Greetings Dear Friends,

I guess you may have heard the saying, ‘the joy of life is not how happy you are but how happy others can be because of you’.

There’s always an internal feeling of warmth and fulfillment to know that because of the role you played in the life of someone, who can be a mentee or subordinate, they were able to succeed. I once highlighted that Mentors Are Life Savers in one of my articles with the same title.

Every being loves to be happy because happiness brings peace, tranquility, and clarity of mind. Once you have peace within yourself, family, organization and business, you are bound to have clarity of mind which will, in turn, make you focus very well in addition to being inspired to make the right decisions. Therefore, it will be wise to say, peace is necessary for any rational and progressive mind/business to succeed. In the course of this article, we shall be exploring different ways we can inspire ourselves.

Every successful or great person was inspired in one way or the other. Every successful business was also inspired by another business, mentor or even the desire to solve a challenging problem in the society. We all need inspiration to move to the next stage in life. Thus the question now becomes, how can one get inspired?

Inspiration comes in different shapes and sizes. It can be internal or external.

Internal Inspiration:

Internal motivational comes from within. It’s just like the act of intuition. Internal inspiration is the best form of inspiration. This is because when the force is from within, it opens up with unlimited opportunities and potentials. It’s important to note that nobody can inspire you more than you can inspire yourself. Genuine inspiration always comes from within.

According to a philosopher, “I was thinking one day and I realized that if I just had somebody behind me all the way to motivate me I could make a big difference. Nobody came along like that so I just became that person for myself.”

External Inspiration:

This is the motivation that is derived from outside forces, e.g. music, mentors, books or even situations like hunger, poverty and life challenges. According to some schools of thought, external inspiration has been the reason they succeeded in life (business, home, and academics). This group of people believes that without these external forces they wouldn’t have been able to achieve a great deal in life. Proponents of this theory fail to understand that, they were able to succeed because they had the internal zeal to succeed and the external forces only came as a catalyst. For example, publishing inspirational and motivating articles every week can be a challenging task because it takes discipline to commit to the task. However, as a prolific writer and author, I strongly believe, if one is not inspired, it will be hard for one to write nor matter how inspired the external factors are at play.

Techniques to get inspired:

Get Started:

The beginning of any task is usually the most challenging part. If you can begin a task with little or no resources, you can be sure of everything coming true if you are diligent. Take, for instance, you want to start a business, write a book, begin a Ph.D. program, contest for election, or even starting a good cause/campaign, etc. All you need is just a starting line for the universe to know you have a vision. A little push or inspiration can do the magic. Once you commit to this task, the universe has a way of coming around to support your work. You can also begin by breaking all your tasks in a little piece and taking them one step at a time.

Write your plan

Having a concrete blueprint on what you plan to do is another way to get inspiration. For example, you need to have an idea where you plan to be between 6 to one year, 3 years, 5years, 10 years as the case may be all things being equal. This plan will enable you to inspire yourself. Also, you can write down all of your goals and vision to keep track of where you are, and where you want to be. By so doing, you will keep track of how far you have come in life.

Reduce the daily distractions

Just like success needs concentration and positive energy, inspiration doesn’t work well with distractions.  When you are easily accessible it will definitely become hard for you to focus. It’s quite unfortunate to note that many people spend less time on what really matters and spend more time on what doesn’t really matters. In order to change this habit, you’ll need to reduce the influx of distractions that are surrounding you. By so doing, you’ll be truly inspired to focus well.

Play music

Music can be a form of inspiration. I personally use music to get work done depending on my state of mind and what I am working on. A typical example was when I was writing my first book, music was one of my biggest inspirational energy, especially when I was down.

Be grateful

Most times we get caught trying to get to the finish point without taking time to take stock how far we have come. Being grateful for who you are and what you have been able to achieve in life can inspire you to do more. It’s always good to reward yourself and celebrate your successes (no matter how big or small they are).

In conclusion, it is pertinent to note that you are the ultimate measure of how far you’ll go in life. According to Wayne Dyer, “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” If you don’t do the work, nobody will do it for you. Therefore, I charge you today, to inspire yourself.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com

Greetings Dear Friends,

There’s a general presumption that knowledge is power, but in reality, the real power is applied knowledge. This is because if you have knowledge only stored in your brain without the actual application, you might not have the same respect as someone who takes advantage of the opportunity of expressing his/her thoughts. We live in a digital age where innovation and creativity runs like light. Knowledge can be likened to information because when you are duly informed, you’ll have more opportunities, confidence and financial rewards. What most people don’t know is that you’ll only get paid for what you know, and therefore, in order to get money you need to learn more.

In the course of this article, we shall be discussing how resourceful information and knowledge can trigger huge financial and rewarding opportunities for your business or career. The study of philosophy has taught me that there are five forms of knowledge namely: authoritative knowledge which is the knowledge from a person who is regarded as an expert in a particular industry e.g. Medicine, law, accounting or engineer; empirical knowledge which is the knowledge derived from symbols; rational knowledge which is the knowledge derived from solving rational problems like mathematics; divine knowledge which is the knowledge from the creator (God) to man to understand heavenly teachings, and intuitive knowledge which is the knowledge from within a person during impromptu and sane moments. It is well settled that people with informed knowledge and information are always respected, if for nothing else, for what they have upstairs and what they share.

Do you truly and really want to expand your business? If yes, then you have to read. It is said often said that readers are leaders because they tend to make better decisions that produce better results. According to Francis Bacon, “Writing maketh an exact man, conference maketh a ready man, but reading maketh a full man”. Succeeding in life and business entails reading, researching and networking. Starving yourself of knowledge is limiting your earning capacity. Imagine driving a car with an empty gas and expecting to get to your destination. That is basically how limiting yourself and expecting to succeed in life. Your brain needs muscles, exercise them by reading and meditating. Avoid starving your brain the fuel it needs to progress.

