Dear Destiny Friends,

Ever wondered how one sleeps and wakes up? Ever wondered where the spirit goes while we sleep? The answer is hidden in mysteries because life, and by extension, existence, is full of mysteries.

On a personal note, I do believe that whenever we sleep, we are basically practicing how to die because no one knows the whereabouts of the spirit and souls. All we know is that we wake at the break of dawn, or when there’s a stirring, either naturally or artificial. That is a mystery!

Have you also ever imagined how a man will have sexual intercourse with a lady and a child is born? Have you also ever wondered about the mystery surrounding death? Have you also imagined how human beings fall in love with the opposite sex despite various variables. Again, each time I fly in the air, I begin to wonder about the invention surrounding the aeroplane. So many questions begging for answers. The mysteries surrounding life is inexhaustible.

For the benefit of hindsight, life is indeed a mystery. Sometimes, we think we understand it, and other times, it humbles us with its complexities. Life can be likened to a woman; the more you try to understand them, the more confused you become.

I had to give this introductory analysis to buttress the significance surrounding the mysteries of life. Why do I say this? Nothing is permanent in life, and as such anyone can be great and successful tomorrow. In my native Igbo (Nigerian) language, we have a saying that “nobody knows the stomach that will birth a king tomorrow”, and “tomorrow is pregnant”. These are evidence of the mysterious nature of life.

In my journey through life, I have met angels and devils in human form, who have played different roles in shaping my thoughts and outlook towards life. While I thought certain people will bring smiles to my life, they turned around to make me question their intentions and mindset. But the people I had some reservations with turned out to be some of the best things that have happened to me. For instance, I have a dear friend turned brother, whom I hold in high esteem. His name is Sodeeq Sulyman. He is the Chief Operating Officer of my company.

As a matter of fact, today is his birthday. He met me on X and reached out to me to be his mentor. I was literally humbled because that was the first time someone was making a firm request of me. I gladly accepted the request, and today our friendship, brotherhood and relationship has truly blossomed. This young man is literally one of the best things that has happened to my life. If I was told he will change the outlook of my life, business and life generally, I wouldn’t have believed it.

But as my late mother would always say, when you meet people just take the good part and leave the bad part. In all sincerity, I strongly believe our meeting was predestined, and mysterious if the circumstance of our meeting is x-rayed.

Here is the message, never look down on anyone except you are helping them to do something or pick something. Another message is don’t give up on anyone because you don’t know what tomorrow will unfold. Even the Bible book of life states in Proverbs 118:22, “the stone which the people rejected has become the cornerstone”. So, it’s instructive for one to be kind, courteous and humble in relationship with human beings because nobody knows what life will unfold tomorrow.

Imagine, if I had not treated this young man very well or even accepted him, I would probably have met other minds, who would have given me an experience of a lifetime I wouldn’t forget in a hurry.

The mystery of life can be seen in wealth creation. A man of means today can become a beggar tomorrow if the wealth is not properly managed, and the child of a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow. There have been stories of wealthy men whose children mismanaged their parents’ and became hungry, while slaves of wealthy men became stupendously wealthy. What does that tell you? Nothing is guaranteed in life. I often wonder how people take life very seriously thinking everything is about them. They don’t even know they can sleep and not wake up the next morning, nor are they aware of the fact that pride and ego are the two greatest enemies that can fast track the downfall of a man, while humility can jump-start their elevation.

As human beings sometimes, we wonder where our next meal will come from. Where would our next business, money, spouse, opportunity come from are some of the questions that bug our minds? One might have a business that has little or no hope of succeeding, but with determination and favour from God, the business will turn around for good.

On a personal note, I have been in a scenario where I lost hope of succeeding or moving to the next round, but I was surprised when the universe came through in ways and manners I couldn’t comprehend. I believe we all have one story or another to share as it relates to the mysteries of life. I can vividly recall when my late dad was very sick in the hospital. As a matter of fact, he was adjudged to be the sickest patient in the hospital. The doctor who was treating him said, he lost his mother to the exact sickness my late dad was facing. But with prayer, my late dad was able to survive to the amazement of everyone. He was later adjudged to be a miracle patient because he was given a slim opportunity to survive.

