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Food for Living: Think Out of the Box
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By Henry Ukazu
Dear destiny friends,
According to a ‘philosopher’, it is only a mad man who does the same thing over and over again and expects a different result. Imagine a student who failed an exam, what is rationally expected of him is to go back to the drawing board and fix whatever they did wrong. This is because you can’t be doing the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result.
The same principle is applicable for a businessman/woman who failed in business. Even in marriage, you cannot solve a problem with the same understanding you met it, neither can you solve a problem with the manner your friend or parents solved a problem. This is because a lot of transformation may have taken place. What works for them might not work for you. For instance, back in the days, a woman might be a housewife, but in our contemporary society, women are now feminist. Again, your friend’s wife or husband may have a different mindset, understanding and orientation. So, it is therefore imperative for you to think out of the box, and to know what works for you.
Thinking of the box is not for any specific person. A poor mind, rich mind, young or adult mind can think out of the box. To think out of the box, you must apply common sense. We are accustomed to hearing that common sense is not common, but in reality, common sense is available for all rational minds. You don’t need to have a degree or be an expert to have common sense. The inability to think out of the box makes you poor, and poor can be defined as passing over opportunities repeatedly.
Everyone wants to be successful in their marriage, business, academic, personal and professional life, but they fail to apply the logic and philosophy that works with it. For instance, some people who were successful because time and chance favoured them or either because they attended a networking event, or a friend recommended or referred them to a sponsor. So, if you can’t have access to the high and mighty, you can get them via your grades.
As newly married couples, we were told not to have third parties in our marriage if we want our marriage to work. In fact, we were told the only third party should be God. If I may ask, is God not a third party? Question: If a couples can’t handle a problem, what are they expected to do? Why do we have elders? Marriage therapist? Counselors? Etc. Do you know what if the couple mismanage the problem, it might lead to the end of the marriage? Moral: Think out of the box.
Time and chance are very critical to success in life. You can lose money and recover it, but when you lose time you can never recover it again. Just to let you know how powerful time is, I once read an interesting illustration that aptly highlights the value of time, and why it must be properly managed and maximized. Here it is: “Imagine there is a bank account which credits your account every morning with $86,400. It carries no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What will you do? Draw about every cent of course. Each of us has such a bank account, and it is called time. Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost whatever of this you failed to invest for a good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day, it opens a new account for you. Each night, it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposit, the loss is yours. There’s no drawing against “tomorrow.” You must live in the present on today’s deposit. Invest in it to get from it the utmost in good health, happiness and success. The clock is running. Make the most of today.”
Your ability to judiciously use your time will show how productive you are. Most times, poor people think rich people are the cause of their problem, but they fail to understand there’s a secret to their success. If you are able to think out of the box by asking the right questions, offering yourself for volunteering service, going out of your way to support someone either a great man, the less privileged or even those who can’t help themselves like students, you are creating doors of opportunity.
It is important to mention that there are many opportunities for everyone; the world is in need of visionary leaders who can solve problems, add value and create jobs. But it’s quite unfortunate to note that lazy people with poor mindsets feel that the market is saturated. Let me tell you, the market is not saturated, all that is needed is for you to create a unique product. Your style might be how you communicate, engage or relate with people. Do you know that 73% of the human brain is filled with water and 71% of the earth is filled with water? That tells you that despite all the land we occupy on earth, we are yet to scratch the surface of the earth.
Do you know that there are so many problems around your environment, just come up with an improvised means of making life easy for everyone and trust me, you will get paid because many people are lazy in conducting research, so if you can help them solve that problem, you’ll get paid.
Furthermore, thinking out of the box will teach you how you can avoid burning bridges. You may disagree with someone, you may not get along with them, but then, don’t burn the bridge, instead, keep your distance because we live in a dynamic world, you never can tell where you’ll meet them or when you might need them. Moral: Maturity makes you understand that you can disagree to agree.
The same is applicable for relationship/marriages. The game (relationship/marriage) might still be the same, but the rules must have changed because we now live in a different world. For example, why we all believe in love, in recent times, we have come to understand that it takes more than love to keep a relationship, you need money, faithfulness, patience, character, understanding, compromise, technology and sex to spice up your marriage.
