Showing posts with label Career. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Career. Show all posts


Wole Soyinka was born on 13 July 1934 at Abeokuta, near Ibadan in Western Nigeria. After preparatory university studies in 1954 at Government College in Ibadan, he continued at the University of Leeds, where, later, in 1973, he took his doctorate. During the six years spent in England, he was a dramaturgist at the Royal Court Theatre in London 1958-1959. In 1960, he was awarded a Rockefeller bursary and returned to Nigeria to study African drama. At the same time, he taught drama and literature at various universities in Ibadan, Lagos, and Ife, where, since 1975, he has been professor of comparative literature. In 1960, he founded the theatre group, "The 1960 Masks" and in 1964, the "Orisun Theatre Company", in which he has produced his own plays and taken part as actor. He has periodically been visiting professor at the universities of Cambridge, Sheffield, and Yale.

During the civil war in Nigeria, Soyinka appealed in an article for cease-fire. For this he was arrested in 1967, accused of conspiring with the Biafra rebels, and was held as a political prisoner for 22 months until 1969. Soyinka has published about 20 works: drama, novels and poetry. He writes in English and his literary language is marked by great scope and richness of words.

As dramatist, Soyinka has been influenced by, among others, the Irish writer, J.M. Synge, but links up with the traditional popular African theatre with its combination of dance, music, and action. He bases his writing on the mythology of his own tribe-the Yoruba-with Ogun, the god of iron and war, at the centre. He wrote his first plays during his time in London, The Swamp Dwellers and The Lion and the Jewel (a light comedy), which were performed at Ibadan in 1958 and 1959 and were published in 1963. Later, satirical comedies are The Trial of Brother Jero (performed in 1960, publ. 1963) with its sequel, Jero's Metamorphosis (performed 1974, publ. 1973), A Dance of the Forests (performed 1960, publ.1963), Kongi's Harvest (performed 1965, publ. 1967) and Madmen and Specialists (performed 1970, publ. 1971). Among Soyinka's serious philosophic plays are (apart from "The Swamp Dwellers") The Strong Breed (performed 1966, publ. 1963), The Road ( 1965) and Death and the King's Horseman (performed 1976, publ. 1975). In The Bacchae of Euripides (1973), he has rewritten the Bacchae for the African stage and in Opera Wonyosi (performed 1977, publ. 1981), bases himself on John Gay's Beggar's Opera and Brecht's The Threepenny Opera. Soyinka's latest dramatic works are A Play of Giants (1984) and Requiem for a Futurologist (1985).

Soyinka has written two novels, The Interpreters (1965), narratively, a complicated work which has been compared to Joyce's and Faulkner's, in which six Nigerian intellectuals discuss and interpret their African experiences, and Season of Anomy (1973) which is based on the writer's thoughts during his imprisonment and confronts the Orpheus and Euridice myth with the mythology of the Yoruba. Purely autobiographical are The Man Died: Prison Notes (1972) and the account of his childhood, Aké ( 1981), in which the parents' warmth and interest in their son are prominent. Literary essays are collected in, among others, Myth, Literature and the African World (1975).

Soyinka's poems, which show a close connection to his plays, are collected in Idanre, and Other Poems (1967), Poems from Prison (1969), A Shuttle in the Crypt (1972) the long poem Ogun Abibiman (1976) and Mandela's Earth and Other Poems (1988).


Biography Thomas Edison Portrait of Thomas Edison sitting down Thomas Edison by Louis Bachrach Biographies >> Inventors and Scientists Occupation: Businessman and Inventor Born: February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio Died: October 18, 1931 in West Orange, New Jersey Best known for: Inventing many useful items including the phonograph and a practical light bulb Biography: Thomas Edison may be the greatest inventor in history. He has over 1000 patents in his name. Many of his inventions still have a major affect on our lives today. He was also a business entrepreneur. Many of his inventions were group efforts in his large invention laboratory where he had many people working for him to help develop, build, and test his inventions. He also started many companies including General Electric, which is one of the biggest corporations in the world today. Where did Edison grow up? Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847. His family soon moved to Port Huron, Michigan where he spent most of his childhood. Surprisingly, he did not do well in school and ended up being home schooled by his mother. Thomas was an enterprising young man, selling vegetables, candy and newspapers on trains. One day he saved a child from a runaway train. The child's father repaid Edison by training him as a telegraph operator. As a telegraph operator, Thomas became interested in communications, which would be the focus of many of his inventions. Edison and Phonograph by Levin C. Handy What was Menlo Park? Menlo Park, New Jersey is where Thomas Edison built his research labs. This was the first business or institution with the sole purpose of inventing. They would do research and science and then apply it to practical applications that could be manufactured and built on a large scale. There were a lot of employees working for Edison at Menlo park. These workers were inventors, too, and did a lot of work on Edison's ideas to help turn them into inventions. Light bulb patent application by Thomas Edison Light Bulb Patent Application by Thomas Edison What are Thomas Edison's most famous inventions? Thomas Edison has the patents and credits for many inventions. Three of his most famous include: The Phonograph - This was the first major invention by Edison and made him famous. It was the first machine that was able to record and playback sound. Light Bulb - Although he did not invent the first electric light, Edison made the first practical electric light bulb that could be manufactured and used in the home. He also invented other items that were needed make the light bulb practical for use in homes including safety fuses and off/off switches for light sockets. The Motion Picture - Edison did a lot of work in creating the motion picture camera and helping move forward the progress of practical movies. Fun Facts About Thomas Edison His middle name was Alva and his family called him Al. His first two kids had the nicknames Dot and Dash. He set up his first lab in his parent's basement at the age of 10. He was partially deaf. His first invention was an electric vote recorder. His 1093 patents are the most on record. He said the words to "Mary had a little lamb" as the first recorded voice on the phonograph.

