Adding Value

Adding Value: The Power of Transformation by Henry Ukazu

Published

2 years ago

April 27, 2024

Eric

Dear Destiny Friends,

Apart from having access to power, opportunities and being financially independent, nothing elevates a human being more than transformation.

Transformation occurs in different stages of life. Plants experience transformation by metamorphosis; animals experience transformation, human beings experience transformation; children, parents, students, leaders etc. all experience transformation from conception to death.

In the academic or professional environment, before anyone can be transformed, one must have added value to oneself which will enable him to serve and make an impact in the world. Transformation comes in various ways, one can transform by meeting someone, going to school, having a relationship with your creator, learning a skill and being in the political space.

In the journey of life, most people undergo multiple transformations throughout their lives. Although change can be uncomfortable, it can open new layers of life if one is properly transformed. Transformation is a powerful, valuable experience that’s capable of giving one what I call an encounter.

Do you know an encounter can lead to a transformation. Whenever you have an encounter, your life will change. An encounter can be meeting someone, attaining financial independence, getting a new job, or even accruing a formal education.

Let me share an example of how transformation works. Imagine a parent who saves hundreds of dollars every week for his child until the child becomes of age, say 18 or 25 years and he decides to pay for college to buy a property for the child. Also, contrast the same scenario to when the father decides to give that child the money or even buy him a property before he becomes of age, what do you think would have happened? The truth is that the child won’t be able to appreciate the value of what he has because he hasn’t been matured or mentally transformed to understand the value of what he has. That’s simply how the power of transformation works.

Imagine, if the father of the child gives the child a car, the child might bash the car which can either lead to his death or even an arrest of the father who will eternally regret his action. The moral here is that one will have to mentally strong to manage certain opportunities, otherwise, it can become a curse as opposed to a blessing.

The reality of life is that, for you to get to a certain position you must be renewed in mind, otherwise one might make a mess of oneself. The moral of this is that every time you are not mature enough to attract an opportunity either mentally or physically, that blessing can turn into a curse. This is because good things can be destroyed in the hands of someone who is not transformed to handle it.

Let’s take a case of the child who was given a car, imagine a case where a luxury car was given to a ten-year-old child to drive, that might sound like a blessing, but in reality, the car can lead to the death of that child because he’s not capable of driving the car or competent enough to appreciate what is in his hands.

Again, let’s see transformation from the spiritual perspective, sometimes success depends on many factors before they arrive at a certain level. Sometimes, you might be praying for an opportunity and the creator knows very well your mindset and thoughts needs cleansing from certain lifestyles, habits and associations before the blessings and prayers can work. In some cases, the creator knows fully well, you are not qualified for the position you are aspiring for, he might delay you to be fully transformed before your request is granted.

What really is transformation, Transformation is a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance mentally or spiritually. Transformation changes the outlook of something. When you have a simple hair cut, you are transforming your face, just like how beauticians transform the face of someone when you dress, you are transforming yourself. When we talk of transformation, it’s not limited to academic, mental, spiritual, or even career. Transformation can take various forms; it can even take personal or developmental. Transformation can result because of an increase in your finances, health, education, relationship etc.

The blessings and opportunities of transformation are priceless. To get to the next stage of life, one needs to be transformed. Do you know there are certain opportunities you can’t get unless you are transformed, or have acquired certain skills or qualities. This is why Jim Rohm said Success is something you attract by the person you become” For you to become, you must transform yourself by adding value to yourself.

Let me share a personal story with you. During my formative years in New York, I worked as a security officer for many years, many people laughed at me, some used sarcastic words by way of mockery, the future appeared bleak and insecure for me. I was privileged to have good mentors who honed my writing and speaking skills. Some believed in me, gave me opportunities, and spoke life into me. These acts inspired me to write my first and second book in addition to starting a human capacity development company. In three ways, I have seen myself traveling to different countries, speaking on various leadership and human development topics. I have also appeared on television, gained social currency, etc all because of the transformation that has taken place in my life.

If you truly want to be great, you must be truly transformed. After all, isn’t it true that you can’t be doing the same thing repeatedly and remain the same. In the journey of life, transformation is not negotiable. It should be noted, transformation is not a gift, neither can it be received by impartation, you must work for it by earning it.

For spiritual transformation to manifest, you must mortify your flesh, you must be delivered, you must be renewed in your mind, and be circumcised to get to a certain level.

To be fully transformed is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and principles. For instance, one must be consistent. One of the painful experiences of life is beginning a task and leaving it halfway.