To think out of the box requires knowledge, information, and wisdom. What you know is the key to your transformation because you can’t give what you don’t have. Change is internal. You can’t change what is beyond you.
In conclusion, one of the greatest ways of succeeding in life is by thinking out of the box, because whatever you are looking for is on the other side of life. Therefore, I urge you today to think out of the day.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and public speaker. 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
Digital solution provider, Globacom, recorded the highest Internet subscriber growth among Nigeria’s major telecom companies for the month of May.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Nigeria’s total Internet users increased to 157 million in May, up from 154.3 million in April. That is a growth of 2.67 million users in one month.
Globacom led the market by adding about 1.2 million new Internet subscribers. This means Glo was responsible for almost half of all new Internet users in May.
The company’s subscriber base grew from 15.5 million in April to 16.8 million in May. Airtel came second with 1.07 million new users, moving from 54.8 million to 55.8 million. MTN added 382,894 users to reach 83.5 million.
T2 Mobile, formerly 9mobile, recorded no growth for the second month in a row. Its subscriber base remained at 802,534. This is despite its roaming agreement with MTN, which was approved almost a year ago to help T2 customers use MTN’s network in areas with poor coverage.
Industry experts say Glo’s strong growth is due to its ongoing network upgrade. Since last year, the company has been building new base stations, expanding its fibre network, and adding thousands of new 4G sites across cities and rural areas.
The upgrades have improved voice and data quality for customers, while Globacom remain committed to providing better network experience and affordable Internet services to more Nigerians.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for 2027 general elections, Peter Obi, says that Nigerians across all walks of life are suffering under President Bola Tinubu’s administration due to worsening hunger, widespread insecurity, and systemic harassment.
Speaking with journalists at St Fintan’s Catholic Church in Onicha Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, on Friday, Obi urged citizens to stand firm and resist further hardship imposed by the country’s current leadership.
Obi was in Ebonyi State to attend the burial ceremony of Okaji Okorie, father of the NDC senatorial candidate for the Ebonyi South Zone, Linus Okorie. Responding to questions regarding the alleged harassment of NDC supporters by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Obi said that the current hardship transcends political affiliations.
“For me, every Nigerian is already being harassed, not just my supporters,” Obi said. “Hunger is harassing everybody. The worsening economic situation is affecting everyone. Go to any village, and you will see that people are suffering. It is time for Nigerians to tell those governing us that enough is enough.”
Addressing concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ability to conduct free and fair elections in 2027, Obi urged citizens to focus on collective action rather than institutional trust.
“It is not really about confidence in INEC; it is about having confidence in the people. The people will determine what INEC does. If Nigerians insist that their votes must count, then their votes will count,” he asserted.
“The people should look at what is happening in Nigeria and ask themselves: What is the future of our children in this enterprise called Nigeria? Are we going to continue in this direction?”
Obi noted that advocating for real change in the current political climate requires tremendous courage.
“Anyone talking about change in Nigeria today is making the ultimate sacrifice because we cannot continue like this. Every single day, poverty is increasing; every single day, hunger is increasing,” he noted.
“The World Bank recently reported that poverty has risen to almost 79 per cent from about 51 per cent when this government came into office. But you do not even need a World Bank report to know what is happening. Go to the villages and see for yourself.”
“Millions more Nigerians are facing hunger. So, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to continue like this? No.”
Turning to his host, Obi described Okorie as a steadfast ally and dependable partner, highlighting their shared political journey across party lines.
“This is not the first time Hon. Linus Okorie and I are working together. We worked together in the Labour Party, and now we are together in the NDC. That underscores the strength of our relationship,” Obi said.
“However, we are here today to pay our last respects to his late father. We pray that God Almighty, who blessed Papa with a long and fruitful life, will grant him eternal rest in His kingdom and give the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
The beginning of any journey is usually the hardest part. It is usually hard to take the bold step. Whether you are applying for a job, writing a book, starting a new business, getting married or even applying for school, there’s always the tendency to ask yourself mind-boggling questions such as; Will I succeed? Will I be accepted? This is among many others.