Therefore, in order for you to expand your business, you need to figure out your weakness, then look for a mentor/coach in your specific area of interest. According to some schools of thought, one of the ways to decipher how successful or viable a person or organization is by looking at their financial status. Money can be likened to a magnet. You have to attract it by earning it the right way and the best way to attract money is developing your brain by reading. Regardless of your environment, industry, organization or institution you are working on, if you really want to go far, you have to be hungry for information that pertains to the industry, customers and competitors. This is a sure way of expanding your business and net worth.

Just like money can’t be hidden, knowledge can’t be hidden, it is like rays of light. It has a way of showcasing itself. Most rational and informed people with insightful knowledge and intelligence are always humble. These set of people don’t hoard information of interest to the public. People with useful information are always invited to critical meetings where critical information are taken. However, it should be noted that the burden of knowledge is humility. It’s all about your intentions. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. It’s unfortunate to note that lesser minds tend to show case their ignorance by making people feel dumb especially when they have facts and figures.

Let’s see how we can increase our fortunes with the right knowledge.

1. Find a Mentor and Improve Your Business Knowledge Immediately: Their business knowledge can help you a lot. Another way to find a great mentor in your community is through networking events related to the industry you plan on focusing your business.
2. Research Information to Increase Your Business Knowledge: Try doing some targeted internet research about your chosen industry. Look around the web for significant articles about successful businesses that are similar to your concept.
3. Get a Business Degree: Many business owners who have reached high levels of success were able to because of their strong amount of knowledge. You can learn more about the details of running a business by taking formal classes or even enrolling in a graduate degree MBA program through the
4. Get Hands-On: An effective way to gain knowledge about the business world is to simply go out and get experience. Before running a business in a specific field, it’s important to develop experience as a worker. If you want to open your own restaurant, try working in a kitchen first. Opening your own retail store could be a better idea if you have worked in sales at some point. If you’re dreaming of running your own car wash, try your hand at helping out an operator before you take the plunge with your own cash investment. Learning to run a business the right way takes a strong amount of dedication to reading, understanding, and meeting potential mentors. Once you gain expertise, you’ll have a much easier time of creating a business that will stand out and find its niche.
5. Education: according to Albert Einstein “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” Being open to new and useful knowledge boosts your business, benefits your employees and stimulates your brain.
6. You should also participate in ongoing education. Educate yourself to ensure that you know how to keep your business competitive and relevant in your field. Ongoing education can benefit professionals at any level, but it is especially important for entrepreneurs and those holding upper-level or management positions. Adding to your knowledge can be the difference between seeing mediocre and spectacular growth in your business. Ongoing education shows your clients or customers that you are committed to progress. Take advantage of informal learning as an education source. You don’t need to go back to college or enroll in courses at your local university to enhance your knowledge. Seminars, webinars, conferences, podcasts, blogs, and more are all excellent sources to continue your education. As a business leader, you can learn from other leaders in your field or other fields who have figured out better ways of doing things. You can take free online course on the internet.  Reading is the most resourceful way of searching for this information knowledge attracts respect because they are always informed. Education helps to keep you abreast with contemporary information in your industry.

Furthermore, it is important to note that knowledge is not necessarily expensive, ignorance is. Knowledge increases your success rate. As a business leader, your business is only as strong as the people behind it. As a business owner, you need to strive for personal growth to enable you to thrive professionally. The market is not what it was ten years ago, it most certainly wasn’t the same 5 years ago. It is important to stay current and competitive to win. If you aren’t exposing yourself to new ideas, you are making it easier for your competition to eat your lunch. On the long run, innovation wins, and the most ignorant entrepreneur tends to lose.

Finally, its worthy to note that in order for you to lead, you must read and in order for you to earn you must learn.

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE FAST

Here are five strategies to improve your knowledge about business.

Customer knowledge – you should know your customers’ needs and what they think of you. You may be able to develop mutually beneficial knowledge sharing relationships with customers by talking to them about their future requirements, and discussing how you might be able to develop your own products or services to ensure that you meet their needs.

• Employee and supplier relationships– seek the opinions of your employees and your suppliers because they’ll have their own impressions of how you’re performing. You can use formal surveys to gather this knowledge or ask for their views on a more informal basis.
• Market knowledge– Watch developments in your sector. How are your competitors performing? How much are they charging? Are there any new entrants to the market? Have any significant new products been launched?
• Knowledge of the business environment– Your business can be affected by numerous outside factors. Developments in politics, the economy, technology, society and the environment could all affect your business’ development, so you need to keep yourself informed.
• Professional associations and trade bodies Read publications, academic publications, government publications, reports from research bodies, trade and technical magazines.           

• Trade exhibitions and conferences – These can provide an easy way of finding out what your competitors are doing and to see the latest innovations in your sector.
• Product research and development – Scientific and technical research and development can be a vital source of knowledge that can help you create innovative new products – retaining your competitive edge..

In conclusion, I will say, the key to expanding your knowledge and financial life is by gaining resourceful information, knowledge and networking right. The combination of this three factors will definitely make you triumph

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com

Greetings Friends,

Every living being has a race to run provided you are alive. Every animal has a race to run. Every business, organization, and government has a race to run.  Have you ever wondered why newborn babies cry after delivery? On a literal note, they cry because they are about to begin their journey. 

Just like everyone is unique, every race is different. One of the greatest reasons why people fail in life is that they tend to run a race that is not meant for them. They fail to develop themselves instead of concentrating on their “trade secrets”. It’s important to note that you can imitate someone but you can never be like them neither can you imitate their style. Imagine you are running a race and you are on lane one, to avoid been disqualified you have to remain on track one until you finish your race. You have to own your race by maintaining your lane. It’s funny to note that most people will like to be on a particular lane with the hope they will get to the finish lane faster forgetting that every lane is different and it is the energy and skill they invest in themselves which will ultimately determine who wins the race. There’s an adage that says that it is because the philosopher was too busy to see what was ahead of him that he forgot there was a ditch in front of him and he fell into it.  

The question now becomes how do you run your race? In literal terms, running your race means, as you lay your bed, so you lie on it. Let’s share some insightful meanings on what running your race means. Running your own race means: always looking toward your goals while being aware of what’s around you. Running your own race means: not focusing too much on who’s next to you or who’s behind you. Running your own race means: beating your own best time, not anybody else’s. Running your race entails a lot of work, but first of all, you have to decide what you want to achieve. For instance, if you have a dream of becoming an attorney, a pilot or soccer player, the onus is on you to read, learn and train. If you don’t do it no one will do it for you.

