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Adding Value

Adding Value: Become a Person of Value by Henry Ukazu

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Dear Destiny Friend,

“Try not to become a person of success but rather try to become a person of value” – Albert Einstein

To be valuable is one of the best things that can happen to any person. Whoever has value is the king of the pack, and is well sought after. He is resourceful, and everyone wants to tap into his resourcefulness.

But what does it mean to be a person of value? Note that understanding differs when the word value is mentioned. Value is relative because what’s valuable to one person might not be valuable to another. For example, a lady who has several suitors seeking her hand in marriage has something of interest she admires and dislikes in every suitor, but what will determine who she will marry will be the value she desires in a man. This value might be money, character, academics, loyalty, beauty or skill.

It’s however, sad, when people think that value relates to only money; but value is more than money. It can be skills, academic qualifications or certification, network and networth, spiritual life, social life, physical strength, position, talent among others.

To the world, value means having something to offer; a person’s value is something that can make a positive difference in the lives of others. When one is valuable, it means that they are not just a consumer, but a producer and creator. It means that they are not just followers, but a leaders.

The importance of value cannot be overemphasized. Everyone has a measure of value, but the challenge most people face is the inability to maximize their value.

Your value is a gift to the world. Your value is your talent. People of value are in high demand. People of exceptional value are in higher demand, and are respected and honoured.

Did you know that your value can be used to know your interest? For instance, how you spend your time; what you think; how you invest and spend your money; where you work; causes you support; choice of majors; the books you read; the events you attend and more, all combine to reflect your inherent value. Your value will assist you to know how you can balance work life and career. Your value can be used to showcase your mission and passion for life.

It’s instructive to note that nobody will willingly come to you if you don’t have value. When you position yourself as a pest, beggar, liability, etc., people will begin to see you in that light. Just to let you know how attractive one can be, imagine an ant being attracted to sugar. It is simply because the sugar has what the ant likes. That’s how life works. People will come to you when they see you have what they have.  That simply tells you must add value to yourself. Quit complaining and apportioning blame to people, government and circumstance, take ownership and responsibility of your life.  According to – Marcus T Cicero “You will be of as much value to others as you have been to yourself.”

When you know the value you offer, you won’t need to talk too much. You will have self confidence, you won’t need to announce yourself, rather, people will seek your services or product. According to  Patrick Lencioni, the author of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, “he stated the five ways to become a person of value and Influence. According to him, you must find your passion and purpose; Embrace Personal Development, choose a problem you can solve; be authentic.

1. Find your purpose and passion

The great and influential men and women the world has ever known were those who discovered and pursued their purpose and were driven by their passions. When you’re on the path of purpose, it’s easier to add significant value to the lives of others. You’ll hardly be of any significant value to people or influence them when you don’t know where you are going yourself. Purpose ignites passion which keeps you motivated, inspired and focused. You need that to be valuable and influential.

2. Embrace personal development

Becoming a person of value and influence demands embracing a lifelong pursuit of personal development. Personal development is a process of understanding and developing yourself to realize your full potential. The extent to which you’re able to add value and influence others depends on the extent to which you have been able to develop yourself. Every raw material has little or no value. It becomes valuable after it’s been refined. Take time to refine yourself in every area. That could be hard but it’s rewarding. Daily ask yourself, “What do I need to learn or do to become a better person?

3. Choose a problem you can solve for people

To be a person of value and influence, you have to become genuinely interested in people enough to solve a specific problem for them. Think of what you can do to make lives better. The more people you solve problems for, the more valuable and influential you become.

4. Be original and unique

When we live our lives mimicking or imitating others, it steals our originality. Originality is the beauty of life. Guess what? Imitations don’t get much attention, originals do.  You can copy my style, but you can’t imitate my creativity. We’ve all heard that when you imitate someone else, the best you can be is second best. That’s very true. To be a person of influence, don’t be anyone else. Be you.

5. Pursue excellence

Becoming a person of value and influence is not going to be so much about what you do as it is about how well you do it. It’s said that whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. Go beyond the usual. Add a touch of class in all you do. That’s what excellence is all about. Mind you it’s not the same as perfection.

6. Encourage and inspire others

Find a way to encourage and inspire others to be all they can be. Empower, share your knowledge and skills with others. Your value and influence is connected to the number of lives that are better because of you.