I don’t know what your storyline might be nor do I know what you are experiencing in your academic, business, health, career, or family life. One message I have for you is that nothing lasts forever. If you give it time, one day you’ll laugh and thank God for the experience and lessons life has offered you because life is a mystery one may not understand. It unfolds as it chooses.

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  and Unleash Your Destiny .  He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

Dear Destiny Friends,

Time is one of life’s most precious gifts. Time is priceless. Time is life. If anyone wants to really bless you, they will give you their time. Ignorant minds don’t know the importance of time. They prefer someone who will give them money as opposed to time.

Don’t get me wrong, money is good. But this is how I see it. If anyone gives you money, it’s like they are giving you fish, but if they give you time, they are teaching you how to fish. That’s why inferior minds see money as everything. They don’t know that if money is the only thing they have, they are poor.

Just like access, relationship, and value are currencies, time is also a priceless currency if properly managed. Most people erroneously believe that money is the only instrument to appreciate people, but there are scenarios where people have used time to get the attention of resource minds. Let me share a practical example; one of the best ways to get the attention of great men of influence is by using your time to serve them.

These great minds have seen money and wealth, and as such they value something different which money can’t buy, that’s where genuine loyalty comes into play. On a personal note, most of the great people I have been privileged to meet on earth were simply because of how I invested and engaged my time in their business, life and work (online and offline). In some cases, I used money to open the door, but I used my time to sustain and solidify the relationship based on the value I offered them.

Imagine if I don’t have value to share with them, my relationship and impact will not be as high as it is celebrated, because money without value is limited, but value if properly managed can metamorphose into wealth. Why am I saying this? Time is much more resourceful than money. Moral: Anyone that gives you time appreciates and loves you.

Ignorant minds see time for what it is not.  Time is life. Let’s think about it for a minute, one’s life can change for good just by being in the right place and one can lose a life changing opportunity for just being late for an event of interest. Now, you see why time is life.

Great men, who have truly succeeded in life, judiciously used their time. They practiced the principle of quality over quantity meaning that they can spend quality time learning a particular thing, which is capable of attracting the attention of great minds even if it means spending time and resources because of the influence it will generate in their life. This is opposed to spending quantity time on projects which might not produce the desired result.

Most great minds adopt the Pareto Principle, which is known as the 80/20 rule. This rule states that roughly 80% of outcomes come from 20% of causes, highlighting an imbalance where a few key inputs drive most results. These great minds are not concerned with mundane things. They leave crumbs for lesser minds. Great minds understand the power of delegation; they use money to buy time even when it is not convenient to do so.

Being selfish with one’s time is not a sin. One must do what works for them because your life is your life, no one can share it with you; your sorrow is your sorrow, no one can share it with you; and your joy is your joy, no one can share with you. This is why it’s good to do what works for you? In the real world, nobody really cares for you. You must fight both your real and silent wars.

When you are selfish with your time and resources, majority of people won’t really like you in the beginning, because they expect you to be there for them, they however, fail to realize you also have a life to build, and also needs help.

When you work on your purpose, you will know what’s necessary and make valuable use of your time. You will be intentional in doing the needful to fulfil the purpose of God in your life, and that entails being selfish with your time and resources.

Visionary people are selfish with their time because they know they have a purpose to fulfil. That’s why it’s always good to stay focused on your purpose and vision. Many people may not understand your calling; that’s fine, they don’t have to understand it because when God created you and gave you your purpose, it wasn’t a conference call. So, when he reveals something for you, it’s not for everyone to understand.

When you see a man who is focused, you’ll know because he will be intentional with the people he relates with, and how he uses time. Be so jealous of your time that people will respect you when you share a minute of it with them. In the society we live in, people will value you just the way you present yourself. If you present yourself as one, who is unserious with life, that’s exactly how they will treat you.

The irony is that anyone who has been selfish with their time and is able to succeed, receives congratulations and attention from those, who had despised him in the past. Again, this is why it is good to do what works for you, because at the end of the day, everybody will be alright.