When progressive minds encounter this challenge, they are not afraid of taking the first step, they are merely concerned about the big picture, and not what they are currently experiencing. One of the big differences between great people and lesser minds is the ability for great people to take strategic risks, while lesser minds stay in their comfort zone.
On a personal note, I can relate to the journey of greatness when I began writing my first book. In all sincerity, I didn’t know what I was writing. All I knew was that I was putting down whatever comes to my mind provided I found it reasonable and relatable. At the end of the day, I found a proficient and efficient editor who was kind enough to work on the book and it became a trailblazer.
The moral is that I doubted myself many times if I had the capacity to write a book. I was literally afraid of beginning, but immediately I began writing, the universe began to conspire with me to make the work fruitful. Today, when I look back, I’m glad I took the bold step. I say this because just because of one book, I received national and global attention in addition to appearing on television and meeting gatekeepers and resource people.
The same principle is applicable when I began my first business. I didn’t know what to focus on and how to develop bossiness. All I knew was that I’m a motivator and counselor who likes to help youths and career professionals on proactive ways to succeed in their personal and professional lives. After attending a series of training courses, workshops, webinars, and several conferences, I began to have clarity about my business. I remember when I first started, I told the world that I can build a website just because my uncle assisted in using a free tool to build my website.
Why am I sharing this information? The same business I didn’t know how to structure is now registered with the highest certification from the Office of the Governor of New York to do business with any New York City agency. It now has a Chief Operating Officer, Social media manager, IT personnel and an exceptional Director of Partnership who works as a consultant. The company has also partnered with the United Nations Development Programme and has received awards.
All this is because I took the bold step to start a business. Sometimes in life, you don’t know what lies ahead when one takes the bold step.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnet, a proficient Ghost Writer, “If a book is tiled A synopsis of successful living were to be written, it would in all probability contain the following chapters:
1. Identify your talents, (use then to glory God and to benefit of humanity)
2. Have faith in the favor of God,
3. Engage in proper planning
4. 10% belongs to God
5. Give, give and keep in giving
Let’s take a minute to elaborate on this chapter:
1. Identify your talent: Before you begin any project, one must know who they are, what they have and what problems they want to solve. They also must take into consideration whether they have the capacity, competence and capability of doing the business. One thing is certain, they are using their skills, talent, and knowledge to solve a problem
2. Have faith in God:
Taking the first step entails having faith in yourself, in your business and most importantly in God. Without faith in oneself, in the business and in God, it will be difficult for one to succeed. Taking the first set entails believing in the possibility of the future.
3. Engaging in Proper planning:
It’s instructive to note that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Before anyone begins any task, it’s important for one to sit back and ask oneself if they have all they need to set up the business. This entails setting up a structure for the business, getting the right people, offering services and setting up the mission and vision statement of the company
4. 10% belongs to God
This is Biblical instruction which is part of the spiritual blessings of doing business. No one succeeds on their own. They either have an altar working for them or they have human beings as networks, benefactors, and resource persons recommending them for opportunities. Alternatively, these acts of tithe giving can also refer to Corporate Social Responsibility which is tantamount to giving back to society.
5. Give, give and keep giving.
This is another spiritual blessing. We are quite familiar with the saying, the giver never lacks, however, it’s important to note that when one gives without wisdom and accountability, one might run dry. So, it’s imperatively important for one to give with discretion, otherwise, one will be exhausted. It’s instructive to note that nobody receives with a clenched fist and the giver’s hand is always on top. If you want to receive it, please give. This giving aspect is made possible because someone took the first step to start a business which made it possible for the art of giving to take place.
In conclusion, if you desire to start a business, or have inspiration, just start, the universe has a way of conspiring with the world to support you to birth your passion, idea or vision. I say this because the worst you’ll want to do towards the end of life is to live in regret. So, I say, just begin. Whether you fail, it’s irrelevant because you are gaining and showing perseverance for the cause you believe in. At the end of theer day, we shall all tell our stories.
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, Unleash Your Destiny and The Six Pillars of Succes . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