Transformation prepares one for the task ahead. The worst thing that can happen to anyone is entering a relationship, business, spiritual realm etc. without being transformed. It’s just like going into marriage without taking a marriage course to know the basics of marriage or going into a ministry without divine assignment and complete transformation, you might have a hard time succeeding when you hit a roadblock.

To be transformed, one must develop or seek knowledge, practice meditation, and separate oneself from anything that’s not consistent with the principles, vision, and ideology one wishes to uphold.

When you are transformed, there are certain benefits that will come to you. Transformation will position you for better opportunities, which can launch you into your destiny.; and it makes people appreciate you more due to the value you earn. For example, personal transformation can make you healthy if you decide to work on your diet. You can exercise, you can read, you can learn a skill and attend professional or certificate courses to enhance your knowledge on a particular subject matter. Personal transformation can help you to improve personal relationships.

In conclusion, if you want to get to the next stage or attract the next bi opportunity, endeavor to work more on yourself than you do on your job. This is because when you work on your job you can make a living, but when you work on yourself, you can make a fortune.

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@glo emi.com

Adding Value

Adding Value: Kill Worry Before It Kills You by Henry Ukazu

Published

3 days ago

July 18, 2026

Eric

Dear Destiny Friends,

No human being can claim exeption from worry. Studies have proved that every person has at one time or another expressed worry over a particular, personal or general. Worry is a universal emotion, and not selective. We worry about our friends, children, partners, spouses, finance, career, health, job interviews and sometimes, how to go about first dates.

Worrying is like a challenge. No matter how hard one tries, they cannot run away from it. Worry can be described as the necessary evil we can’t afford. The basic truth temains that so long as there’s life, worrying about something is never faraway.

Did you know that constant worrying, negative thinking, and always expecting the worst can take a toll on a person’s emotional and physical health. It can sap emotional strength, leave one feeling restless and jumpy, cause insomnia, headaches, stomach problems, and make it difficult to concentrate at work or school.

When you worry, you experience restlessness. You may feel physically jittery, or restless and unfocused at work or school. This is because your attention is so focused on your worries.

Constant worrying can keep you up at night and make you tense and edgy during the day. And even though you hate feeling like a nervous wreck, it can still be so difficult to stop. For most chronic worriers, the anxious thoughts are fueled by the likely negative beliefs they hold in high belief that’s likely going to happen.

The truth about life is that no matter how hard we try, we can’t solve any problem by worrying about the problem. Imagine being poor, sick, and experiencing a spiritual challenge, trust me, crying, apportioning blame, and complaining won’t fix the problem. What is expected from an informed mind is to fix the problem by proffering solutions.

In the words of a social commentator, Dr. Yomi Garnet, “worry is such an unfortunate habit, isn’t it? Admittedly, real problems do exist, but often we expend so much energy on problems that do not exist, or worse still, we create new ones by dwelling on a myriad of bad things that might happen but never do. Resolve today to be so strong that nothing and nobody can disturb your peace of mind”.

One of the major disadvantages of worry is the level of restlessness and sleeplessness it brings with it, meaning that worries can keep one awake all night.

Changes in social life. Worry can cause social detachment. The effects of chronic worrying can also spill over into your social life. You might find that you become short-tempered with people around you, or even self-isolate yourself from others because you feel so emotionally exhausted.

The question now becomes; how do we solve these problems and challenges? How do we overcome worry? And more importantly, how can we live above worry?

Speak to a Licensed Therapist

Speaking to someone can help to address his concern. According to Maya Angelou, “People may may forget what you say, people may forget what you do, but people will never forget how you made them feel. You can consider speaking to your parents, siblings, partners, mentor or licensed therapist. For instance, BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more. You can ask your friends, family members, and people of interest how they cope with uncertainty in specific situations. This can help to improve social and mental wellbeing.

Build a strong support system.

Human beings are social creatures. We’re not meant to live in isolation. But a strong support system doesn’t necessarily mean a vast network of friends. Don’t underestimate the benefit of a few people you can trust and count on to be there for you.

Admit Your Fears

Let’s be honest, it’s practically impossible to feel truly thankful and discontented at the same moment. The first step in solving a problem is by admitting and recognizing we have a problem. This is because identification of a problem is fifty percent solved. Once we know a problem exists, the next stage is how do we solve the problem.

There’s no double fear plays a big role in why we worry. We worry about the future. Imagine being out of work and owing rent, it could be traumatic. So, admitting one has a problem of having no job and owing rent is enough to put fear in our body. To solve these problems, one ought to find a job. That’s one of the fastest and most resourceful ways of eliminating fear and worry as it relates to being poor or out of work.

