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Food for Living: Unleash Your Destiny
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By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It’s with all pleasure that I wish to inform you that my second book titled Unleash Your Destiny – 50 Nuggets for Living A Purposeful and Impactful Life is ready for publication, and it will be out anytime soon. I know many of my esteemed friends and followers will be surprised to be hearing about it here for the first time. Well, sometimes, it’s good to keep certain information to the heart. As mentioned in my previous articles, in recent times, I have decided to speak less and let my actions and work speak for me. That’s why I decided to keep the best kept secret to my heart.
Some of you may be wondering why I chose to title the book Unleash Your Destiny. Well, the reason is not far-fetched. Since the publication of my first book Design Your Destiny in 2017, there have been clarion calls all over the world for me to follow up on how one can unleash one’s potential after designing one’s destiny. After two years of intensive research, I decided to put down practical guidelines from the lives of extraordinary people who have been able to unleash their potential by following their purpose.
One of the cardinal reasons why most people fail in life is because they don’t know themselves. When you know yourself, you’ll be able to unleash your God given potential. What most youths and adults fail to understand is that each of us carry seeds of greatness. The question now becomes how can you activate, elevate, and unleash it? To unleash your potential, this book will make you understand you have the remote control of your life through the activation of your call and vision.
Since my formative years, a question that always rages in my mind is the subject of destiny and why its force is highly significant to our lives. As a progressive mind, who is always deliberate in engaging himself in tasks that will deepen my understanding of life, I am glad to inform my dear readers that I have unlocked some principles that shape the destiny of men. These principles, as novel discoveries of my research, have been compiled into my second book with the title, “Unleash Your Destiny: 50 Nuggets for Living A Purposeful and Impactful Life.,” which I am delighted to share its Preface with you below:
The subject of destiny is one that many people find both interesting and intriguing. More importantly, it is a subject that resonates with the very core of our being, the raison d’être of our existence. This is why I have often devoted my messages – whether through my books, videos or other channels – to this all-important subject.
My first book, Design Your Destiny: Actualizing Your Birthright to Success, explores the fundamental principles by which anyone can shape an extraordinary and highly impactful destiny for themselves. This present book is a timely sequel, as it elevates the clarion call from designing to unleashing destiny in strategic, spectacular, and trailblazing ways.
I recall that after the publication of my first book, I had an insightful discussion with a revered and celebrated mentor of mine, whose deep intellectual dispositions and spiritual enlightenment always leave me in awe. That discussion proved to be a defining moment for me. He had begun by congratulating me on the success of my book. Thereafter, he proceeded to ask if I had plans to expatiate more on the subject of destiny.
Frankly, that question took me by surprise because I had thought the book was all-encompassing on the subject of destiny. My mentor, however, reminded me of the truism that the end of one mountain is the beginning of another. He then came out more plainly on what he thought I needed to amplify: “Everyone has their destiny designed,” he said, “it is the phrase ‘actualizing your birthright’ that I want you to further enlighten the world on. I hope you will be able to do that, because it is now your destiny to guide people on how to live their best life.”
After brooding on the challenge of my mentor for some days, I received further illumination on why a follow-up to my first publication was absolutely necessary. I drew inspiration from the word “birthright” that my mentor emphasized, and I interpreted it to mean that everyone is divinely created, ordained and endowed with the power and abilities to be of value to themselves and the entire human race. However, the pivotal determinant of the ability to add value and the extent of value that can be added is the nature of the choices and decisions we make every day. This was what informed the title of this book, Unleash Your Destiny: 50 Nuggets For Living A Purposeful and Impactful Life.
Since there is an inextricable link between destiny and choices, it goes without saying that we are where we are today because of the choices made yesterday – either by ourselves or someone else on our behalf; and we will be tomorrow where the choices we are making today will lead us. This is why it is vitally important to imbibe and personalize the principles highlighted in this book. Destiny is not about imitating or competing with anyone; it is about breaking your own limits, becoming a better version of yourself, and living your best life.
Here is a critical truth: No matter how fast you run in life, what has been divinely allotted to you will manifest at the appointed time that your Creator considers perfect to elevate you. However, making this elevation a reality is a product of how you live every day of your life. This is why some of the nuggets in this book are focused on certain inevitable truths about life, such as: Life is in stages, you are a work in progress, kick out that fear, run your race, trust the process, etc. These principles are meant to create a vivid description that will accelerate your energy and stimulate your interest to blossom in the wonderful life that God has designed for you.
On a personal note, the subject of destiny is one that comes with profound reminiscences and resonances, some of which are reflected in the contents of this book. Indeed, as I have come to realize, my decision to emigrate from Nigeria to the United States of America was only a foretaste of my decisive rendezvous with destiny. Between that time and now, I have increasingly gained clarity about my purpose, such that I am now living my destiny by adding values to myself and those who come across my way. Essentially, while my decision to emigrate might have been a way of designing my destiny, my choice to make every day of my life count for God and for humanity is a veritable way of living my destiny.
