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Food for Living: Time to Hit the Ground Running
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
It is my pleasure to officially welcome everyone to the year 2023. Permit to say a Happy New Year to you. I trust you all had a wonderful New Year celebration with your family and loved ones.
The New Year normally comes with many wishes, resolutions, aspirations, and renewed zeal to accomplish certain personal desires. It is easy to make resolutions and wishes, but the challenge is executing those tasks. If we are honest with ourselves, last year and in previous years, we made several resolutions regarding what we planned to do and what we would stop doing, but it’s quite unfortunate that within a few weeks of making such resolutions, we tend to fall back to our bad habits. The question now becomes, what’s the cause? This will be answered in a jiffy.
It should be noted that it is easier to learn a bad habit than learning a good habit. This is because it is easier to fail in life than to succeed. Failing in life is one of the easiest things, you don’t need to do much, all you need to do is do nothing, but for you to succeed, you need a lot of work.
In this article, I will share practical ways you can have a blissful 2023, and overcome any limiting beliefs in your mindset. It’s instructive to note that success is our heritage, but the mistake most of us make is the inability to grab what belongs to us. If you would like to make this year a success, you must be ready to roll your sleeves and do the needful. Nobody will do it for you. Most of the people we celebrate globally are celebrated because of their contributions to making the world a better place. They are not celebrated because they are nice, no; they are celebrated because of the work they did.
It should be noted that these great people were nobody the years before their exploits, but because they were intentional and strategic to get their work done, they did what they needed to do, and today, they are celebrated. So, if you want to be celebrated in 2023 or 2024, you must spend quality time to invest in your project.
As generally stated, success is not an accident, neither is it by luck. Though luck constitutes about 10%, but before the ten percent can manifest, you must be prepared to actualize the opportunity. But how do you actualize the opportunity? Simple. You can actualize it by hitting the ground running.
We are in the first week of 2023 and it seems to be moving fast. To make 2023 work for you, you must be ready to hit the ground running. As you rightly know; time waits for no one. The way you announce yourself matters a lot. Whether in politics, academics, family, personal or professional, people will address you the way you present yourself. Since this is the first week of 2023, you must hit the ground running by being disciplined in what you plan to do. When people tell you how disciplined and intentional they are, they will have no option than to give you the desired space you need, especially when you have made your intentions clear to them. Isn’t it true that the world sets apart for the man who knows where he is headed?
Since we are in the first week of 2022, you must take time to evaluate what worked and didn’t work for you in 2022 and previous years. Apply what worked and disregard what didn’t work. It is instructive to note that the world will not give us what we desire, rather, it will give us what we deserve. If you are aiming for any opportunity, you must hit the ground running by being innovative and creative. When you hit the ground running, the universe has a way of aligning with you by bringing all you need to actualize your dreams and desires.
Many of us came into 2023 with vigour, but it’s quite unfortunate that many of us have fallen out of track within this first first week of January. Again, what might be the cause? A lot of factors might have contributed to it. It could be that we didn’t prepare well. It could be that we didn’t have an accountability partner, it could also be that we overestimated ourselves and tried to overstretch ourselves; as a result become overwhelmed.
To make 2023 work for you, you need to be mindful of who you are? You need to ask yourself, who am I? This is the most important question you need to ask yourself. When you know who you are, what works for you and what doesn’t work for you, then you will know how to approach 2023. Why is this important? Most times we tend to judge ourselves by the work and standard of other people without minding the fact that we are all wired differently. When you understand what is unique about you, you’ll begin to unleash your potential.
Understanding who you are enables you to make the right choices because you are self-aware of your abilities. You wouldn’t want to do things that are beyond your capacity.
Another of the many ways to make 2023 work for you is by being disciplined. Discipline means being intentional in what you will do or will not do. The major reason most people don’t succeed in their resolutions is because they are not disciplined enough to know how to approach their plans. For instance, some people make bogus plans of the amount of money they will save every week or month without being realistic with their income. Some who are heavy drinkers might decide they won’t drink again instead of saying I will reduce my drinking habit from five to three. The point here is that success in life is a gradual thing, you can’t rush it. So, if you have a goal you will like to accomplish, you have to be honest with yourself on how you can achieve it. You can decide to break it down in small steps.
Another great way to make 2023 work for you is by tracking your progress. It’s normal to feel a certain way when you don’t measure up based on your expectations, especially when you put in the work and do the needful, let me tell you, if you have a heart of gratitude, you will realise that you made an effort which didn’t work. Imagine, if you have not done the work, how would you have felt? Do you know that done is better than perfect when perfect is not done? Someone can appreciate you for the effort you have put in, you can even develop it by improving it.
Finally, endeavour to have mentors or accountability partners who can help you critique or advise you on how you can improve. In one of my articles, Mentors Are Life Savers, I stressed on the importance of having mentors as a catalyst for success.
In conclusion, the year 2023 will be what you decide to make of it. 2023 will answer the name you give to it. If you call it discipline, gratitude, hard work, smart work, intentionality or even wealth, it will respond. But if you decide to call it luck, whatever, game, or life, it will give you the desired results and answers you deserve. The choice is yours.
That said, I wish you a blissful 2023 filled with vitality and opportunities. If you need someone to guide you through, feel free to reach out to me via the information below.
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
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.