Whether you’re launching a business, trying to finish school, or starting a blog, it is important for you to understand what’s needed in the industry in order for you to succeed. There will always be other people on the track, in the audience, and in the arena observing and watching you. Some will be there to cheer you up, some will be looking for faults, some will try to criticize you, while others will either mock, test or observe you to see what you are up to. In order for you to win the race, you must remain focus on the big picture. It doesn’t matter if you fail, just get up and learn from your mistakes. Always note that there will always be people ahead of or behind you. But if you spend all of your time looking at what others are doing, you’re going to trip over your own feet. Remember that you’re competing to be the best version of you, and everything else will fall into place at the appropriate time.

Most times we get caught up trying to make it big in life. You may put in so many hours at work, deprive yourself of sleep, wake up early, do research, maybe you need to invest in yourself  take a class, go to a conference/ seminar, work with a mentor, start that small business, put that website up or even learn a particular skill. All these are examples of running your race. Nobody will run it for you.  At the end of the day, you may discover you have little or nothing to show for it. My candid advice to you is don’t be hard on yourself. Just continue to build in addition to working on yourself, one day all your efforts will add up. 

In the race of life, you need to start from somewhere in order to get to where you want to be. You can start small, but you need to have the vision of your endpoint in mind. Starting small entails being consistent,  in all you are doing by building yourself and learning the necessary skills and information that is needed in the industry.

In conclusion, what race are you running and what are the race you need to run in order to succeed?

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com

Greetings Dear Friends,

It’s well established fact every success comes with a price. You may have heard of the saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day. Just like the building of a house has a foundation, every worthwhile project must have a foundation.  In the same way, true success comes with a price. Per B.C Forbes, “A price has to be paid for success. Almost invariably those who have reached the summits worked harder and longer, studied and planned more assiduously, practiced more self-denial, overcame more difficulties than those of us who have not risen so far.”

In the journey of life, we are all bound by the decision/choice we make in life regardless of the consequence. That’s why it’s always important for one to critically evaluate every direction one decides to take. For instance, if you are driving and you miss an exit or a particular route, you’ll surely pay the price by taking the next available route/exit in order to get back on track. That said, it’s fair to say that every action we take comes with a corresponding reaction. In whatever you want to do in life, you have to pay the price for it. Just like parenting comes with responsibility, education, business, and succeeding comes with a price.

During the course of this article, we shall be addressing various component/price of success.

Success asks for Commitment:  

It’s worthy to note that the level of success that you achieve will be in direct proportion to the depth of your commitment. You must invest time and resources. It is the dedication and perseverance that you bring every day that will make all the difference in the end. Each and every one of us desires success, but the reality of the day is that only a few persons are ready to commit to the work. Just like relationship demands commitment from both parties, you have to pay the price before you can reap the fruit of your labor. When you decide to commit to a project, the whole world sets apart for you. According to Mario Andretti “Desire is the key to motivation, but its determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal — a commitment to excellence — that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”

Success demands hard work & Smart Work 

 The ultimate price that comes with success is hard work. You need to put in the work because nobody will do the work for you. Just like a farmer who plants crops with the hope of harvesting it, he/she must continually water and remove the weeds in order for the crops to mature very well. If he/she fails to do so, it will be hard to harvest the crops.  According to Vince Lombardi “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand”.

Sacrifice:

 In the words of Napoleon Hill “Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice and is never the result of selfishness. One of the greatest prices every progressive being must pay to get what he/she needs is sacrifice. Sacrifice is seen as the dues you have to pay to get what you don’t have. In law, sacrifice is likened to consideration, which is the detriment or loss a party may have to forgo in order to gain/benefit. In some social parlance, sacrifice is seen as love a party must show for the significant other. Just like success is relative, sacrifice is also relative. You must continually ask yourself what you need to sacrifice to get what you desire.Ask yourself: What specifically must I sacrifice to achieve my goal? What habits and rituals must I sacrifice to attain this goal? What habits could actually sabotage me from attaining my desired outcome? Finally, the ultimate question is: Am I willing to make these sacrifices to obtain this goal? You simply cannot have your goal without making some necessary physical, financial, emotional, mental, and social sacrifices. As a word of advice, spend your time instead on other areas that will provide you with a greater return on your time.

Success requires you to Continuous learn

Sometimes we fail to get what we want because we haven’t learnt enough. According to Brian Tracy “Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future.” Constant education is necessary in order to be successful at anything. Therefore, you need to continually ask yourself if you need a piece of specific knowledge, skills, tools or resources.

Fear Elimination

Fear is something that is likely to consistently hold you back from your desired objectives. Success demands that you overcome your fears and develop the necessary courage you need to pursue your goals with vigor and passion. Success demands that you have no fear if you want to achieve any kind of success in your life, When you are fully committed to something, nothing will sidetrack you. It doesn’t matter whether or not the sun comes up tomorrow, or whether or not the earth stops spinning on its axis. You must believe that no matter what happens no matter how badly you fail and how horrible this might make you feel — that failure is never an option. 

Success Demands You Make Difficult Choices

As you make progress along your journey towards your desired outcomes, success will demand that you make difficult choices about what you will do and about what you won’t do. It demands that you choose what you will and won’t sacrifice. It demands that you decide what’s the most important thing to focus on at any one time. Success demands that you choose who you will spend your time with, most importantly success demands that you make difficult daily choices about how you spend your time, energy and money. You must consistently invest your energy into meaningful tasks and goal congruent activities that will provide you with the highest long-term benefits. Spending your time on the wrong things could very well spell the difference between success and failure.

Let’s conclude by sharing some habit of success

 Identify your core values

What is important to you? Finding your core values may seem a bit off-topic when it comes to success, but creating goals that are in line with your values is key to creating intrinsic motivation. Sit and reflect on what you value most. Pick a handful of things and actually write them down. Remind yourself of your values every day, and reflect on whether you are honoring those values through your work.

