“Nothing will work unless you do” - Maya Angelou.

Maya, lived, worked, created and inspired in countries across the world. She was not afraid to try anything. She danced, she was a cook, a university administrator, a writer, director, a newspaper editor, a human rights activist, a coordinator, a singer, a linguist, a streetcar conductor and a poet.

An inspiring figure to an entire generation, Angelou is one of the most successful woman of the 20th century. In all of the beautiful success of Angelou’s life, there is a common theme. She failed. Plenty of times. She succeeded in a lot of things too. But to succeed at things, she had to try, and she had to fail at some.



I am about to launch into a new chapter of life. I feel like I am about to dive into a huge, turbulent ocean. And, although I feel absolute conviction that this is what I am supposed to do, I feel fear. I doubt, I question myself and my vision.

And so in the midst of these questions; the plans, the dreams, the organising and the emailing, I take extreme comfort from the fact that Maya Angelou failed at so many things. Because I know that it led her to re-focus and re-group, and try something else. And I have to be OK with the fact that it’s OK to fail. As long as you can pick up and try something new, then failure is a beautiful opportunity. It is a privilege actually - to be able to try new things with a support network around you who will encourage you when things don’t quite go as planned.

Failure is a luxury that many can’t afford in our world; so I will be happy to give it a shot.