7 Life Lessons I Learned From 'The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind'

I'm not an emotional person but there are times when my emotions get the better of me.
One of those times is when I'm awed by tenacity to overcome whatever stands in the way of achieving greatness - whether in business, family, relationships, or life in general.

I'm not a film critic and won't even pretend to be one but watching The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind was one of those times my emotions had the better of me and before I could get a handle on it, my eyes welled up with tears when the water flowed from the pump almost at the end of the movie. 

Alas, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I should give you a synopsis of the movie first:

It's a movie set in Malawi. There was a drought which led to death and devastation. The government didn't care so a teenage boy who had a deep and passionate interest in science was intrigued by the idea of creating a windmill which would be able to pump water from the ground for the fields so there would be food again.

It is a true life story so don't think I'm bobooing you guys. There's a book and you can watch the movie on Netflix like I did.

On to what I learnt from the movie.

1. Finding a solution to a valid problem is the first step on the journey to attaining greatness. In marketing/advertising, we call it 'first in the market' because you are the one who first identified the problem and proferred a solution. However, this applies to every sphere of life. There is absolutely no way you develop a product or service that will solve a problem faced by the mass majority and it won't be unanimously adopted. So when next you sit to think about that idea that will change the world, think first to identify the problem that most of the world face and you are well on your way.
2. There will always be one person (or two) whose absolute faith and belief in you is unshakable. Identify them and never let go of them. This is a huge problem for some people. There is the possibility that you are the next changemaker in your family or community or country but the lack of belief in you and your destiny can kill it. Having people other than yourself believe in you is enough to make you strive to do better, work harder and succeed. The fact that someone believes in you also helps to re-enforce your belief in yourself. Once you find that person(s), hold onto them tight.
3. Once you believe in your heart that it is possible, everything in the universe - GOD and nature - will support you and make it come to pass. It's almost like GOD and nature need you to believe you can make and you absolutely will regardless of the challenges or obstacles that come your way. Can you believe it? The supernatural fighting for you on all grounds, simply awesome.
4. After the belief comes a helluva lot of working hard and struggle to surmount all the challenges that will come your way. Some people sit back and say that belief and ability alone will see them through but heck no, you have to tug, push, pull, fight, pray, kneel to actually make it happen. People close to you might even be obstacles to your progress but without any negativity, you can win them over to your side and get them to work with you and for you.
5. You'll need to use what you have to achieve the results you seek. What we need for success isn't always in plain sight. It's like gold or diamond. They are found deep in the ground surrounded by a lot of mud and sand. You need to dig them out and clean them before you can get anything out of them. So it is for every venture...like blogging. You don't immediately start with a DSLR, you first start with your phone, then a point & shoot, then an entry level pro camera before you get to the big guns - use what is available, what is around you, what is accessible and before long, you'll be halfway to your destination.
6. You can NEVER achieve success or greatness alone. You need people to help you. The only thing is make sure they are people who believe in either of 2 things - you or what you are working to achieve. It's funny but just like working in an office - you wake up either because you like the organisation, you like the people or you like the job. So it is in life. If you want to do well, walk alone, if you want to touch the stars, walk with people. But while it may be difficult to get people to like, you can get them to respect you and believe in what you stand for. Like/Love or Respect, they'll stand by & with you to achieve the results you seek.
7. No dream is too big or any part of the sky too high to reach. Don't give up!

That's a lot for me to ponder on so ponder I shall.

What life lesson are you taking away?

If you've watched the movie, what life lesson did you learn?