Emma S. Etuk

 

Award-winning author, speaker, and professional historian, Emma Samuel Etuk is the founder and director of Nigeria For Christ Ministries. A graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., he obtained a Ph.D. in United States History, with minors in African History and International Relations.

Visit Dr. Etuk at www.emida1.com.

 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Emma S. Etuk: I am a Nigerian citizen and grew up in Nigeria. I attended the Polytechnic, Calabar, from where I obtained the Higher National Diploma in Estate Management. As a Christian, my earliest influences were Dr. Billy Graham, T. L. Osborn, Robert Schuller, Dr. Oswald J. Smith, of the Peoples Church, Toronto, and the Bible. My parents were quite religious and influenced my youthful life, accordingly.

 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: Define Success as it relates to your new book "Recipe for Success: The 21 Indispensable Things That Can Help You Succeed in Life." What is your personal description of success?

Emma S. Etuk: My book, "Recipe for Success," is quite unique and different from the other books in circulation. I define success as the accumulation of good deeds, doing one good deed, one at a time. Within this definition is the underlying understanding that success, to me, does not mean getting-rich-quick nor catching up with the Joneses. Reading my book will not make one rich overnight. But this book will assist the reader to understand the FUNDAMENTALS of success and he/she will, ultimately, be rich if the principles enunciated in the book are adhered to. I guarrantee it.

 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: In "Recipe for Success The 21 Indispensable Things That Can Help You Succeed in Life" you talk about "visionaries" and "Dreamers" -- Is there a difference?

Emma S. Etuk: Visionaries and dreamers are not so different except that some people are, literally speaking, for ever dreamers without executing their dreams. That is why, I think, Les Brown speaks of "Living Your dreams." On the other hand, visionaries like Mahatma Gandhi, Moses, Jesus, Martin Luther, King, Jr., were people who had a telescopic view of their mission and life and went straight ahead to fulfill their dreams.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: In "Recipe for Success" you speak of Stress and how this can hurt you successfully -- How do you handle stress and what advice do you offer.

Emma S. Etuk: Stress can easily kill the sufferer if not handled carefully. It can lead to high blood pressure and stroke. In the extreme case, one should take medication at a doctor's prescription. For me, the best therapy that I have against stress is PRAYER. It calmes my nerves. Additionally, I am learning how to rest and relax by taking a walk, distracting myself into good company where I find laughter. And laughter is good medicine. Some say that good sex relaxes. Maybe!

 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: In "Recipe for Success" you say "There is nothing accidential about success" - Please explain- Can "luck" be involved?

Emma S. Etuk: Personally, I do not believe in luck. I only know of hardwork which involves good preparation, planning, and all the other principles that I have offered in the book. Those who wait for good luck before success might as well travel to Las Vegas where there is abundance of luck at the casinos.

 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: In "Recipe for Success: The 21 Indispensable Things That Can Help You Succeed in Life" you talk about "Spiritual Power." Please tell us about "Spiritual Power."

Emma S. Etuk: It is difficult to live in this present world without some measure of faith in the supernatural. I have read Bertrand Russell's "Why I am Not A Christian" and also C. S. Lewis's "The Case For Christianity" and have decided that faith and belief are matters of choice. I choose to belief in God because in Him I find the greatest and best reservoir of spiritual energy and power that flows freely to His creatures. I believe that God loves me so much that were I the only creature that He made, He would still love me unconditionally. But He has expressed His love to me through Christ. I cannot fully rationalize these things, but like the ancient Church Father, "I believe in order that I might understand." Herein lies the source of my spiritual strength. Anyone who believes can have access to this same source of spiritual power.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What do you hope to achieve with "Recipe for Success: The 21 Indispensable Things That Can Help You Succeed in Life?" What do you hope readers will take away after reading your book?

Emma S. Etuk: My life's mission statement is simple: "To be a channel of blessings to mankind." If this book achieves this objective, I will be fully satisfied. Already, this book is selling like hot cake in Nigeria and the letters that I receive indicate that the readers are being blessed. The book is also selling in Malaysia and I have letters that show that the message has been well received.

 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What has been your feedback from readers?

Emma S. Etuk: The feedback has been very positive. One should have been at the Hue-Man Bookstore, in Harlem, New York, last night where I had a booksigning, to see the faces of the people after I gave an hour and a half lecture on success. I went home to my hotel very, very satisfied.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What's next?

Emma S. Etuk: I am working on my ninth book, tentatively titled: "Seven Indispensable Qualities of A Visionary: Turning Your Dreams Into Realities."

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?

Emma S. Etuk: I am reading a biography of Gandhi.

 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Emma S. Etuk: My hobbies including singing, swimming, and walking. These help me to relax and reduce stress. But most of all, I enjoy what I am currently doing: being a motivational speaker and teacher.

 

Interview date: 6/18/05