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Professor Wole Soyinka’s Achievements



The Straightest Road to Success

You know, to be great, I think you have to fight. I very much think that my success is a product of some level of skill, but I do think I win because I outwork people. I really do believe that. I believe that 100%. And let me remind you, I don’t care if you work 18 hours a day. I don’t care if you want to hustle or if you want to buy the Jets. My advice is tried and true; find your happiness to win. I need you to do what makes you feel good. I need you to reverse engineer your own wants and needs.
I’m sharing this story because I’m not sure that if my dad didn’t set that example, that I’d even have the ability to think one could work this hard. The fact that I’ve been working 15 hours a day every day for the last 20 years is easy for me. It’s the only gear I do. I was poor. I sucked shit at school. It was the only gear I have.
You know, I think that you need to recognize that your biggest advantage when you’re just starting out is that you’re hungrier than your competitor. That if you’re not applying your one advantage, which is your work ethic and the hours that you have to put into your business, well, then you’re going to come up short. I sit up here with enormous assumptions around all of you that you’re just too soft to beat me. I obviously don’t think that’s an issue because of most of you don’t want it. But it’s clear that I think you’ve had it better, and that alone doesn’t allow you to beat me.
Somebody will come with a counter point of view and be like, “Gary, that’s cool, but I don’t have to work that hard, because I’m working smarter.” Yeah! Me too asshole. I work hard and smart. Now what? Look, there’s 12-hour, 10-hour, 8-hour, 15-hour work days. You can finish a lot of things in those 18, 12, 9 hours, or you can finish medium amounts of things, or lightweight things. People focus on too many small details.
Way too many people in this room are going to spend the next 30, 40 years of their lives trying to check the boxes of the things that they’re not as good at, and because of that, you’re going to waste a lot of time. I highly recommend for all you hustlers that you go all in on your strengths. Find the thing you are good at, and you love and you want to improve on. I know that a lot of you tell me, “Gary, I do work hard,” and you do. You work for 16 hours. But there are so many of you deploying your energy toward something that you aren’t good at or don’t truly love.
Because listen, there are a lot of things I can’t learn either. I wish I was the quarterback for the New York Jets, but the problem is, it’s never going to happen. No matter how hard I work, or how hard I train, it’s just not in my DNA. I had to accept that and find another way to win.
I was a very poor student because the subject matter bored me. If I was forced to become exceptional at understanding the great artists of the 20th century, I would be in big trouble. I would tell people to bet on their strengths. You need to find what you are good at and don’t give a fuck about what you suck at. You need to put yourself in a position to win with your strengths, because that is absolutely the straightest road to success. Greatness comes from adversity, and looking the challenge in the eye, and having the intestinal fortitude to step up and go after it

Now tell me, is it in you?