Build the right mindset and have a plan

Visualize yourself having completed your goal in the exact time-frame you have chosen and the breakdown goals by week and by day, setting up a plan to reach your overall objective. Keep the number of tasks per day as low as you can, and focus on completing only your planned tasks for each day. Do the hardest things during your peak energy level.

Take risks

You must take risk to succeed in life. Push yourself. Go out of your comfort zone. This is the best way to learn, and the best way to make progress quickly.

Finally, there’s a general saying that the price of success entails the following:

1.      Staying up late at night to do some extra work.

2.      Waking up early morning to do some work.

3.      Having very few friends who understand & share the same values and vision with you

4.      You’ll definitely be misunderstood and that’s okay.

5.      You’ll be definitely feel overwhelmed., and that’s okay

6.      People will continually question your sanity and that’s okay.

7.      You have to be your own cheerleader.

In conclusion, if you want to go from where you are to where you want to be, you need to identify the price that needs to be paid and then proceed to pay it. Everything has a price to pay. Are you willing to pay for it?

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com

Greetings Friends,

I will like to start today’s article with some positive affirmations. The joy of every progressive being is to get to the peak of their career in life. The joy of every young man/woman who wants to go into relationship or tie the nuts is to get the best love experience ever which is not limited to having a faithful, caring, understanding, peaceful, loyal and loving partner; The joy of every rational person is to get the best out of life nor matter what life throws at you. Nobody likes to be disrespected. As a rule of thumb, never you settle for less especially when you deserve the best. It doesn’t matter if you are searching for a job, or a marriage partner, setting up a business, etc. All that matters is for you to give and demand the best.

During the course of this article, we shall be discussing the relationship, job/career, personal life and life in general to appreciate this article.  It is instructive to know that you don’t have to agree with what you don’t want. A huge part of settling for less is by being a “yes man” or “woman”. If you agree to things you don’t really want, you are building a life that doesn’t reflect your own needs and identity.

Marriage/Relationship

This is one of the most interesting journeys every human being must undertake in one way or the other. Whether you are dating, or you are already in a relationship or even married, you definitely have a preference for who you are willing to date or spend the rest of your life with. Just like Gary Chapman stated in his book “The Five Love Languages”, he mentioned: Words affirmation, physical touch, gift services, and time as the five love languages. According to him, most human beings respond to one or two of these love languages, so your ability to know what works for a particular being can give you an opportunity to relate closely with the being. It’s quite unfortunate many people don’t know what they need in a relationship and in life and this singular factor/act makes them settle for less. You must continually demand for what you need and desire in life especially when you are ready to act/measure up with the same expectations. Requesting for more is not a crime, in fact, it is a requirement or prerequisite for you to have a blissful and harmonious relationship. When you settle for less than you desire in relationship, you will have to live with regret and unfulfillment.  To make it more practical, if you have a taste for a particular kind of woman or a man with a specific character; particular body feature;  academic qualification or career, please don’t settle for less, go for it because only you know what you want and desire in life that will make you happy. Your desire in life in life shouldn’t be compromised on the altar of sentiments. It is often said that that once a woman knows her worth she won’t settle for less again. As a word of advice, you deserve someone who is intentional and clear about their feelings for you. You should not have to sit around and wonder how they feel about you or where you stay in their life. Also, walk away from a relationship that isn’t making you a happier and better person.It is better to be single and alone than to be in a half-assed relationship that leads you to the deception that you are not good enough.

Let’s share some practical tips on how not to settle for less in a relationship

1.      Gain self-awareness about your choices in partners and their willingness to meet your emotional and personal needs. 

2.       Focus on finding your passions rather than finding a soulmate. Embrace some of the pleasures of being single – take a class, join a book club, watch your favorite movies, etc. A renowned author Holly Riordan writes: “Instead of searching every corner of the earth for someone you love, you should be searching for something you love for your passion.”

3.       Set an expectation of mutual respect. Look for friends and partners who admire and respect you for who you are. If they respect you, they’ll give you compliments, encourage you to do things that are in your best interest, and enjoy spending time with you.

4.      Don’t compromise your values. Figure out your core beliefs and stand by them. Ask for what you need and speak up when something bothers you. Be more assertive (not aggressive) by stating your needs in a positive way.

5.      Extend trust to a partner who is interested in planning a future with you. Does your partner call when they say they’re going to and follow through on commitments? When someone is interested in a relationship, they keep their agreements. Look for consistency between someone’s words and actions. Don’t waste your time on a relationship that doesn’t have a future. If he or she says they aren’t ready for a commitment, take them seriously!

Know Your Worth:

This is another interesting part of life. You need to know your worth as a human being. Knowing your worth is not limited to your lifestyle, it also transcends to your business. When you know your worth as a human being, you give yourself the due respect to know what you can tolerate and what you can’t tolerate. You also give other people the opportunity to know what you stand for in life. As you may know, if you are not willing to stand for something, you’ll for anything. Even if you have a business, your ability to define your value is very important for your people to take you serious. For instance, if you want to charge someone a service, it will be thoughtful to include the time you invest in delivery the service as opposed to the actual service you rendered. In concrete terms, you are really charging the person for your value and time as opposed to the price they are paying for the commodity. When you know your worth nobody will take you for a ride especially when you respect yourself. As a matter of fact, nobody will disrespect you without your consent. The better you feel, the easier it becomes for you to reject mistreatment. And when you resist the need to settle, you will be rewarded with opportunities. 

Job/Career/Business:

Financial stability is the joy of any prospective employee or career professional.  However, before you can get your dream career job you must have prepared yourself by learning the desired skills, have the required knowledge, understanding, information and training necessary to do the job. When you are fully equipped, you stand a better chance of demanding what you think you deserve. There are situations when people ask for a particular amount of money as a salary or even a raise in their pay but they fail to understand that nobody pays for you extra for what you do, except for the extra work or skill or even solution you offer. Furthermore, as a prospective employee, if you know what you truly deserve, don’t settle for less out of desperation. Sometimes, we miss greater and better opportunities out desperation when we take a cut and job that is far less than what we deserve. As a word of advice, always stand your ground with diplomacy by negotiating well for what you deserve.