Give Thanks.

Another great way of eliminating worry from our life is by giving thanks to God if one is a Christian. Giving thanks has an undertone of acknowledging problems, however, it says, I’m not focusing on it because I have a superior power over the problem and as such, I will thank my creator who is aware of issues at hand.

Again, giving thanks has an inherent message saying, this challenge is a test of my ability to overcome this challenge. The problem will make one think out of the box about how to address the problem.

Be Still

Being still despite chaos can be challenging. One of the ways of practicing this principle is by taking a deep breath, resting, reflecting, and meditating. This helps to clear one’s head to focus on important things as opposed to mundane things. It’s instructive to note that there’s a certain level of peace of mind that comes to one when one is still.

Pray

This is one of the most powerful ways to end worry from our life. Sometimes, there are problems that are beyond us, but they are not beyond our God. According to the Serenity prayer, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Sometimes, I wonder why most people worry when they can pray. Prayers can change a lot of things if we are intentional and do our own part of the bargain.

In conclusion, to live long and become productive, please quit worrying and complaining about what you have no control over and focus on what you have control over.

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

Adding Value

Adding Value: Make Efficiency, Effectiveness Your Watchword by Henry Ukazu

Published

1 week ago

July 11, 2026

Eric

Dear Destiny Friends,

To be successful, everyone needs to be effective and efficient in all they do. Success does not come from nicety, speech articulation or fine diction, spotless dressing, connections, good proposal or even from having a good product. Though all these factors might play a role, a business man must not only be efficient in their business, they must also be effective.

These words, effective and efficient no doubt, are so closely related, however there’s a thin line of difference between the two. If you stay with me for awhile, you’ll understand.

One might be wondering what the difference between being effective and being efficient is. According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, a prolific and exceptional ghost writer, efficiency is the ability to do something well without wasting energy or effort, whilst to be effective is simply to do something well. Let’s talk a minute to explain how this works. One can be efficient and not effective, and one can be effective and not efficient. But a truly great mind is both effective and efficient. When one is efficient, it means that he can do the work within the shortest possible time. This may be because he has done it over and over again, and have mastered its nitty-gritty.

There’s a saying, if someone can’t explain something to a six-year-old child, that person doesn’t understand the subject very well. I agree with this saying because when someone understands something, he/she won’t go through stress explaining it, and will spend minimum time doing it. Whilst for someone who is effective, he knows the issue or has a subject matter expert on the business very well. He can literally do it when he wakes up from sleep without rehearsing. So, in summary, an effective person saves time, while an efficient person explains better.

As progressive beings, we must be proactive with not only our life, but also our business, career, and whatever we find our hand worthy of doing. By doing so, people will appreciate us and support us. In business, one of the best forms of advertising is referral. When one’s work is exceptionally good, he doesn’t need too much advertising; his work will speak for itself. For instance, anyone who may have used the product might say ‘I have used this product or service, and I can guarantee its effectiveness’. Another person might say ‘the staff are very efficient, professional, and great at customer service’.

All these are great reviews. Trust me, one doesn’t need too many reviews to believe in the authenticity of what people are saying. They can sense a genuine review devoid of sentiments and vested interest. So, imagine a case where there’s no review, one might have a challenge in believing the durability and effectiveness of the product/service.

As a business owner, one must be intentional with respect to how he treats his employers and customers. What most uninformed business owners don’t know is that when you take care of your staff, they will in turn take care of your business. When the staff are happy, they’ll treat the customers well, and when the customers are happy, they’ll in turn tell the world. Do you see how effectiveness and efficiency work in a company?

In a similar way, if one is consistent in publishing articles every week like I do, opportunities are bound to arise soon when there’s alignment. As a business owner, I can authoritatively tell you being good at what you say you do is a currency. Nobody likes shady or dirty work. I can also tell you people are ready to pay for premium services provided you can deliver.

Let me share a personal experience with you; two months ago, I visited my home country – Nigeria, for a business opportunity. During my meeting with some established institutions, I had to submit proposals to them. But because I wasn’t proficient in writing proposals, I had to hire a consultant to do the job for me. Not only did I hire a consultant, I also flew him for business meetings because I trusted his judgment, and guess work, it paid off.

Imagine, if I had to do it myself, I doubt if the work would have been given the kind of positive attention it attracted. Why am I sharing this information? When one is good at what they do, it won’t take long for them to be seen when the right opportunity comes.

