Adding Value

Adding Value: The Six Pillars of Success Pt. 2 by Henry Ukazu

Published

4 months ago

March 21, 2026

Eric

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@glo emi.com

Adding Value

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

Published

4 hours 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.

Adding Value

Adding Value: Operate Silently by Henry Ukazu

Published

1 week ago

June 27, 2026

Eric

Dear Destiny Friends,

Silence is powerful. silence is golden. And silence can also be misinterpreted. Silence can mean acceptance, the same way it can mean rejection, depending however, on the context and usage.

The power of silence cannot be overemphasized. It’s a strong weapon only great people understand. While most people make a lot of noise, great leaders of thought practice silence. Silence, most of the times, is a strategic weapon creative minds use during negotiation.

To succeed in any chosen career, one must move in silence because there’s no sense announcing one’s work prematurely. When one is tempted to do so, the work might lose its vitality. The success of any project is best appreciated when it’s the best kept secret, especially when the work is underrated.

To understand how silence works, try being discreet while working hard, and allow the outcome/success to announce the dedication. Personally, I find it odd when people make noise about their personality or showcase their work for people to notice when it’s still supposed to be in incubation as opposed to expressing humility about the said achievement.

There’s a Nigerian adage that says, money can’t be hidden, no matter how hard one tries. The adage further states that when a poor man acts rich, something is likely going to happen which will expose the individual as poor despite trying to act rich. The same principle is applicable when a rich man is acting poor, something will happen which will showcase the man’s wealth despite acting like he’s poor. The moral of this analysis is that it’s always good for one to be humble about life and their modest achievements.

This is how I know greatness. Great people operate in silence. They know what they want, and they work hard by remaining focused. They don’t share their vision with any Dick, Tom and Harry. They are very intentional and strategic in their thought process and relationships. On the other hand, those without understanding just move with speed devoid of direction thereby making mistakes.

Silence is very powerful. The proper use of silence can prevent trouble. Even the Bible exposed that a foolish man is considered wise when he keeps silent, and a wise man is considered foolish when he opens his mouth to speak. This literally means that one ought to know when to speak and when not to speak.

In the spiritual realm as well, silence assists to solve more problems than prayers. For instance, too often, people commit to loud prayers to solve problems, not knowing that a few moments of silence with meditation, can provide wholesome answers.

In case you are wondering how that works; did you know that when we pray, we are talking to God, but when we meditate, God is talking to us. That explains it!

As progressive minds, we ought to meditate. Meditation is powerful. There are many blessings and benefits that come to us when we meditate. Meditation helps us to have less stress, better focus, better memory, enhance creativity, reduce anxiety, and anger.

One of the greatest benefits of mediation is that it helps us to relate cordially when strange people try to serve as detractors. To understand this ideology and principle, when people provoke you, you don’t have to respond. Just move in silence by acting like you didn’t notice their actions. They will be wondering why you are not provoked to react. Well, it makes no sense to come down to the level of pigs when one is dragged in the mud. According to Michelle Obama, when they go low you go high.

There’s no way on planet Earth one won’t be misunderstood. One of the best ways to relate with the public is by practicing the still act of silence. Keep them in suspense. Let them keep guessing and wondering. Silence is the only thing people can’t misquote. After all, we would not all be here if Eve had been silent when the serpent spoke to her. Silence is, indeed, golden.

I’ll strongly advise that if you are working on a novel project, please move in silence, don’t announce your elaborate plan. Allow it to mature, and if possible, let it hatch before you announce it. The world is not concerned about your struggles or theories, rather, they want to see your results because results make the difference. It’s your result that will make your stories sweet and endearing to the heart. The only time however, one is encouraged to announce or share whatever they are working on is when they need technical or superior expertise or advice on the project. And the subject of contact MUST be resourceful mind or an absolutely trusted ally, who knows his onions.

I remember when I was working on my first, second and third books, I stayed committed to the project in my corner. Even when I shared excerpts from my manuscript, it was to people that matter in as much as they still allowed me to work on my own. And when the book was finally published, I received lots of commendations and support. That’s how life works.