Personal Life and Life in general:

 This is similar to knowing your worth but with a slight difference as it relates to personal life and life in general. Life has a way of throwing many blows at us, but how we react to it is what makes the difference. We all have different shock absorbers. Your ability to adapt to different challenges and situations can either make or mar you. In as much as your personal life is different from your reputation or what people think about you, you should be able to define yourself and know what you can settle for. Sometimes, life throws so many bullets at you and makes you accept the appearance as reality forgetting that appearance is not reality. Don’t settle for anything life offers you. The only time you can settle for what life has given to you is when you have done your best and even at that never you settle for less until you have done your best and never give you accept anything less than you think you deserve devoid of pride and entitlement mentality. Remember, you need to have a positive mindset to appreciate the challenges life offers to you. Recognize that not getting what you want is not a personal curse.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com

Greetings Friends,

One of the most difficult task in the world is discovering oneself. Discovering oneself can be very challenging because as human beings, we are always evolving. In my first published book Design Your Destiny- Actualizing Your Birthright To Success, which centers on self-discovery. I wrote about: “Understanding Your Uniqueness” in chapter two where I stressed that everyone is unique and wired to function differently.

As mentioned earlier, discovering yourself can be very challenging because you’ll be constantly asking yourself: Who am I? What do I want? What am I here for? If you are able to answer these questions, you can confidently say to yourself you know yourself. If no, I will strongly recommend you consider answering them for a better understanding of your life and business in general.

Being yourself is not limited to humanity alone, it also relates to engaging with life generally. For instance, if you want to venture into business, fashion, entertainment, sports, academic, or even being an artisan worker, you have to figure out a way which best suits your personality., otherwise you may be setting up yourself for failure. It’s quite unfortunate many people try to imitate and compare themselves to other people. This lifestyle doesn’t add up because it only comes with a temporary success if at all you will succeed. When you concentrate your energy on what you are naturally good and talented at, you have greater opportunities of producing excellent results.

 In our contemporary society, there’s so much competition everywhere among individuals, businesses, churches, and work environments. Everyone is trying to outsmart the other party or business just to remain the number one in the position. It’s instructive to note this is not a healthy lifestyle. This lifestyle is not limited to business alone, even job applicants are not left out. Amidst all this competition and depending on what you are looking out for, the best and surest way to stand out is by being yourself and showcasing what’s unique about you. Let’s say you have the passion to engage in business, your ability to know what kind of product/service to venture into in addition to knowing what best for you gives you an edge above your competitors. Most people venture into a business just because they see it is flourishing or their friends are thriving in it. They didn’t take their time to research or even learn the skill neither did they consider knowing if it’s something they are passionate or wired to do. Your ability to create a niche for yourself will go a long way in defining your path in life.

Let’s share some practical examples of how you can be yourself

Don’t compare yourself to others:

This is the fastest way to not only fail in life but also lose value. Comparing yourself to another person or comparing your business to another business is the worst thing that can ever happen to anyone. Don’t me get it twisted, competition and comparison are good if only it is a healthy one. You can learn from the person or the business just to see how they were able to succeed, but not trying to imitate their style. When you are the original version of yourself, there’s an uncommon brand and style you bring to the table that makes you unique.

Focus on your growth and ignore what people say

You need to come to the reality that in life, people will doubt your motives and question your authenticity, but that shouldn’t deter you from moving ahead. It is because the philosopher was too busy focusing on the mountain that’s ahead of him that he forgot to see the ditch that was in front of him and he fell into it.Stop caring about how people perceive you. Some of them will like you and some of them won’t. It is normal for individuals who have been a part of your life to use older versions of you as a reference, which might be discouraging considering the massive gap between who you were and who you want to be. Again, that shouldn’t bother you from becoming you who are trying to become.

Express your individuality

You can’t be anyone and no one can be you. Even two identical twins are not the same being. Originality and simplicity is the beauty of life. We live in a world where everyone wants you to conform to a particular standard or lifestyle. Your ability to differentiate yourself is very critical to your success. There’s something unique and special about you. As you grow more and more confident about what makes you a unique individual, you should find outlets that validate these characteristics. When you do, the onus is on you to exercise it and put yourself to test.

Stand up for your values

We all have values. Our values are what separates us from everyone. It should be noted that if you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for anything. Your values are what defines you. Every company/business has a value system.  You can call the values vision because it embodies the aims and objectives of the organization.  It’s not just your hobbies and your personality that makeup who you are. The things you stand for significantly reflect your identity. Even staying silent about specific controversies say a lot about you as a person, so choose your battles conscientiously. Be confident in who you are becoming: As you become more comfortable in your skin, you will face detractors who will challenge everything about you.

Quit Pleasing People

 Always wanting everyone’s love and respect is a totally pointless exercise, in the end that can harm your personal development and confidence. Who cares what other people say? As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent” . What matters most is that you listen to your own inner confidence and if it’s missing, you need to start developing it. The best way to quit pleasing people is by loving and appreciating yourself. Self-love is priceless! It is very normal for people to talk about you. If no one talks about you, it is either because you are not doing anything or you are nothing. However, that shouldn’t be your focus, your energy and attention should be how to better yourself and your business. According to Aristotle, the only way to avoid criticism is say nothing, do nothing and be nothing.

 As long as you are a living being, human beings will talk about you. So, what’s the way forward? Be yourself. Remember, you have just one life to live and it’s not a borrowed life, so be happy with yourself and enjoy it while it lasts….

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com

Greetings Friends,

You may have heard of the word “overnight success”. If I may ask, is there here anything like overnight success? Does it really exist? In reality, there’s nothing like an overnight success. Genuine success takes time. Real success can be likened to being organic. It has to take time and lots of strategies and mistakes. The question we need to ask is, how do we build true success? It should be noted that nothing is achieved without taking action, consistently and frequently. Achieving goals requires a fervent focus on taking action, regardless of the barriers or obstacles that present themselves.