I urge you therefore to know that the ultimate benchmark for truly living your destiny is that how you choose to spend your days, weeks, months, and years must be in alignment with the calls your Creator wants you to answer, the problems He wants you to solve and the discovery He wants you to make. It is then that you can be proud of yourself and the lives you have touched.
Because I believe that making your life better than it is currently is your quest; because I know that your greatest pursuit in life is to be a source of inspiration to others (both far and near); because I see you as someone blessed with the power to raise other people’s hopes and give them reasons to live a meaningful life; because my spirit tells me that the candle to lighten the darkest corners of the world is being held by you, it is my great pleasure and honour to share these golden principles for living a life of endearing illumination and enduring legacies with you.
It’s your turn to transform the world!
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s a Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of removing some of its nominated candidates from the commission’s list and replacing them with names allegedly unknown to the party.
The National Chairman of the party, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, made the allegation in a statement on Sunday, following INEC’s publication of candidates for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections.
Cleopas said the names published by INEC, particularly in Anambra State, suggested an attempt to undermine the party ahead of the elections and create disaffection among its supporters.
The NDC chairman specifically alleged that nine persons whose names were not authorised or submitted by the party had been listed as its candidates in various constituencies in Anambra State, the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He called on the INEC Chairman to immediately investigate the development and determine how the names got onto the commission’s list.
Cleopas also urged INEC to extend the investigation to other states, including Benue and Imo, where he said the party had observed a similar pattern.
According to him, the development had embarrassed the party, its leadership and its genuine candidates, while creating disaffection among its supporters in Nigeria and the Diaspora.
“We, as a party, are also carrying out our own independent investigation, the preliminary findings of which are already pointing to the complicity of INEC officials in foisting names purporting to be our candidates, but who are not from us,” he alleged.
He said the party’s investigation indicated that the uploading process was being used to intimidate and embarrass the NDC.
The party listed the following persons as names allegedly published by INEC as its candidates in Anambra:
Onitsha South 1 — Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa
Onitsha South 2 — Akpotue Obinna Chibuike
Orumba North — Nwankwo Chiemerie
Anaocha 1 — Maduagwu Eric K
Idemili North — Ngoebisi Obinna
Njikoka 1 — Isintume Charles
Nnewi South — Nwachukwu Nonso
Nnewi South 2 — Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne
Ayamelum — Nnonyelu Samson E
Dunukofia — Azotani Chuks Francis
Cleopas, however, said the party is particularly concerned about the process through which the names were uploaded and published.
He said after the conclusion of the party’s primaries and appeal process, stakeholders from Anambra, the party leadership, representatives of Obi and the appeals panel agreed on a final list of candidates.
According to him, the list was signed off by the relevant stakeholders before being uploaded to the INEC portal using the code provided to the party by the electoral commission.
He alleged that INEC officials subsequently kept nine of the names on “Pending” status, claiming that the names were already in the commission’s system based on submissions by officials who monitored the party’s primaries.
Cleopas said the NDC formally challenged the names and submitted the identities of candidates it said were legitimately nominated by the party, but INEC allegedly declined to replace the disputed names.
He further alleged that INEC subsequently collected Form EC-9 directly from the persons whose names were in dispute and uploaded the forms without going through the party.
“To further confirm that there was a predetermined effort on the part of INEC to impose the said nine candidates on the party, and embarrass both NDC and Mr. Peter Obi, INEC went behind the NDC to collect the Form EC-9 directly from the candidates, bypassing the party, and uploading same,” he alleged.
Cleopas argued that where there was a discrepancy between names submitted by a political party and information received by INEC from its monitoring teams, the commission should have left the affected positions vacant pending clarification, rather than publish names the party said it did not nominate.
“At the very worst, INEC could have left us with no candidates for those positions, if they knew they were unwilling to engage us in addressing any perceived anomaly,” he said.
The NDC chairman accused INEC of creating a pattern in which opposition parties were allegedly prevented from uploading their preferred candidates while other names were introduced into their candidate lists.
He vowed that the party would pursue the matter through all available legal channels and seek to have what it described as its authentic candidates restored.
“We are moving to approach the court of competent jurisdiction to seek redress and restore our authentic candidates. The general public and our millions of supporters should note that these are not our candidates,” he said.
Nepal said Sunday it had begun burying some of the hundreds of bodies recovered after devastating floods, after taking DNA samples and marking them so families can later retrieve them.
The dead are traditionally cremated on funeral pyres in Hindu-majority Nepal, so the burials are viewed as long-term storage until families can retrieve them.
Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai told reporters that all those buried were carefully recorded, but also appealed for international support, saying Nepal needed “more than a thousand” freezer units to store bodies.
The announcement of the burials came as Nepal’s disaster ministry increased its toll again on Sunday to 752 bodies recovered and 2,502 people missing.
That list includes 589 foreigners unaccounted for.
Chinese state media earlier confirmed 16 dead in Tibet and 546 people missing following Wednesday’s disaster, taking the overall toll to 768 dead and 3,048 unaccounted for.
“Following standard and accepted protocols, such as those of ICRC (Red Cross), the mortal remains of the dead, especially those not recognisable… have been temporarily buried,” Rai told reporters.
