Dear Destiny Friends,
This is the continuation, and concluding part of last week’s article on The Six Pillars of Success.
Success is something everyone desires. Success is not only endearing, but also nourishing to the heart. It is important to note that there’s something about success which can’t be explained; it just hits differently, especially when one truly earns it.
One of the good things about success is the fulfillment one gets after achieving it. Fulfilment can’t be bought. No matter the level of success one has attained in life, if one has not experienced fulfilment, then success is not complete.
Last week, we discussed the three pillars which I called the foundational pillars of success apart from Spirituality which I strongly believe is the foundational pillar of success because all pillars rest on it.
A recap of last week’s article. On pillar one, we x-rayed the importance of discovering one’s purpose and how it helps in the personal growth of a progressive mind. On pillar two, we discussed the importance and relativity of career and vocational excellence as a tool the world will use to evaluate the tap root of success. Finally, we concluded by highlighting the most controversial topic everyone talks about when the word success is mentioned: Financial Independence and Financial Freedom. It will be hard for people to believe someone is successful without the element of financial success at play. Well, that’s an analysis for another way.
In today’s epistle, we shall be discussing the other three components namely: Health and wellbeing; Healthy family and Social relationship; and Spirituality and Inner grounding.
The Fourth of Pillars of Success: Health and Wellbeing:
Success has no sweetness without good health. This pillar recognizes the interconnectedness of physical vitality, emotional balance, mental clarity, and rest. A sustainable life requires a body and mind strong enough to sustain dreams, relationships, and responsibilities.
Health is one of the most critical aspects and pillars of success. Apart from spirituality, I believe it is the most important pillar of success. Regardless of any amount of money, connection, knowledge, career, family or even spirituality one may have, if one does not have good health on their part, they may not be able to function at optimal capacity. This is simply because, without health on one’s side, one is merely existing as opposed to living.
To show you how important one’s health is, if you don’t have good health, one will find it hard to read, work, exercise, fulfil purpose and even pray. Do you see why health is a critical foundation and pillar of success?
One influential Nigerian politician, Hon. Barr. C. M. C. Onuoha once shared with me a powerful insight from Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He said: “Before you contest for any office, you must have three things: health, money, and connection. But above all, the number one factor you need most is your health.” This is true because money can return, and connections can rebuild. But health, once significantly compromised, does not offer guarantees.
Attaining good health is not rock and science, all one needs to do is exercise, eat good food, sleep well and practice preventive care by avoiding harmful substances and visiting your doctor to check annual medical check-ups, Blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring, cancer screenings (age-appropriate) dental check-ups, eye examinations and taking vaccinations where recommended
The fifth pillars of Success: Healthy Family and Social Relationships.
No one succeeds in isolation. People flourish through connection, support, and community. This pillar affirms the value of nurturing your closest relationships, which include family, friendships, mentors, and networks. These bonds provide strength in difficult seasons, perspective in confusing ones, and joy in victorious ones.
Informed minds know that family is everything. It’s only in family that one can find “ily” which means “I love you”. All other acquaintances have an “end”. E.g. friend, girlfriend, boyfriend and even best friend. It’s sad that most people don’t understand the power of family and relationships in the development of a better society. Some people even sacrifice their family for their job. I think that’s one of the most expensive mistakes one can make. They forget that the moment they kick the bucket, it won’t take the company 24hours to advertise their position. Advice: Maintain family and career balance.
The importance of relationships cannot be over emphasized. We need family, friends, mentors, and even strangers to succeed. Uniformed minds don’t know that relationships are a currency. According to Robin Sharma, the business of business is human relationship, but the business of life is human connection.
The value of relationships to success is priceless. Nobody knows it all, we need each other to survive and succeed. We also need a strong family culture. We need to maximize our friendships and networks to move to the next chapter of life.
The sixth pillars of success: Spirituality and Inner Grounding:
Every human being draws strength from a deeper place. Some call it faith or spirituality; others call it conviction, conscience, or spiritual grounding. This pillar focuses on the inner life: values, belief systems, moral compass, and connection with God. For those who embrace faith, this becomes the source of clarity, integrity, resilience, and peace. It is the secret power that holds all other pillars together.
This pillar here is the most important pillar of success. I believe that’s why it’s saved for the last. If you agree with me before anything happens physically, it will happen in the spirit world. Yes, success happens in the spiritual realm. This can come in the form of dreams or prophecies.
There are many powers that come with spirituality and one of them is words. We can shape our worlds with the power of spoken words. Imagine having a bad dream at night, to overcome the power of the dream, one is expected to pray. Imagine having a bad experience, instead of accepting your fate, say, I am blessed, I am favored. Instead of saying, I am poor, say, I am rich in abundance. Instead of saying the world is against me, say the universe is conspiring for my success.
I vividly remember when I was in New York Law School preparing for an examination, a friend asked Henry, if your exam is tomorrow, how do you feel you will perform? In all honesty, I do know the best I can score is a C in my course. I told her, well, I’m looking at A-. Guess what, I made 3.5GPA that semester which earned me a scholarship. Can you see how significant words can be?
Another dimension of spiritual power of words can be seen in parental blessings. Apart from God, nobody and I repeat, nobody can bless you more than your biological parents. Your parents carry within them the foundational gene of blessings one needs to succeed. I am a living testimony to parental blessings. My first appearance on television was made possible by the prayers of my late grandmother.
Another important aspect of spiritual power is giving. I call it the ultimate gateway to spiritual blessings. Again, this is one of my strengths. I love to give even when it is difficult for me. I believe when one gives to anyone in need, it has a way of coming back in hundreds of folds.
In conclusion, essentially, anyone who claims success, in its fullest sense, will eventually touch all six pillars. Missing one doesn’t mean failure; it simply reveals where to build next. An Igbo proverb says, “Whenever a man wakes up, his morning begins.” No matter your age or stage, you can wake up to a stronger, clearer, and more fulfilling version of success. If you are yet to read the Six Pillars of Success, head fast to Amazon and grab a copy of the trending book with this link. The Six Pillars of 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
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