The Straightest Road to Success


1.      Avoid Gossip and office politics: Do not indulge in office gossip. It may be fine to comment on office happenings but it should be limited. Office gossip tends to spread rumors. A rumor about co-workers, your seniors or yourself can spoil relations. You can even lose your job due to extreme gossiping. Always remember too much of gossiping in office is unhealthy. Also avoid being part of office politics. You have been appointed to do a specific job and you must give your best shot it. Your career is more important that empty words that do no good to anyone.
2.      Do not bring personal problems to office: It is always wise not to bring your work to home and avoid bringing your personal concerns at workplace. Do not discuss your worries and tragedies with co-workers during working hours. Avoid talking about husband-wife fights, love problems, financial hurdles and other such topics. It may have a negative impact on work efficiency. Focus on the present and it will provide you some mental space away from your problems.
3.      Avoid use of office technology for personal use: You must be responsible while using office technology like telephones, fax machines, printers and computers. Making never ending personal calls from office phone, online chatting, using social networking sites, visiting banned websites or watching videos show highly unprofessional behaviour. Limit personal use if it is important to use it.
4.      Dress inappropriately: Many offices these days are adopting a casual dress code, and while that might be good for your comfort and wallet, it also opens the door to poor decisions. No matter how laid-back your office environment might seem, don’t make the mistake of wearing clothing that's too revealing, ripped, or just plain unlaundered. Wearing T-shirt and a pair of jeans to office exhibits unprofessional attitude.
Along these lines, avoid t-shirts with potentially offensive language or slogans.
5.      Avoid being a chatter box: Constant chatting with co-workers can disturb everyone. Keep your conversations short and crisp when you are working. You can indulge in small conversations but do not disturb the work environment with constant babbling.
6.      Handle office property with care: Always handle office property such as machines, furniture and electronic equipments with care. Do not be harsh while using office property. Act responsible while handling important materials such as files, folders, documents and confidential data.
7.      Avoid eating at desk: Do not eat near or on your desk. Accidents do happen and you do not want to ruin important documents or your keyboard. Some offices may allow eating at desks but it is advisable to eat lunch at office canteens or other places.
8.      Do not stay absent without genuine reason: Taking an off from work and giving fake reasons about ill health is highly irresponsible behavior. As an employee you have official holidays and leaves. Do take advantage of these leaves.
If you have genuine reasons for being absent from office inform your colleague or the Human Resource in charge. Provide all details of pending work and submissions. Make sure you are available on your mobile.
9.      Avoid being late: Do not arrive late at office. Record of coming late can lay a bad impression on your superiors and bosses. It is better to arrive five minutes earlier or on time. When you come late, you need more time to settle down and you end up wasting time which can be used to complete important tasks. If you have a genuine reason for coming late, inform the designated person stating the reason of delay. It shows that you are responsible.
10.  Not flushing the toilet: No one can quite figure out why people don't think they need to flush the toilet, but it's high on the list of gross habits at work. Make it a habit to flush the toilet in public or the person following you into the restroom is going to get an unpleasant surprise.

Things You Should Never Do At Work



Musicians
While their music is some of the best selling, best loved and most popular around the world today, these musicians show that it takes a whole lot of determination to achieve success.

1.      Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Mozart began composing at the age of five, writing over 600 pieces of music that today are lauded as some of the best ever created. Yet during his lifetime, Mozart didn’t have such an easy time, and was often restless, leading to his dismissal from a position as a court musician in Salzberg. He struggled to keep the support of the aristocracy and died with little to his name.

2.      Elvis Presley: As one of the best-selling artists of all time, Elvis has become a household name even years after his death. But back in 1954, Elvis was still a nobody, and Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after just one performance telling him, “You ain’t going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck.”

3.      Igor Stravinsky: In 1913 when Stravinsky debuted his now famous Rite of Spring, audiences rioted, running the composer out of town. Yet it was this very work that changed the way composers in the 19th century thought about music and cemented his place in musical history.

4.      The Beatles: Few people can deny the lasting power of this super group, still popular with listeners around the world today. Yet when they were just starting out, a recording company told them no. They were told “we don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out,” two things the rest of the world couldn’t have disagreed with more.

5.      Ludwig van Beethoven: In his formative years, young Beethoven was incredibly awkward on the violin and was often so busy working on his own compositions that he neglected to practice. Despite his love of composing, his teachers felt he was hopeless at it and would never succeed with the violin or in composing. Beethoven kept plugging along, however, and composed some of the best-loved symphonies of all time–five of them while he was completely deaf.

Athletes
While some athletes rocket to fame, others endure a path fraught with a little more adversity, like those listed here.

6.      Michael Jordan: Most people wouldn’t believe that a man often lauded as the best basketball player of all time was actually cut from his high school basketball team. Luckily, Jordan didn’t let this setback stop him from playing the game and he has stated, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

7.      Stan Smith: This tennis player was rejected from even being a lowly ball boy for a Davis Cup tennis match because event organizers felt he was too clumsy and uncoordinated. Smith went on to prove them wrong, showcasing his not-so-clumsy skills by winning Wimbledon, U. S. Open and eight Davis Cups.

8.      Babe Ruth: You probably know Babe Ruth because of his home run record (714 during his career), but along with all those home runs came a pretty hefty amount of strikeouts as well (1,330 in all). In fact, for decades he held the record for strikeouts. When asked about this he simply said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

9.      Tom Landry: As the coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Landry brought the team two Super Bowl victories, five NFC Championship victories and holds the records for the record for the most career wins. He also has the distinction of having one of the worst first seasons on record (winning no games) and winning five or fewer over the next four seasons.

9 Successful Musicians And Athletes Who Failed at First

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