Success means a lot of things to different people depending on what you define and see success to be. In one of my articles which I published a couple of years ago titled: The Relativity of Success, I stated that success means different things to different people. This is because, according to some people, if they attain a particular academic qualification, have a particular amount of money in their account, attain a particular level or even reach the peak in their professional career, or even get married and being able to train their kids, they are successful. In all these instances, they are right, but one thing is certain, they all built their success to make it what it is.

Each and every one of us wants to be successful, but are we doing the needful? Most times, we wait for other people or organizations to support us forgetting that we have to do our part first. Take, for instance, you want to gain a better shape, lose weight, gain muscle, but you go to a gyms instructor to train you, but you don’t spend time to take care for of you eat of even exercise on a daily basis. Most people fail to hit their fitness goals simply because it becomes too difficult to get to a gym. You can literally get into shape without an instructor because they are merely facilitators.

In order to attain true success, the question now becomes how do you build your success? Building success entails creating time for what you truly value and believe in. It can be your business, academics, organization, association or even yourself. However, the best way to build your success is by investing your time and resources into it. During the course of this article, we shall be discussing various ways we can build success.

Lets’ explore avenues we can build our success

1.     Define your success

If you don’t define it, you will keep yourself subjected to confusion about your success and your failures. Find out what’s important for you in your personal life, career, and health and then focus your energy on it. Remember, you’ll only be excellent and extraordinarily on what you are naturally good at.

2.     Invest Time:

 Do you truly and really want to build your business? If yes, you must invest time in your business. You must spend precious time for whatever you need in life. If you want to learn a new language, a new trade, learn how to speak in public, communicate, or even lead, you must invest t your time in learning the secrets. Desire is not enough to acquire the skill and knowledge, you must dedicate your time to the task.

Time is the most important converter of time to whatever you desire to acquire. This is because everything you get will come back to you if you give your time to it. For example, if you invest your time in a family; relationship; or even school, you will get the commensurate result. It should be noted that you can spend money on anything you like, but you’ll only spend time on anything you love. Time is the most valuable asset we have in our passion. No success has ever be recorded in life without the application of time. Your ability to make use of your time is very critical and to your success.  Time is life and life is time.  This is because when you waste time, you commit suicide, but when you waste your time you commit murder. Nor matter how intelligent, skillful, and talented, you are, if you don’t use your time wisely to build/invest in your business or study well, nobody is going to pay you.  Time also involves learning, networking, reading, researching and adding value to the work you do.

3.     Set goals

 Based on the three basics of life: work, relationships, and health. Maintaining a steady balance on these three areas will ensure that you minimize the pressure and that comes with working hard.

4.     Find Inspiration and Motivation

Take your time to find strength and passion on what motivates and inspires you, it can be good friends, music, books, mentors, etc. As human beings, we are wired and composed of different genes and as such, we need the right energy to focus on the needful.

5.     Create habits surrounding your goal

If you’re not habitual about doing things that are needed for achieving your goals, your motivation levels will deplete more quickly. You must be intentional about your purpose. Habits are what we do on a daily/continual basis in order to maintain consistency. Create a routine around your habits. Successful people have one noticeable thing in their lives: they live their success, whether anyone notices them or not. Make it a routine to commit yourself to that habitual activity, and demand exceptional performance from yourself.

6.     Stop Procrastination

 Stop looking at success as a distant. Procrastination is the killer of success. You cannot succeed in life when procrastination is your middle name. In this era of social media, a second post can be the turning point in your career or business. As a rule of thumb, never leave for tomorrow what you can do today.

In summary, build your success because, at the end of the day, no one is going to build it for you. You are the architect of your life and the best version of your business.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com

Greetings Friends,

The desire of every rational and progressive human being is to be successful. Succeeding in life can be very challenging because of the hassles that come with success. It is really hard forging ahead in life when the odds are really against you especially when you have done your best by investing time and resources in your business, project or work. The frustration can be humbling. It takes a man with sound judgmental and positive discretion to continue to forge ahead in life when he/she faces setbacks. Imagine the life of an entrepreneur who wakes up daily and invest his time and resources in his/ her business only to find out, he needs to start all over again due to a mistake or new development.  Whenever you feel this way, one of your strongest arsenal to keep your sanity of mind is to stay strong by having a strong mental positive attitude.

Giving your best in life entails a lot of meanings. Depending on the context in which you are using it for, it can mean giving your best by doing your best in any work/situation you find yourself. It can also mean good luck, you’ll be fine. I wish you the best. It is what it is. It’s also mean a subtle way of letting you off the hook. It also means being sincere about wanting to do anything you promise to do.

Regardless of which pendulum you belong to, one thing is certain only you can define your “best no one can fully describe what “just do your best” means because it means different things for every person. I belong to the school of thought which believe that he that is in you is greater and stronger than he that is in the world. This is because if the whole world is telling you can’t do it and you know you can do it, you’ll definitely succeed. But if the whole world is telling you can do it and you know you can’t do it, you’ll fail. This simply goes to tell you that you are the architect and masterpiece of your life who understands your strength, weakness, and limitations. In a simple and general term, doing your best literally means giving your best in any endeavor you find yourself. When you do your best, you get a lasting impression and peace of mind even when the odds are against you because you have sincerely done your best based on your ability and disposition.

True success is not an overnight victory, it takes several works which can be sleeping late at night, waking up early, going the extra mile, networking, learning a trade, reading, and researching etc. Sometimes with all these factors at play, we still don’t break even. Truly, it can truly be frustrating.

Today, I charge you, give your best in your business, school work, athletic competition, fashion, entertainment and in whatever you are passionate and skillful at. Believe it will work out in due time if it’s destined for you, and if it doesn’t workout our as planned, just know it’s either, it’s not for you; your time has not come yet, or you’re are not doing the right thing by networking/meeting with the right people, you’re not being strategic by learning the rope, etc.

Sometimes in life, it is better to work smart as opposed to working hard. You can achieve more in life if you are very strategic. According to   Abraham Lincoln, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the ax”. Abraham Lincoln was merely speaking on how to be smart and strategic as opposed to working hard. However, the best approach will be working both hard and smart. Doing your best entails appreciating the challenges and disappointments that come with the work. These challenges can turn out to be a turning point if you rightly apply the laws of gratitude.