Did you know that when you give people too much of your time, you give them the ability to prevent you from fulfilling your unique purpose, which only you can achieve. Almost everyone wants a piece of your time, but the truth is we can’t be there for everyone.

In summary, if you want to be serious with your life, you must be selfish with your money, skills, talent and time. Failure to do this will make people take you for granted.

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  and Unleash Your Destiny .  He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

Greetings Destiny Friends,

The year is gradually coming to an end, and most people, organizations, companies, associations and countries are already taking stock of how they fared during the year. While some may have succeeded, others may have failed in some areas, but one thing is certain, they all had an experience and learned something. This experience can be negative or positive depending on whovwas involved.

It is important to note that great companies, organizations, families, schools, employees, artists, footballers and others did not become great overnight; they learnt from others, who are more knowledgeable and experienced thereby adding to their own knowledge. That explains why most times, people talk about role models and mentors. Role models and mentors are path-finders because they guide with both their theoretical and practical experiences. A philosopher once stated, that ‘if at all I have attained success, it is because I stood on the platform of those who have attained that height’. It’s instructive to know that great men have great habits.

As human beings, there are several things that make us happy. It can be family, friends, careers/vocations, finance, health, physique, or even relationship with one’s creator. Every human being, except for a sadist, likes to be happy. But even a sadist derives a certain level of joy and satisfaction when they cause other people pain. However, being happy takes a lot of time and resources. For instance, when one spends time with courses they like, they tend to be happier, and when one works hard to have a decent life and decides to give himself a good treat, happiness is bound to radiate in their hearts.

Did you know that one can attract happiness just by looking at the lifestyle of other people who are living happy lives? It’s just like one who wants to achieve success in a particular field, whether in marriage, business, leadership, career, personal development, health, finance, family or even spirituality. The best thing the person can do is learn from the person, who has succeeded in that area. According to a sage, “great minds have great habits, they carefully select their partners, a step into their life will make a difference in your life, absorb their tapes, read their books and you’ll be great like them”. This message is simply talking about modelling success.

Another message here is that everyone needs a success model to be successful. Nobody succeeds on their own. We all learnt from someone. Someone gave us an opportunity to succeed. We are not better than everyone. We are just lucky to strategically be in the right place, probably say the right thing, have the right product/service, or even have the opportunity of being recommended by a resource person. The reasons are numerous.

To succeed in life, we must model success. All around are people who have achieved the kind of success anyone desires. All that needs to be done is to go close to them by being intentional. Seek an opportunity to learn. A caveat however, is never approach with an opportunist’s mindset.

Even if they are not in your field of study, look for avenues to get their attention. You can decide to get them a gift, study their work online and engage with them. Associate with their friends or anyone who knows or has access to them. If you have an opportunity, attend any event they might be attending or even speaking, endeavor to show up because one’s presence speaks loud. It could be the defining moment.

I can’t over emphasize the importance of modelling success. A lot of time, success doesn’t come to one, it created. People must endeavor to create the world they want to live, and by so doing, create their own success. Personally, I have modelled success in several ways. Whether I am in church, at work, school, or social gathering, I try to speak the language of my environment and project the message I want my perceived audience to get.

It’s disheartening to see people who complain and weep like Prophet Jeremiah and do literally nothing to help their life. It’s instructive to note that nobody will save you; you must save yourself. It’s only when you have helped yourself that help will locate you. It’s generally stated that heaven help those who help themselves’.

Let me share a practical example of how this works. I vividly remember when I was working on my first book. In all sincerity, I didn’t know what I was writing, I just flowed with whatever came to my mind. By the time I was done, I had a hard time editing and publishing it due to limited funds, but the universe was kind enough to bring destiny helpers to support me, and today, the book is a recipe for modelling success.

In conclusion, decide today to adopt the strength and strategies of your perceived role models. If you can’t have much personal contact with them, read their books listen to their tapes and attend their speaking engagements. Appreciate them through your note, test messages, or support their work. Trust me, they’ll notice and reach out.

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  and Unleash Your Destiny .  He can be reached via info@gloemi.com