7. Exude confidence

Self-confidence is one quality that’s very admirable. It’s about knowing what you want and having the courage and boldness to go for it. When you’re self-confident, people are attracted to you. When you don’t have it, the opposite is the case. The reason is simple — what value do you think a person who doesn’t believe in himself offers?

8. Have integrity

It’s true that none of us is perfect but for you to be a person of value and influence you must be able to earn people’s confidence and trust. You should be able to live by certain values that uphold sound moral principles. Integrity means always doing the right thing and, in all circumstances, whether or not it’s convenient. It’s about being sincere and real. It’s about being honest enough to admit when you’re wrong. It’s your “yes” as “yes” and your “no” as “no”. It’s people trusting you not for any other reason but because you have earned their trust.

In conclusion, to be relevant consider being a person of value. Remember, your value depends on what you can offer.

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Adding Value

Adding Value: Principles of Life and Delayed Success by Henry Ukazu

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Dear Destiny Friends,

Each delay is perfectly fine, for we are within the safe hands of God – Madame Guyon

Many principles, other than perception, govern life and living, and they include, no pain, no gain; seed time and harvest time; Karma and gravity. There’s however, another principle called delayed gratification. A thorough understanding, and successful application of these principles will yield positive results.

But uniformed minds are still at sea as regards how the principles of life work. They feel and think life is a function of chance, connections, forces of the universe and divine providence. Yes, all these acts play a role in influencing how life operates, but the ultimate and universal truth is that, apart from God, life is governed by principles. Even nature made it possible for a woman to conceive for nine months all things being equal, before she is delivered of her child.

It is worthy of note that there are principles that are endearing to the heart. They are the principles of honesty, integrity, courage, humility, love, responsibility, service, and discipline; all these make one to be unique. People will respect and work with you when they know you, and what you represent. They will adjust to suit you.

Here are a few examples that illustrate life as governed by principles:

Spiritual Growth Principle:

This principle refers to a belief in something greater than oneself. It involves finding purpose, meaning, and inner strength through connecting with a higher power or connecting with one’s own inner wisdom. It is what you believe that will work for you. If you keep thinking about lack, the spirit of lack will gradually come to you without knowing. But if you are thinking about wealth, riches, abundance, the spirit of greatness will gradually attract opportunities that will usher you into the reign you desire and deserve.

Did you know one can have spiritual delays? You may be wondering how spiritual delay can affect you. You may have received a prophecy or proclamation from someone in authority, revelation via dream or even parental blessing; that’s very okay, but its manifestations will come through if you abide by the rules governing the revelations or proclamations. But when you decide to do otherwise, the blessings and opportunities will be delayed.

Spiritual principles work with the mindset. It attracts what it likes. Spiritual growth encourages individuals to cultivate gratitude, find peace within, and seek guidance and support in their recovery process.

The Principle of Service:

One of the best ways to get an opportunity is through service. Sometimes, opportunities come to you when you decide to intern, volunteer or even within communities. Trust me, people see people who participate. This principle works with leadership. You can’t be a great leader without being a good servant.

Through service, individuals not only assist others in their own recovery journey but also experience personal growth and fulfillment. By extending a helping hand, individuals create a sense of community, find inspiration, and reinforce their own commitment to sobriety. Service can take various forms, such as sharing experiences, providing support, or volunteering organizations.

These principles serve as guiding lights for individuals navigating the path of addiction recovery, emphasizing self-reflection, spiritual growth, and helping others.

One of the principles of life that is not properly understood is the principle of delayed success. As human beings, we sometimes experience delays in our business, academic, marriage, career or vocation. We may be thinking it’s over, but it’s not yet over, rather, it’s been packaged for a better time. One may be thinking life, and circumstances may be working against their interest, but that’s not the true position of things. According to Joel Osteen, it’s a setup for success. When life doesn’t go as planned, instead of questioning the moment, learn to appreciate the moment, especially when you have done what you are supposed to do.

To understand the relativity of destiny and delayed success, one’s destiny can’t be denied, at most, it can be delayed, and if it’s delayed, it’s for your own interest. One may be exploring an opportunity which is yet to manifest, rather than become anxious and desperate, be happy it didn’t happen yet because you may not know what would have happened assuming it happened.

Furthermore, to appreciate how delayed success works, as human beings, sometimes, waiting can be traumatic. This is because delays can make one to be unnecessarily anxious, impatient, and annoying. If it is not properly managed, it can cause more harm than good. Sometimes, we may ask ourselves, for how long will this suffering end, we fail to understand that delay can be orchestrated by the creator or universe to teach us humility, serenity, strength, and patience.

