DON'T LOSE FAITH

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. 

DON'T LOSE FAITH

Steve Jobs was an American inventor and Co-Founder of the most innovative Apple computers. Steve Jobs’ innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect of our lives – computers, movies, music and mobile. 

Steve Jobs started Apple computers with a high school friend in a Silicon Valley garage in 1976. He was forced out of the company a decade later. He came back to Apple in 1997 to rescue the company he co-founded. He was its permanent CEO from 2000 onwards. Jobs spearheaded the advent of the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Steve jobs passed away in 2011. 

Steve Jobs’ address to the Stanford University Students in 2005 is considered to be one of the best motivation speeches. He shared 3 stories about his own life – all with underlying messages. The second one, which is the most inspiring, is given here.

"Woz and I started Apple in my parents’ garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. 

I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? 

Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company. For the first year or so things went well. Eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. It was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. And so I decided to start over. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world’s first computer animated feature film, Toy Story. It is now the most successful animation studio in the world. 

In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was an awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. 

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. 

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

* Published in December issue of GENIUS Punnagai.

ASTROPHYSICIST FROM INDIA - Who missed the Nobel Prize

Meghnad Saha was an outstanding Indian scientist. He made remarkable contribution to the field of Astrophysics. He is best known for his development of the Saha Ionisation Equation, used to describe chemical and physical conditions in stars.

Childhood

Meghnad Saha was born on October 6, 1893 in Sheoratali, a village in the District of Dacca, now in Bangladesh. His father was a grocer in the village.  Meghnad Saha managed to pursue his schooling with the support of a local medical practitioner, Ananta Kumar Das.

College days

He took admission in the Kishorilal Jubili School and passed the Entrance Examination of the Calcutta University standing first among the students from East Bengal. In 1913 he graduated from Presidency College. In 1915, both S.N.Bose and Meghnad Saha ranked first in M.Sc. exam.

Freedom movement

While studying in Presidency College, Meghnad got involved in the freedom movement. He also came in contact with nationalists like Subhash Chandra Bose and Rajendra Prasad. In 1917, Meghnad Saha joined as lecturer at the newly opened University College of Science in Calcutta. 

"Ionization formula"

In 1919, American Astrophysical Journal published a research paper prepared by Meghnad Saha. He put forward an "Ionization formula.” This equation is one of the basic tools for interpretation of the spectra of stars in astrophysics. By studying the spectra of various stars, one can find their temperature and from that, using Saha's equation, determine the ionisation state of the various elements making up the star.

Other contributions

Saha also invented an instrument to measure the weight and pressure of solar rays. He founded the journal Science and Culture and was the editor until his death. He was the leading spirit in organising several scientific societies and institutions. A lasting memorial to him is the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, founded in 1943 in Kolkata. 

Legacy

Saha was the chief architect of river planning in India and prepared the original plan for the Damodar Valley Project. The Nobel Committee evaluated Saha Ionisation Equation a few times. It was seen as a useful application, but not a "discovery." Thus he was not awarded the Prize.

In 1952 he stood as an independent candidate for Parliament and was elected by a wide margin. He died on February 16, 1956 due to a heart attack.

* Published in December issue of GENIUS Punnagai

THE MASTER SKILL OF SUCCESS

Dear friends,

With New Year’s eve just around the corner, you might be thinking about how to improve yourself in 2017. At this crucial season, I want to share some important ideas about goal setting, the master skill of success.

All of us have 2 choices in our life : We can make a mediocre life or we can design a king size life. If you choose the second choice, you should learn to set powerful goals. Written goals provide laser like focus in your life.

Setting powerful goals and sticking on to them is the secret art followed by all achievers. You too can learn it, if you follow these 4 steps.

Decide what you want

You have to decide exactly what you want to achieve in each area of your life - Studies, Health, Finance, Relations etc. Sit down and think with clarity about your wants which are achievable. Be specific!

Write it down

The next important step is to write down all of your goals clearly and in detail. Give importance to your most important goal in your studies or career. Set a specific deadline for the goals. If it is a large goal, break it down into sub-deadlines. This process will force you to filter out the unimportant.

Make a To-Do-List

Organize the items on your list into a plan by placing them in the proper sequence and priority. Make To-Do-Lists for the year, for the month, for the week and for today.

Take action

Take action immediately on the most important thing you can do on the To-Do-List of the day. Then move on to the next job in the list. If needed make some course corrections in your list. But make sure you are not drifting away from your goals.

Always keep your eyes on accomplishing the primary jobs in your To-Do-List. 

Resolve to do something everyday that will take you closer to achieve your most important goal in studies or career. Maintain the momentum. Following this process with utmost dedication will ensure you unstoppable success.

with best wishes

Susi Thirugnana

Editor, Genius Punnagai

*  Editorial in December issue

GENIUS PUNNAGAI - Inspiring Educational Magazine

GENIUS Punnagai is an inspiring educational magazine meant for students above 10 years. It is being published from Chennai, India for the past 10 years. 

GENIUS Punnagai is making a silent revolution by enhancing the reading habit of the new generation in a dramatic way. Principal of a leading educational group has said : "We tried several methods to improve reading habit of the students. We found GENIUS Punnagai is the real answer."

GENIUS Punnagai has an awesome content package including current affairs, motivation, science, space info, role models, study techniques and career tips. It has a readership of more than 1 lakh students every month.

GENIUS Punnagai is subscribed by more than 400 schools throughout India. It is also available in the public libraries of Tamil Nadu.

We invite principals, teachers, parents and distributors throughout India to be a part of this purposeful initiative. 

with regards

Susi Thirugnanam

Editor & Publisher, GENIUS Punnagai

99400 90596
thiru_gnanamc@yahoo.com

Dream big dreams

The future belongs to those who believe in 

the beauty of their dreams.

- Eleanor Roosevelt