In conclusion, experience has taught me to operate in silence because it gives me confidence and a better understanding of how life and people think. This is because silence reveals a lot with time, silence heals, and silence speaks volumes.

Adding Value

Adding Value: Responding to Life Challenges by Henry Ukazu

Published

1 month ago

May 24, 2026

Eric

Dear Destiny Friends,

Everyone experiences life in different ways. There’s absolutely nobody on planet earth who hasn’t encountered situations or circumstances that shaped them or gave them different perceptions of life. No matter how we try, we can’t run away from problems. A friend once jokingly said, problems are like women; they are the “necessary evil” you can’t avoid, especially when they have an interest in you.

We all experience life in our families, relationships, academics, spiritual life, careers, health, and even personal life. But what makes the ultimate difference is how we’ll react to it.

Let me explain a little bit using a case study of family, health, career, academic, spiritual, and personal aspects.

Family

It’s instructive to note that what makes a family is secret, so imagine a case where the secret of a family is divulged. There’s bound to be problems that will arise. Another scenario is when a family experiences the death of a loved one. I think that’s one of the most painful experiences one can ever experience because losing a loved one is no joke. The death of a family member can shatter a family if not properly managed.

Imagine a case where the head of the family, say a father, passes to glory and his wife is not financially stable to manage the family. The children will experience challenges that will shape their future. The question we need to ask ourselves is, how do we manage death when it happens?

Health

Another scenario that can shape us is our health. Health is so important that without it, one will not be able to function properly. There have been life-threatening health cases that lead to the untimely death of a sick patient. The question we need to ask ourselves is: how do we respond to these health challenges when it comes to us?

Career

Do you know your career can serve as an encounter which can shape you? Yes, an encounter is like an experience which can make one not remain the same. Do you also know that your career can make or mar you? Yes, while one’s career can serve as an instrument to one’s success, it can also lead to the demise of someone, especially if it’s not a purposeful career befitting the person.

Academic

Some schools of thought say that examination is not the true test of knowledge. There have been situations where one’s academic background can metamorphose them in the right direction, especially when one is intentional and purposeful in their chosen academic pursuit, and there have been scenarios when someone ventured into academic pursuits that are not suitable for them.

I was once a victim of this ugly experience when I ventured into Taxation Law at New York Law School. Despite earning a scholarship in the program, I knew for a fact, assuming I got a job, it won’t be fulfilling because I will be a victim of defective success.

Spiritual

One of the most defining moments of one’s life can be seen in their spiritual life. It’s sad to see most people playing with their spiritual life. They fail to realize that spirituality controls the physical. When we talk of spirituality, there are two types. Those for God and those for gods. It’s always good for one to align to one side, but as a matter of advice, it’s always good for one to stay on the side of God.

There are many situations that would have ended one’s life, but due to one’s neglect of one’s spiritual life, the life can be cut short. Question: How do you respond to spiritual things when spiritual forces push you around?

Personal

Last but not least is our personal life. How we respond to life challenges in our academic, health, finance, relationship, career, or even spiritual life can determine how far we go in life. Remember, it’s instructive to note that it is our attitude and not aptitude that will determine our altitude to life.

The big question we need to ask ourselves now is: how do we respond to these challenging circumstances or issues? The answer is attitude. You’ll agree with me, you may not always be able to choose your circumstances, but you can choose to respond to them.

There was a touching story about a man who was unjustly and wrongfully convicted for murder, and he spent many years in prison awaiting trial, another fifteen years for final judgment to be delivered, and yet another ten years on death row. In all this travail, he managed to keep his sanity.

Finally, on the day he was to be executed, fresh evidence indicating his innocence prompted the governor to order his immediate release. At the prison gates he sad “ all a man can be taken from him, except the last form of the human freedoms, -the power to choose one’s attitude in all circumstances”.

Do you see, life is not really about what happens to us, but how we react. That’s what will make the difference.

In conclusion, regardless of how life challenges, circumstances, and situations push you around, just have a good attitude and outlook to life. Don’t allow it to weigh you down.