Did you know that delayed success if not properly managed can affect future opportunities especially when one is concerned about the past as opposed to enjoying the present? If you live in the past, you are likely to be stuck in the “why” mode. That means you always think about why things happened. That’s a recipe for unhappiness.

If you live in the future, you live in the “what if” mode. That state of mind causes anxiety about everything that might happen in the future. Again, that’s a recipe for living a timid life. How about living in the present mode and enjoying the vicissitudes life is bringing to you? You may stand a chance to learn one or two things.

In conclusion, as you journey towards life, endeavor to learn the associated principles, and one you experience delay, also learn the associated lessons because, above all, the principles will help you to relate with any situation.

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

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Adding Value

Adding Value: Be the Best Version of Yourself by Henry Ukazu

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Dear Destiny Friends,

When you truly study top performers in any field, what sets them apart is not their physical skill; it is how they control their minds –  Stan Beecham

There’s no gainsaying the fact that everyone loves the good things of life. Every human being loves the best academic, relationship, sports, luxury, vacation, entertainment, professional/vocation, can offer. The same goes for tangible things including food, gift items, clothings, automotive, jewelleries and a whole lot more.

In the same vein, every individual wishes to be the beat in whatever they are involved in. This is because when you are the best in what you do, the world will definitely seek you out.

To understand how this principle works, imagine a patient who is sick and he’s told the only person who can heal him is his supposed enemy who is an expert in a particular field. If the patient wants to live, he has no option but to seek the services of the said doctor.

Again, imagine a coach who is intentional in winning a major competition, he has no option of going to the competition with the best team regardless of whether he likes a particular athlete or not. The same principle is applicable in a professional work environment; your boss may not necessarily like you, but provided you are good at what you do, your boss will retain you. As a matter of fact, it is easier for a boss to fire an employee he likes, but who is not good in what he does than an employee he hates, but who is good in what he does.

The moral of this assertion is that when you are good at what you do, you don’t need much advertisement, your work will surely speak for you.

To get clarity and more insight on how being the best version of yourself works, during the on-going United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) conference, I observed that most of the speakers in the side-events were subject matter experts in their field such as climate change, health, education, security, youth affairs, technology, social development goals among others.

When you have distinguished yourself, it will be easier for people to work with you. It doesn’t matter if you have a degree or not, provided you can show results, and can speak, the world will resonate with you.

In my self-discovery journey,  I have realized that one’s profession is what they are trained to do like an attorney or doctor, but your vocation is what you are paid to do like skilled job or 9-5 – your ministry is your calling, that’s where you find your talent, passion and gift. To be the best version of yourself, one has to be intentional in working on their ministries, and that’s where they will be celebrated.

Did you know you can meet any resourceful person in the world just by working on your ministry or passion. To actualize this, you will need to adopt the pareto principle which says that 20% of the effort, or input, leads to 80% of the output. The goal of this principle is to recognize that most things in life are not distributed evenly.

The key to understanding the Pareto Principle is to identify that around 20% of one’s actions on the most productive tasks lead to the most success. This principle enables us to spot the few important things that are happening and ignore the mass of unimportant and mundae things. which are serving as distractions.

The Pareto Principle is very powerful and it is applicable in many  areas of life, including in business, relationships, learning, and marketing.

To become the best version of oneself, one must endeavor to discover their purpose and have the courage to pursue it with hard work, and believe in the power of luck to actualize it. I say this because it is very true for one to do all they are supposed to do, and still miss the opportunity because they don’t have luck. So, one has to be strategic in positioning themselves for the right opportunity. When you work according to your purpose and gift, it’s very easy for people to see how extraordinary you are.

Being the best does not relate to academics alone, one can be the best parent, employee, friend/partner, teacher, student, leader, athlete, and many more.

The best don’t really come to you by way of words, but actions. One can be the best by knowing himself and what’s unique about him. As a matter of fact, knowing oneself is the foundation of being the best version of oneself. It’s so sad that many people don’t really take time to understand themselves and that’s why they find themselves in a cobweb situation sometimes.

When you know who you are, your strength, weaknesses, personalities and what’s unique about you, you will stand a better chance to make the right choice because you will have clarity. This clarity will enable you to unleash your potential when you fail. It will also assist you to network with the right people, maximize your time wisely, appreciate who you are, and meditate day and night.

