The TED video above is a rather inspiring video, one that portrays William Kamkwamba’s struggle to feed himself and his family. At the young age of 14, he faces the challenge of his life; to break out of the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger in a time of severe famine. In order to extricate himself from the problem, William pursues him education with a fierce passion, especially in physics. It was then that he stumbled upon the mechanics of building a windmill. It was a glimmer of hope in his life, for it could pump water and generate electricity. The pumping of water allows for irrigation, providing for water for his crops. However, he had no materials at hand, and had to gather bits from the scrapyard. Coupled with his uncanny ingenuity, William managed to build a windmill, which he later upgraded it with switches and a circuit breaker.

Rather than focusing on William’s life story, I believe that this video has something deeper to share with us, that inherently, all of us have the potential to succeed as long as we are determined, hardworking and to never give up despite failures.