William Kamkwamba's Habits In The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

“I try it, and I made it” (Kamkwamba, Mealer 266). This is how William Kamkwamba answered a question about making his windmill, on his first TED Talk, at the age of nineteen. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer is the incredible true story of William Kamkwamba and his brilliant invention. He created a windmill, and in doing so he changed the course of his life and the lives of his fellow people for the better. In order to create his windmill he needed to possess several habits. A few of these habits; working with what is on hand, never giving up, and taking criticism as a reason to try harder. All of these characteristics helped William in his journey to create his first windmill.

One of the roteen acts that benefited William Kamkwamba is that he was able to work with what he had on hand. For instance, William used his dad’s old bike for the windmill. When he told his dad, he “explained the entire process, how the bike frome would be the perfect body and be sturdy enough to handle strong winds” (174). This shows his ability to think in an unorthodox manner. Moreover, William knew what he needed to build his windmill, but he did not have the parts. To fix this problem, he went to the junkyard to find alternative parts. This is one of the best ways William shows the quality of working with what is on hand. William is self reliant, however, he lets his friend, Gilbert buy the dynamo he need to power his windmill and illuminate the light bulb.