know what you want will determine how to work on your long- and short-term goals. It will also determine how you can use the S.M.A.RT. (Specific, Measurable, Articulate, Realistic and Timely) goals to achieve success.

The second step will be writing it down. I have a workable plan which I call P.L.A.N. (Plan carefully; launch globally; Adjust your plan; and Network globally). This second step encompasses all you need to strategically win in 2023.

There are some spiritual laws of success which you can strategically apply. These laws are very dynamic. They don’t happen spontaneously; you must literally live with them daily just like you breathe. For example, the law of giving says, the giver’s hand is always on top, and the giver never lacks. To reap the fruits of this principle, you must know how to give right. You can’t give foolishly and expect some form of spiritual blessings. However, when you sacrificially give, God will look at your intention to reward you. You may be wondering how this works; you must look for people in need and share with them. For instance, when you give to widows and those who can’t help themselves and they pray for you, their prayers can go a long way.

You can also give to your contemporaries who are in need. Their kind words and wishes might be the prayer God can answer. Giving is like laying seeds on fertile ground, you don’t know soil and seed that will produce a plantation. Giving can also take the form of giving those who already have, like your mentors or those in position of authority. This form of giving does not entail giving them so they can support you, rather it should come in the form of appreciation or gratitude to them.

Another way you can benefit from 2023 is by going all out to help people selflessly. Whenever you find an opportunity to help anyone, please don’t think twice about it. Do it if you can. The universe has a way of paying you back. I strongly believe in the principle which says, you will get what you want faster when you help other people to achieve what they want. This principle works well when you help people who can’t pay you back for what you have done for them.

Another principle that triggers success is practicing gratitude. It is often said when you thank someone for what they have done, they are more likely to do more for you. In our contemporary society, gratitude is lacking. Most people are always in the habit of asking as opposed to thanking people who have assisted them in the past. Progressive minds who truly understood how this principle works tapped into it and cashed out. As human beings, most times, we are always in the habit of looking out for what we lack as opposed to looking inwards on what we have.

To truly understand how this principle works, thank the universe for all that happened to you whether it’s negative or positive. There might be one or two things you can learn from each experience regardless of if it was negative or positive. Moral: Look at the bright side of life and learn from your experience.

Furthermore, in 2023, you must learn to strategically know how to network. I call this strategic principle the universal game changer because it works like magic. Most times, as human beings, we think our grades, skills, intelligence and God factor will help us get us an opportunity. Yes, to a reasonable way, they can, however, your ability to know the right people and how to approach them can be the ultimate game changer because the right contact might prefer to work with you more than the person with skills, grades, God factor, intelligence etc. if they like you and you have the basic needs key performance indicators especially when they, trust and like you.

In conclusion, 2023 is like any other year, the only difference will be how you will make it work for you. If you need assistance on how to make 2023 work for you, please feel free to contact me with the email below and I’ll be glad to serve you.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer. 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

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US Lawmaker Weeps over Brutal Killing of Christians in Plateau

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A United States representative, Anna Paulina Luna, has raised the alarm over what she described as the incessant attacks and killings of Christians across different communities in Plateau State by Fulani ethnic militia terrorists and Islamist extremists.

The US lawmaker, who made the allegations in a statement shared on her verified X account on Friday, accused both the state and the federal governments of not doing enough to protect Christians in the state from the regular attacks they suffer when the terrorists descend on the communities.

In a post titled, “What is happening in Nigeria right now?”, the US lawmaker lamented that thousands of Christians in Plateau were facing a mortal threat while security forces had struggled to contain the situation.

“Hundreds of Fulani ethnic militia terrorists descended on Christian communities across Plateau State.

“Thousands of civilians are under mortal threat while the Nigerian Army and security forces struggle to hold the line,” Luna wrote.

According to her, the attacks were preceded by a series of violent incidents targeting Christians and other civilians in the affected communities.

Giving some specifics, Paulina said a pastor and his church secretary were shot dead while they were on their way to church in the days leading up to the latest attacks, while five Christians were attacked in another incident while travelling in a vehicle.

“A pastor and his church secretary were shot dead on their way to church. Five Christians were ambushed in their car.

“A civilian guard was killed outside his own home. A man and his son were beaten and left in critical condition,” the lawmaker said.

The US representative also alleged that security agencies had never taken warnings and security alerts issued before the attacks seriously, questioning why they had not been followed.

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Food for Living: Pursue Passion More Than Profit (Pt. 2)

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By Henry Ukazu

Dear Destiny Friends,

Last week, we began discussing a grey and near-controversial topic, “pursue passion more than profit”. The topic cannot be exhaustive. Depending on who one is speaking to, different answers and understanding will be received because different things work for different people, and as they say, ‘different strokes for different people’.

It I worthy of note that a family man who is passionate about teaching or working in the non-profit space will be tempted to engage in business to feed his family. But someone with a stable financial background can afford to follow his passion and work as a teacher or in the non-profit space where the pay is not lucrative.

From a practical perspective, I currently work for the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. This is an agency that pays a good salary to the uniformed officers after they work for 51/2 years. In addition to the money they receive, there are countless hours of overtime, which doubles their income depending on how many hours they work. Some call it blood money because they can hardly get the same money in other institutions.

Why am I sharing this information? According to most of the officers; they basically work in the agency because of the money. Most of the officers are of the opinion that they can hardly make such money working in other private or public enterprises. The majority of these officers are not passionate about the job; they are just there to take care of their pressing bills. Some of them even have a timeline: they can work and then resign to start up their business or work in their areas of interest. This goes to tell you that they are trading their passion for profit, which is kind of work if looked at from a particular point of view, but then they are trading their joy and peace.