Being the best doesn’t always come easy. One must put effort to learning and doing the needful to get the desired attention and traction. Also, one must endeavor to get a mentor, who will advise and constructively criticise where necessary.

In conclusion, to discover what’s best about oneself, one will need to meditate, seek the face of God, know what makes them happy, explore other areas of interest by serving and volunteering in different capacities. Once you discover the niche that makes you happy, please spend valuable time to develop it because the day you discover your gift and what’s unique about you, that’s the day you become a millionaire.

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

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Adding Value

Adding Value: Unveiling the Secret to Attracting Wealth, Opportunities by Henry Ukazu

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Dear Destiny Friends,

Whoever says that money is not good is probably not aware that money solves most, if not all of life’s challenges. Without equivocation, money is good. It facilitates a lot of work and smooths the process. Rich, wealthy, and informed people, who understand how money works, know very well; you can use money to buy time, the same way the poor use time to buy money.

We all desire money but unfortunately, we fail to understand the principles surrounding the making and spending of money. It surely has a secret like any other area of life; every business has a secret, every family has a secret, every individual has a secret, every industry has a secret, every marriage has a secret, every team has a secret, and even every secret has a secret of survival. And if one does not understand the secret of any industry, they will have a hard time navigating through the industry.

Couple of years ago, I wrote an article titled, The Relativity of Success. In that article, I stressed on the importance of balancing life and success. While some people might value money, other parties might value family, career, health or even time. However, most people erroneously think money is the yardstick for measuring success. Yes, money might be one of the yardsticks, but it’s not the ultimate yardstick.

The secret to attracting money is by having a value the world needs. Value is very broad and relative. What might be valuable to someone might not be valuable to another person. But when it comes to money, value is a currency. To acquire this currency, you must either have a service or product that solves a problem.

It’s only lazy people who think they can easily attract money without doing any form of work. Isn’t it true that there’s no free lunch anywhere. Even when lunch is supposedly free, somebody has paid for it. Even if you don’t have a product or service to offer, please endeavor to have a sustainable value, which may be network, access or a form of information which boosts your resourcefulness.

I strongly believe everyone has a form of value, and there’s no harm in asking the question ‘how can I be of help to you?’ Everyone likes a helping hand, even a perfectionist.

According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished ghost writer, “the money you will ever need to fulfill your obligations has been kept somewhere for you. It’s in the pockets of the people around you. However, they will release the money to you only if you add value of some kind to their lives. You can do this by offering some services or selling some products. Since you now know where your money is kept, resolve today to discover what product you should sell or what service you should offer to access their funds,  but remember, all you must be in accordance with God’s principle.

Further to Dr. Garnett’s assertion, the money we seek is in someone’s pocket. The only guaranteed way of getting the money is by appealing to their conscience on what works for them. Unless you want to rob them of their hard-earned money, you can do simple research on what they like. For instance, if the person likes jokes, you can consider making them laugh, if the person is a sapio-sexual being, consider investing in knowledge and putting up a programme of interest that can strike a conversation. If the person likes supporting “causes” consider the option of having a Non-For-Profit organization and explain to the person how your organization matches their interest. Nobody likes to invest in what they are not passionate about.

Let me share a personal experience with you. I derive interest in networking with resourceful people, and as much I have met the rich and might in the society. I initially felt that because we are friends, a part of their wealth will flow to me, but that’s far from the truth. When I began to add value to my life by publishing inspiring and educational articles, published my first book, incorporated my company, got interviewed in television, began to market to book, my company and brand, my resourceful friends began to take me serious by inviting me to their club meetings in addition to having high level business conversation with me.

The moral here is that while I was searching for money, there were certain people I wanted to meet, there were certain doors, and opportunities I was hoping to attain, but couldn’t get their endorsement because I’m yet to mature into the opportunity. But when I added so much value, not only did my mentors and resourceful people begin to take me seriously, they also began to relate with me as a contemporary associate.

This principle is applicable in every sphere of life. Whatever you want to do, whoever you would like to meet, and whatsoever you desire, you must endeavor to do some work. Nobody literally comes to you because you appear to be nice. In the grand scheme of things, values, principles, interest, and intentionality that bring people together.

In conclusion, if you desire an opportunity, money, network and many more, you must show relevance for people to take you seriously, and not only invite you to the table, but also offer you a seat.

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

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