Being efficient and effective does not only apply to our professional lives, it’s also applicable in our personal lives. In the world we currently live in, things are governed by perception. When people see how effective and efficient you are, they will be inclined to associate with you, but when you appear like an unserious person, they will find it hard to recommend or refer you for business opportunities.

So, today, take stock and ask yourself if are you an effective and efficient person; if your company is effective and efficient. If your answer is no; ask yourself what you can do to make you and your company effective. The answer will set you on the right path to success.

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

Adding Value

Adding Value: The Inherent Power of Gift-Nurturing by Henry Ukazu

Published

2 weeks ago

July 5, 2026

Eric

Greetings Destiny Friends,

The saying, the joy of life is not how happy you are, but how happy others can be because of you, is no fluke. The statement emphasizes the importance of building human relationships. Relationships are skills that need to be nurtured.

Building and maintaining relationships is a skill that everyone needs to learn. But importantly, one must be intentional in the kind of relationship they intend to build because failure to cross the t’s and dot the i’s can have devastating effects on a person.

As human beings, sometimes, we don’t know what we have until we lose them. It’s instructive to note that one of the major challenges Third World countries have is maintaining culture. These third world countries find it difficult to maintain their roads, schools, provide good health hospitals, or build infrastructural facilities for their citizens. Even as human beings, sometimes, we lack this mindset of not maintaining or developing what we have. This is because we might know how to sing, swim, dance, play soccer, write or even teach, but we don’t develop it.

It’s instructive to note that the world is usually attracted to strength and not weakness. Isn’t it true that nobody celebrates poverty, rather they eulogize successful and wealthy people. So, if you desire to be celebrated, endeavor to develop what’s inside of you.

Let me tell you, nobody can celebrate or talk about you if you don’t talk or celebrate yourself, and nobody can save you without you making an attempt to save yourself. According to a former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, “you can’t wake a man who is pretending to be asleep”. That’s a powerful statement insinuating the power of self-determination. When you develop what you have, the world will resonate with you. This is what I mean by the power of maintenance.

The question we need to ask ourselves is how do we maintain what we have? Well, maintaining what we have is not as hard as it may appear. All that is necessary for one to be intentional in developing and adding value to their life.

Everyone has a gift or talent, but the challenge we have is that we don’t take time to groom it. Beloved, if you don’t groom your gift, nobody will do it for you. If you don’t speak about yourself, nobody will speak about you. Sometimes, we want glory, but we are not willing to pay the price.

Furthermore, in every sphere of life, maintenance culture is very important. Failure to do so can make one spend more. Imagine having a car with a minor break, if the car is not properly fixed, it will affect other parts of the car. The same principle is applicable if one has a house which needs repairs. The principle of the broken window tells us when a window is damaged, it will be better to pull it out or fix it so we can focus on other things otherwise, it will affect other components in the house.

This principle is also applicable to business, politicians, academics, spirituality, health and family. As a matter of fact, it is applicable in every area of our life. According to Myles Munroe “whatever we don’t manage we lose”. So, imagine what will happen if we don’t develop our skills and talent. The grave is considered the richest soil on earth because of the millions and billions of talents that have been buried inside the soil.

As a budding entrepreneur, we have been told about the power of consistency. When one is consistent, the universe has a way of showcasing us to the world. Let me share a practical example of how consistency works. In 2018, I was given an opportunity to publish weekly articles by Chief Dele Momodu on this online newspaper. I took up the challenge and have been consistently publishing inspirational and creative articles that will assist entrepreneurs and progressive minds to unleash their potential.

Here is the catch, I have received numerous opportunities and recognition globally from resourceful organizations, in addition to meeting great leaders of thought who have developed interest in my work. It’s important to note that I wasn’t a great writer at the initial stage, but over time, I have honed my writing skills by interacting and reading from resourceful minds

For business owners, if you have a business, consider learning all necessary information including taking certification classes, training and networking with the right people to acquaint yourself to the extent an opportunity presents itself. Also, sometimes we wait for people or big organizations to give you big opportunities to showcase your work to the world, but we fail to understand that we have what it takes to attract global attention which will bring the big names and organizations we desire to come to us. But we are not willing to pay the price.

I can remembered when I started my business, I had no clarity of what I was doing, but because I was intentional to learn, I attended many online trainings and today I can boldly say that by the special grace of God, my organization have partnered with global organizations and United Nations Development Programme to train youths in Rwanda on Leadership. The moral of this message is that I maintained my line, I maintained my skill, talent, I developed myself, but more importantly I didn’t give up on what I have inside me. I may not know your experiences or situations or expectations, but if you can stay focused and do the needful, I have no doubt the world will celebrate you in due time.

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