The potential to succeed

Every human being under the face of the sun is subjected to laws of nature, in which the potential to succeed on earth is one of them. In my view, success is basically all in the mind. It however remains each individual’s responsibility to unleash his or her own full potential. If you think success and possibilities, ultimately you will become a success. Take for example: A car with a flat tyre does not necessarily mean that the driver will not reach his desired destination. He can still replace the tyre or fix it, and then make it to his intended destination.

I strongly believe that failure is not an obstacle in the minds of world changers. One should not let failure to become an obstacle that will significantly hinder progress. Rather regard it as a motivation to change and modify your ways of doing things. Failure does not automatically determine how far people should go in life; it only serves as an indicator of which methods or ways of doing things will not work. As often said “perseverance is the mother of success”, therefore, one should one-way or another persevere in order to maintain sustainability and become a success.

Life is meant for all humankind to live it in fulfilment, success and happiness. Every person existing on this earth’s crust has the potential and capacity to make it in life. A lot more than just often, it remains an individual’s responsibility to decide to become a better person. I think it is quite useful to always bear in mind that success is not a destination; it is more like a wave of water that has neither an end nor initial point in the ocean. You somehow need to keep on surfing so as avoid drowning into the ocean. That in a way implies one should work to succeed in life, and continue working to keep the success in good balance.

Success is like a chain of infinite length. It can be viewed as the sum total of each and every achievement that one has, be it simple or even substantial. All those achievements are much like the loops of a chain. It therefore makes sense to say that every person has a share of and the potential to succeed; we just may be successful in different ways.

An idea in my field I wish that every non-scientist understood and why?

It is almost always true that what you do not know will not harm you; however, ignorance will most certainly lead to your inconvenience. Hence, knowledge acquired from observation is a necessity toward every human aspect. The global idea within my field of work is closely related to an attempt of answering the question "Why do humans chase after time all the time?" Irrespective of whether an individual is a scientist or not, efficiently using time and being able to know what to expect in future is quite an attractive quality. Computer simulations as forms of scientific observation continue to complement this quality. They are used to resourcefully study phenomena over time. One essentially tries to observe as well as comprehend activities of the surrounding past and future during a present time. The art of using simulations should not necessarily be seen as a discipline for the interested few, but as observation in practice. Observation permits us to realize and understand various things including abstract concepts such as the idea that randomness is a form of order, energy can be made portable, and the possibility for a human heart to retain cellular memory and consequently allow a patient to experience emotions once felt by the donor can be evaluated. Abstract as it may seem, I do believe if people understood that the key ingredient within the success for any form of desired result is observation, then many challenges would be easier to resolve.

Science 5 October 2012: vol. 338 no. 6103 pp. 40-43
DOI: 10.1126/science.338.6103.40

An experience encountered and how it changed my science, training and career goals.

In my early childhood years more than often my days were filled with more questions than answers. Among my questions were why everything turns black when it burns no matter the initial color, why a week has only seven days, and why a fragile object like an egg becomes rigid when put into boiled water whereas a rigid potato softens? When asking my parents they would tell me that I asked a lot and should perhaps become a lawyer. Unfortunately the only lawyer close to the family had very little interest in answering my questions. My interest was not in asking questions but in knowing the answers. Owing to my general curiosity my English teacher suggested that I make use of the Library in the local University. At the library in the University of Limpopo, I came across a statement that shook my focus towards science. It read "science is an elegant complex of human intellect an imagination." I then desired the science stream. I eventually learned of outreach programs the university usually held, and took part in one which was devoted to engineering. Becoming an engineer was an interesting prospect; however, the lack of resources and sufficient facilitators at school compromised my grades to qualify. I then chose to enroll for a B.Sc. in physics, chemistry, and computer science. The discipline catered for the provision of obtaining answers and continual learning. Currently I am pursuing a scientific research based career in computational modeling of materials.

Science 6 July 2012: vol. 337 no. 6090 pp. 32-34
DOI: 10.1126/science.337.6090.32