Let me share another example. In Nigeria, a popular artist, David Adeleke, aka Davido, is one man who followed his passion. This young man came from a wealthy background. He literally left generational wealth to sing. Many thought he was crazy. Davido’s father, billionaire businessman Adedeji Adeleke, initially opposed his music career, but he eventually became fully supportive. Davido’s father went as far as having police shut down shows or arresting people involved when Davido left school in the US to pursue music in Nigeria. Due to his passion for singing, Davido had to fund his early career secretly and rebel against his family’s wishes before breaking through.

Once Davido achieved massive success and proved he could be successful in the industry, his father accepted his path and gave him his blessing. Davido once stated that despite making his own fortune, his billionaire father still surprises him with huge financial gifts, such as wiring him $300,000 after a major performance at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

I doubt that Davido would have become this famous if he didn’t follow his passion. Davido can be described as a man whose passion is stronger than power.

I had to share these two perspectives to give clarity on the relativity of passion and profit.

Let’s analyze the concept of passion and profit. If I may ask you, what is passion? What is profit? And what does passion and profit mean to you? According to Cambridge University, passion was defined as a very strong feeling, emotion, or deep enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause. For example, someone can have a strong emotion or a powerful state of feeling like intense love, excitement, anger, or hatred for something or somebody.

Passion can also be a deep interest or hobby which gives someone a strong liking or enthusiasm for an activity, such as cooking, music, or sports. In romantic cases, it can be a romantic or sexual desire: An intense physical or emotional attraction toward someone. In the spiritual context, it can be understood as the Sufferings of Jesus: Historically and in a religious context, it refers to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ between the Last Supper and the crucifixion (the Passion of Christ).

Profit, on the other hand, is the financial gain that remains when total revenue from an activity or business exceeds the total expenses and costs incurred, according to Investopedia. There are different types of profit:

  • Gross Profit: Revenue minus the direct cost of producing goods or services (COGS).
  • Operating Profit: Gross profit minus day-to-day operating expenses, excluding interest and taxes.
  • Net Profit: The final “bottom line” earnings left after all expenses, taxes, and interest are deducted.

Having given an overview of what passion and profit entail, let’s take a minute to understand the thin line between passion and profit. Just like authority is respected more than power, passion has more influence and is generally respected more than profit.  No doubt, it’s good to make a profit in business, but in this context, I am referring to the human resource space or human capacity development

On the surface, people may respect someone for the money one has, but they will value a person who is more passionate about a cause than one who has money but does not believe in the message they are preaching. There’s a saying: human beings are more than money. Just like, it’s better to have a good name than to have money.

People generally follow a leader or someone who they can relate to rather than someone who gives them money but is careless about their feelings. One message I heard countless times from one of my revered mentors regarding my career was to pursue passion over profits. According to him, passion is stronger than power. He likened passion to a scenario where a woman loves a man who has less money compared to a man who has money but does not have the values and vision she represents. According to these sets of ladies, money is good, but love conquers everything because if tomorrow the money travels, the marriage is bound to hit a rock, compared to a scene where a lady loves a man for who he is and what he represents. Even when the money is out, the friendship will still thrive.

According to the opposing schools of thought, while passion is good, it is they also believe that hard work beats talent, especially when talent is not put to good use.  So, even if one is passionate about a cause or has a talent that is yet to be developed, if one does not intentionally develop it, it will lie fallow. So, invariably, even if one is passionate about a cause, if they don’t have the strength to work on their passion, it’s advisable for them to focus on making money.

Here is my opinion: even though I subscribe to the position of focusing on or working for passion rather than for money, one must apply wisdom in navigating this tough terrain. One can decide to work for money and gather enough money to fund their passion because, at the end of the day, we all want to be happy, because happiness and fulfilment mean everything

In summary, while it is good to do what works for one and what is readily available, it’s imperatively important for one to strive for excellence and perfection, which can be found in passion.

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- Actualizing Your Birthright to Success, Unleash Your Destiny and The Six Pillars of Success . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

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Police Detain Inspector over Ethnic Slur Against Igbo, Peter Obi

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The Lagos State Police Command has commenced disciplinary action against an inspector following a viral video in which he was seen making disparaging ethnic remarks while travelling in a public vehicle.

The officer, identified as Inspector Osumah Frank, made what the Command described as “careless, inappropriate and uncultured remarks,” according to a statement issued on Friday, September 25, 2026, and signed by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi.

In the video, Frank, who was in police uniform, was heard making remarks about Igbo people and discussing the political ambitions of a former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi. He also made comments involving President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The inspector was further heard suggesting that police officers could collect money to frustrate a political candidate’s chances of succeeding.

Reacting to the video, the Command said the officer’s remarks were made in his personal capacity and did not represent the position or views of either the Lagos State Police Command or the Nigeria Police Force.

“The Command has commenced appropriate disciplinary action against the officer in line with established regulations of the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement said.

“It also wishes to make it clear that the statements made by the officer were made in his personal capacity and do not represent the position, views or official disposition of the Lagos State Police Command or the Nigeria Police Force,” it added.

The Commissioner of Police (CP) Tijani Fatai, said police personnel are required to maintain professionalism and respect for members of the public at all times.

“All personnel are expected to maintain professionalism, civility, discipline and respect for members of the public at all times,” the statement quoted Fatai as saying.

He said wearing the police uniform came with a responsibility to uphold the dignity and integrity of the Force, adding that the Command would not condone any conduct capable of bringing the police into disrepute or undermining public confidence in the Force.

The Command reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and “policing with humility and integrity.”

The video, which circulated widely on social media from around September 23, had drawn criticism over the officer’s remarks, particularly those concerning Igbo people and his comments about police officers collecting money to frustrate a political candidate.

The police did not state the specific disciplinary measures being taken against Frank.

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