“Medical teams took DNA samples from every victim prior to the burial so that families can match-reference later, and would be allowed to exhume for necessary rituals.”
Nepal has called for freezer storage units and DNA testing kits, as it is overwhelmed with the number of bodies to store safely.
“We have requested different countries for freezers; we will need more than a thousand,” Rai added.
“Many dead bodies have been collected, and they have started decomposing. To preserve public health, we had to bury the decomposing bodies,” he added.
AFP
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Everyone loves influence. Everyone wants to be a person of influence. Everyone wants to be relevant. Everyone wants to be celebrated. Everyone likes attention, appreciation, approval, and admiration. All these are products of influence.
The question I need you to ask yourself is, are you a person of influence? Are you influencing anyone? Do you have a positive or negative influence on your children, spouse, friends, mentors/mentee, or even strangers? Take a minute to listen to yourself.
When we talk about influence, uninformed minds just think influence is only about money, power, authority, or even being a mentor. Influence is far from it. We are all influencers in one way or another. Many people have influenced us in different ways, some positive, some negative. Similarly, we have also influenced many people in good and bad ways.
But today, I’m here to share with you what influence is about and the positive ways one can be a person of influence. Influence comes in different ways: as a politician, you are influencing people; as a leader, you are influencing policy; as a youth advocate, mentor, teacher, pastor, and employee, you are influencing somebody in one way or the other.
Do you know you can influence someone with your lifestyle? Yes, the way you talk, write, lead, dress, eat, exercise, preach the word of God, do your job, serve people, train your children, etc., are all part of influence. Influence is powerful. It has a way of permeating someone without them knowing. I believe that’s why my late mother would always say, if you are hanging out with a friend, only take the good part and leave the bad part.
We currently live in the 21st century, where the internet leads. The internet is regarded as the fifth estate for a reason, because it empowers networked individuals and alternative media to hold traditional institutions, governments, and mainstream media accountable. Everyone and almost everything is on the internet; however, sometimes, the information we get on the internet is regarded as fake because it’s unverified.
In some quarters, the internet has been regarded as a bad influence on the younger generation because of the limited restrictions and the negative information it has exposed their minds to think in a particular way. Some other schools of thought have opined that the internet has done more good than harm due to the knowledge it has exposed their minds to, as opposed to the information being peddled by some other schools of thought. Regardless of the aisle one belongs to, the internet truly has its pros and cons, especially as it relates to influence.
The big question one needs to answer is what influence is. According to Nosakhare Tune Oni – A Pan-African Strategist, leadership and business coach, “influence is when people trust your judgment enough to act on it. It is when someone calls you before making an important decision. When your recommendation opens a door. When your name carries weight in a room, you’re not even in. When people are willing to put their reputation behind yours. That’s influence.
Let’s take a minute to dwell on those lines again. Has anyone played any of such roles in your life? If yes, that’s the best definition of influence in a nutshell. Influence is not about quantity, but quality. The quality of people in your life is more valuable than the quantity of people one’s life. Do you know we don’t really need battalions of friends, whether online or in person, but just one person of influence can be a game-changer. According to Les Brown, a leadership coach, we need only quality people.
Do you know we are everywhere and nowhere at the same time? Do you also know that we can be everywhere and still have very little influence? Influence is about knowing your value and the right people who appreciate the value you bring. Do you know one can be a person of value to the wrong person or audience?
Influence is about having followers who believe and follow your teaching. We can have visibility with little or no influence. One may have 100,000 followers. We may trend on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, or even WhatsApp. Your name is a household name. That is visibility.
Let me give you a practical example. If you have a large crowd of people following you online or in person. The critical question one must ask oneself is: why are they following me? Are they following me because of my ideology, my talent/gift, academic process, position, profession, vocation, skill, or jokes? If they follow you because of the ideology you represent, you are a person of influence. If they are following you because of your jokes, you may be a content creator or comedian with little or no value in influencing them to do or not do certain things. Real influence provokes action.
According to Nosakhare Tune Oni, influence is built differently from attention. Attention can be bought. Influence must be earned. You can manufacture visibility with advertising, controversy, or constant posting. But you cannot manufacture trust that easily. It comes from consistently being useful. Keeping your word. Knowing what you’re talking about. Showing up when it matters. Building relationships before you need them.
And creating value for people without constantly asking, “What’s in it for me?”
Do you know a person with 1,000 followers and deep trust within a particular industry may have more real influence than someone with 100,000 followers who nobody listens to. So, I don’t think the goal should simply be: “How many people know me?” A better question is: “How much does my presence actually change things?” Because visibility gets you noticed. Value gets you remembered. Trust gets you listened to, but influence is what happens when people trust your value enough to move.
As I prepare to conclude, please take a minute to ask yourself: are you a person of influence? Do you have influence? What positive influence have you had on people or anyone? Today, I want you to be a man/lady of influence like Martin Luther King Jnr, Mother Theresea, Evangelist Ebuka Obi, President Nelson Mandela, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Dr. Kola Adesina, Dr. Joe Abah, Dr. Dele Momodu, Barr. Henry Ukazu and Miss Ginika Dike.
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