Being consistent is one of the ways of doing your best. When you are consistent in your craft, you’ll separate yourself from the regular crowd. I recently watched a short presentation by Olufela Durotoye, a leadership expert, and motivational speaker. According to him, Consistency is what separates winners from champions. He went further to state that if you want to know the best in any industry ask for the champions. For example, if you are asked to name the best talk show, Oprah Winfrey’s name might be the first to pop out, in tennis, Serena Williams; in soccer, Ronaldo, Messi, Maradona, Abedi Pele, or even Augustine Jay jay Okocha might come to mind. One thing is certain among this set of creative, talented and industrious individuals- they gave their best and it worked out for them. They became champions by winning consistently and giving their best in what they do every day. It should be noted that winners win matches, while champions win tournaments, competitions, and seasons

A great way of doing or giving your best is by being great at what you do. This is because when you become great at what you do, you will not only attract value, you’ll gain respect/expertise, money and authority. You can succeed and be excellent at what you do, but you will be excellent and greater at what you are gifted at.  In order to attain true perfection, you must give your best. As a word of advice, give your best in what you are naturally good at and you’ll be celebrated.

In conclusion, don’t be the best among your contemporaries, but be your best.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” — Mark Twain

Greetings Friends,

One of the greatest beauty of life is innovation. Innovation has truly changed the way we live our life. According to President Barack Obama when Steve Jobs died, he said “Steve Jobs one of the greatest American innovators- brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it. President Obama also stated Steve Jobs changed the world we see the world.  It is on the basis of this premise we shall be discussing how we can separate our self from the crowd. In a nutshell, you can’t expect to go far in life by fitting in.

As human beings, we are all unique, we are all made in different shape, size, composition, and genes. However, the most interesting part of our being is our lifestyle. Put it in a different context. Life is about how you package yourself. If you’re in business, you ought to know how to make your product not only attractive but unique. If you’re a marketer or sales agent you must know how to use personal relation skill and emotional intelligence to sell your products.

Separating yourself from the crowd can be understood in different ways, but for the purpose of this article, we shall be looking at it from the vantage point of making not only making ourselves unique but also our products. If you truly want to make a name for yourself, you have to separate yourself from the bandwagon. We live in a world where there are so many competitions and envy. This feeling is not only limited to individuals, but it is also applicable to business, leadership, academics, entrepreneurs, and family in general.

According to an African proverb, if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to far in life, go with a team. This is an indisputable fact which underscores the power of teamwork. However, there’s a twist here, according to some schools of thought, the one who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the one crowd.  This is true because sometimes, following the bandwagon might lead you to the wrong place/direction in life. Imagine driving a car on a highway, you’ll always have the tendency to follow the popular route as opposed to the less-traveled route, but if you truly know where you are headed, you won’t be bothered about the popular route of other commuters. That’s simply how life works in the real world. You simply have to make a niche for yourself in order for people to take you serious.

Let’s take the conversation a little further if you take a look at the species of birds you’ll notice that they all have feathers, but none can go farther than the eagle which is regarded as the king of birds because it can fly higher than other birds. The interesting thing about the eagle is that it takes its game higher when the needs call for it and it’s not easily swayed by little things. This ability makes the eagle to focus more on important issues.

A distinguishing quality of every business or organization is the kind of value and services they offer. As the saying goes, there’s literally nothing new under the sun. This is because you cannot really reinvent the wheel. Every business, organization, school, and the government has some level of similarity in what they are doing, the only difference is how they do it. For example, if you are in business, a critical skill to have is emotional intelligence. A lot of people lack empathy and this has led to the fall of many business, association, and organizations. Whether you are in business, classroom, pilot, or even in the hotel, an important question to ask your customers or guest is, what do you need; how can I help you? Always look out for them, in that way they’ll know you are not only interested in their money but you are also interested in their giving them value.

If you are in business, your ability to give your customers more than they require like using the double-platinum rule will go a long way to make your customers loyal and more trustworthy towards you. You can do this by giving value to your customers. Questions like, how are you feeling? How was your day? Take it easy, can go a long way to attract loyal customers. Every business has a secret, your ability to read the writings on the way in addition to having the right strategy will go a long to make your product unique.  Potential employees also need this knowledge in order to be gainfully employed. In order to stand out, some students burn the midnight candle, limit social outings, and the varieties of life which nature has offered them.

Furthermore, you have to separate yourself from the ordinary by working on improving yourself on a daily basis. Learning new skills, trade, acquiring new certificate, and training, working on your talents and networking with the right people amongst others.

The question now is, how do you separate yourself from the crowd?

1.      Define Your Value

Think about the value and experience, you are offering people. What do they see, hear and smell when they walk into your office or business? Think about your target audience; Think about the vision and mission you will like to be remembered when your time is up on earth. By so doing, you’ll be creatively making a name for yourself. You must define and differentiate yourself if you want to make a real impact and also if you want people to take your serious.

2.      Define or Create Your Personal Ambition

Without a definitive personal ambition, self-branding will lack direction. Having a definitive personal ambition will ensure you do not build a controversial brand i.e. a brand contrary to your actions. To avoid this, you need to define your mission and roles in life. Consider your dreams in life and how you intend to achieve them. Then, formulate a goal that will encapsulate what you want from life. Secondly, have an action plan (mission) that will help you achieve your goal in life. 

3.      Consistency

You have to be consistent and proactive for people to take you serious. It’s worthy to note that inconsistency is inconsistent with the lifestyle of greatness.  You can be consistent by setting a pace you can maintain. Once people know that you’re sharing something unique and valuable consistently, they will show up in droves. However, that only matters if you keep it genuine. 

4.      Develop a Personal Balance Sheet or Score Board

Your scoreboard needs to put a few things into consideration: your goals, strategies, monitoring methods and feedback. It is meant to measure your day-to-day activities against your brand promise. In that way, you’ll be keeping tracking of your performance.

