News
Food for Living: You Are the Remote Control of Your Life
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
In less than two weeks, the year 2020 will fizzle out, paving the way for the grand entry of the year 2021. Without mincing words, the year 202O came with its share of mixed feelings; to some it was a blessing and to others, a total disaster.
One thing about life however, is its unpredictable nature; sometimes it offers opportunities, and at other times, it disappoints. Howbeit, no one can deny the fact that it gives you back what you give to her. Life is just like a computer; it is garbage in, garbage out.
As the year gradually comes to an end, it still remains a two way traffic where some are regretting and some are celebrating. At stocktaking time such as this, we need to ask ourselves how well we spent the last eleven months. Did you try to add value to your life in any form? Did you learn any new skill? Did you join any professional association or organization? Did you network with any resourceful mind? Were you able to graduate despite challenges? Did you begin any business, school or work? The list is literally endless. What most people fail to understand is that in life, there’s a seed time and harvest time. While most people are lamenting like Jeremiah in the book of life, others are rejoicing and harvesting. You can’t do nothing from January to November and expect a sudden miracle in December.
We are the architect as well as the masterpiece of our own lives. Nobody can design our life more than us. We have the remote control of our lives. We are the compass of our lives; we are the rudder of our lives. But it’s sad to note that sometimes, we give up on our most precious asset – choice. We all have the power to decide the music and tone of our life and not the one the world plays for us. When you refuse to live your life, you are inadvertently giving other people the opportunity to live your life for you.
Do you wish to know how powerful a remote control can be? A remote control plays many roles, it changes the channel of a television, it controls the volume, it pauses the music, it can rewind and fast-forward. It can even record. A remote control literally plays the role you assign to it, all it requests from you is to make sure it has a functional battery. Let’s juxtapose the remote with our life. Sometimes, we put our life on hold due to setbacks and life challenges. Do you know that nobody likes to associate with people who give excuses, people who are poor, people who have little or no value to offer, etc. No matter what your storyline is, please stand up, dust yourself up and move on. Trust me, nobody cares about your drama.
We all have experienced those hurtful, frustrating, offensive, manipulative people in our lives, and we have the control to change the channel to something else. Question: Are you willing to use your remote (brain) to focus on proactive ideas?
How can you remote-control your life?
Learn to change the channel by looking at the good things of life, quit looking at the pains you felt, change the channel to joy by remembering the good things that happened to you.
Forgive Yourself and Forgive Others
As human beings, it’s normal to always remember the harm that was done to you as opposed to the gains. There was a story of two friends (Mr. A & B) who were travelling. They had a misunderstanding along the way, Mr. A slapped Mr. B, Mr. B wrote it on the sand; Mr. A slapped me. As they approached a river, Mr. A crossed the river, but Mr. B was a having a difficult time and was losing balance, Mr. A quickly assisted him and when they got to the shore, Mr. B wrote on the rock, Mr. A saved my life. Mr. A asked Mr. B why he wrote on the sand when he was slapped, and when he helped him cross the river, he wrote on the rock, Mr. A replied, when someone hurt you, write it on the sand because the water will wash it away , but when someone does you a favour, write it on the rock or in your heart where you won’t forget it.
Be Grateful
As humans, we always fall into the habit of reliving sad memories instead of good memories. We fail to understand that emotions hold us back, especially when we look back. Instead of having those sad memories how about you remembering all the miracles you experienced and the difficulties you overcame. For example, when you had no money, when you had no job, when you were lonely and desolate, when you were sick or received a bad medical report, which God healed you of, when you were saved from a terrible accident, when you had a baby despite several miscarriage etc. Moral: Quit having a memorial event in your mind and celebrate each victory and make it a memorial anniversary by telling your children the stories of God’s goodness.
Guard Your Space
As the owner of your remote, you can decide who comes into your space. Decide what behaviors and lifestyle you can accommodate. By so doing, you are remote controlling your life to the channel you wish to see. This helps to give you sanity of mind.
Boundaries are not set with the intention of changing other people. They may change how people interact with you, but they are more about enforcing your needs than attempting to change the general behavior and attitude of others. To make these boundaries work for you, you need to understand your needs and what you are looking at changing.
In conclusion, imagine your brain as the remote control of your life. What do you store in your brain, and what channel are you willing to watch?
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
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.