In conclusion,

Being unique can be challenging, but at the tail end, it will stand the test of time. It is not really easy to stand out in business or in life generally due to the many push back you may face, that’s literally how difficult it is to be yourself. And as Ralf Waldo Emerson stated, “Do not go where the path may lead, instead go where there’s is no path and leave a thread”.  

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success.

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” George Bernard Shaw

Greetings Friends,

I belong to the school of thoughts which opine that originality is the beauty of life. Originality is fundamental to innovation and the key to building sustainable businesses and brands in our contemporary world. You cannot underestimate the power of imagination and innovation. The world is currently being moved by visionaries who have the create change with their innovation. Beauty itself, is relative because it springs up from the taste and choice each individual has. Our imagination also works in same manner. We all have imaginations but sometimes we under utilize it.

The starting point of all success is imagination. The idea is first conceived in the mind before the implementation begins. Every goal you will ever reach starts off as something you imagine. This is because it is really hard for you to achieve what you never desired. You just have to believe in it, work on it, chase it and it will become your reality. According To Lao Tzu, “watch your thoughts they begin your words, watch your words they become your actions, watch your actions they become your habits and watch your habit they become your destiny”. This is because true success –whether it is financial, social, marital, or in finding your source of happiness and meaning was created in the mind first.

During the declaration of America’s independence, the following words was used “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Each time I read these words it really resonates with me because it makes me to think out of the box. We live in a world where most people feel they are entitled to X,YZ. In reality, the world owes you nothing. In the same vein, most third world countries look at America and wish they have all the infrastructural facilities and technology which makes their economy to flourish. They fail to understand that given every equal opportunity everybody is a potential achiever because we don’t have dull brains only brains undeveloped. It’s important to note that Americans are not an extraordinary beings because they only have one brain like any other rational mind, the only difference with them is that, they were able to use their imagination to creatively develop their country and make it what it is. We all have the same level of opportunity to succeed, but what we do with our imagination is what makes the difference.

In order to appreciate this article, we shall be looking at the component part of imagination and how it can trigger success. We shall be discussing about the component parts of imagination as it relates to the topic:

Visualization: Visualization is basically the process of imagining yourself having achieved your ideal life, down to the smallest details. Visualization is the most effective way to tap into the power of imagination.

Be a Visionary: According to –Albert Einstein “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” Great visionary leaders who have truly changed our world perspectives like  President Nelson Mandela, President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs Mr. Tony Elumelu, Dr.  Mike Adenuga and Walt Disney amongst were all visionaries who tapped into their subconscious power of imagination.

Two things happen when we visualize:

1. Inwardly, we are opening up the creativity of the subconscious mind. That is why when we combine affirmations with visualization in order to produce a very powerful tool.

2. Then by adding the power of emotion, we give a command to our subconscious mind to figure out how to make this image a reality.

Everything we see manifested in our lives is a reflection of what’s happening in the brain. Our brains do a couple of major things, first, they keep us alive and secondly, they make sure our outside world is an absolute mirror image of our internal world.

Our imagination is phenomenal. For instance, somebody was using phone and couldn’t go beyond a spot and thought of having a cell phone. Somebody imagined airplane, car, television, computer, interment, clock, etc. Imagination is evidence of things not seen.  Imagination was put into you by God to do something great. As a creative writer, I get inspiration to write where most people don’t inspired.

According to Steve Harvey, when he was in High School, his teacher asked the students to write what they wanted to be in future, he wrote in a book that he wanted to be on TV. His teacher made mockery of him because he was a stutterer. He never looked at his shortcomings in life, he was even homeless for about three years, sleeping in a car, but still, he believed in himself. Today, he’s on the Television doing what he imagined. I can imagine his teacher watching him on television. There’s power in imagination if you truly believe and work towards the actualization of your dreams. You might be fired from your job, faced eviction, lose a relationship/marriage or even loose a loved one, etc., that’s not the end of life. You can still achieve success in life if you tap into the power of imagination.

The power of imagination is not taught in schools. Albert Einstein was able to think in picture. He recognized that visual thinking can strip a problem down to its essence, leading to profoundly simple conclusions that ordinary language might not be able to reach. It doesn’t matter where you are and what you are doing, a sportsman, academician, politicians, leader, entrepreneur, cooperate organizations, etc. that truly once to get to the peak of his/her career must tap into the power imagination. If you can’t imagine it, you can’t see it. According to Carl Sagan, “Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.” Albert Einstein sums up imagination when he said “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

Let’s share some component part of imagination.

Socialize: The saying “Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are is not a political statement” because the people around are likely to have a significant impact on you. If you surround yourself with people of wide imagination, some of it should rub off on you.

Read:In order to spark your imagination, you should always be asking questions like Why? Where? How? What? Who? If there are things or events that you don’t understand, ask. You might be surprised at what you find out. ,

Daydream: You can amuse yourself by speculating on these things, and it will soon become a habit. It can one day trigger an idea for a book, or for a new product that may just change your life. Personally, I never imagined writing a book until the idea was triggered by one of my mentors.

Create: Seeing something take shape even as you are contemplating your next step is inspiring, and it will drive your imagination to new heights. The problem that many people have however is, they lack belief. And with that, dreams are denied any possibility of materializing.

Think of successful people: professional athletes, business executives, world leaders. They started off with a dream. They imagined what they wanted to become. How did they achieve it? They didn’t destroy it. They didn’t refer to it as impossible. They worked on it every day. And at some point they turned something that was once a figment of their imagination, into their reality.

When you have imagined your idea in your brain, the next step is to imagine how exactly you’re going to get it. Break it down into achievable stages. If it’s a successful career, imagine the company and the position. Vision yourself at the interview. Doing everything you will need to do in order to obtain it.

Finally, build the whole story in your mind. Spend a few minutes every day just thinking about it. Only in a positive way. Tell yourself that one-day you will get there. There is nothing that will stop you. The more you make this a routine, the more likely you are to act upon it. You will realize that it’s not so unachievable after all.

In conclusion, I will leave you with this nugget, Turn your intentions into actions and your dreams will become your reality.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com