New Directions by Maya Angelou is a memoir that retells the story of when Mrs. Annie Johnson was left in Arkansas alone, without a husband, without a good education, and without money to sustain her. Annie, not wanting to leave her babies all day while she went to work, decided to carve a path for herself that would fit her own needs. Though without the good ability to read and write English, she was not without the ability to make some hot meat pies, and so she set up a stand between the town’s cotton gin and lumber mill and got to work selling meat pies to the workers at lunchtime. Annie’s determination, ability to manipulate her own future and make her reality better, and her desire to keep her family together led to the development of a business that would sustain her.
Sometimes, things just start off bad. And they will stay bad, unless you make them better. Being able to recover from something bad in your past symbolizes inner strength and allows you to move on with your life and not have to keep looking back. Annie suffered from many harsh things in the past. She had a broken marriage, separated from her husband, and was left with her meager belongings to survive in Arkansas. Apart from a one room house and her two toddlers, she had virtually nothing else. Not too much cash (only enough to buy food and survive), no ability to read/write English, and nobody to support her. However, throughout this difficult situation, she pulled herself through. Annie’s ability to recover from past experiences is strong. She is able to forget quickly and move one forward. As it is said, you can’t change the beginning but you can change the end. Annie demonstrates this as she doesn’t dwell on the departure of her husband for long, she moves on and devises a new way to take care of herself and do what needs to be done. This capability allows her to successfully pull herself back from her setbacks and climb higher than before. Don’t let setbacks define your future. You will always have a choice to climb back up and start again.
Everything starts off with an idea. That idea will either stay an idea or be turned into reality. Starting a business is not an easy thing to do. It requires patience and the belief that one day, it will grow into the company of your dreams. Annie, not wanting any domestic labor and unable to work at the cotton gin/lumber mill, decided to start her own business. As so, she took a look in her inventory and gathered the supplies she had to create a small business that would sustain her. Annie had an idea, and then used the tools she had to make that idea come true. To start a business, you can’t jump forward to the step where you become a multi-millionaire, you have to start at the beginning. Annie took it step by step and slowly built up the trust in her customers. This resulted in her, at the end, able to set up a permanent stand and have the workers rush to her, instead of her having to rush to the workers. Annie, being patient and meticulous throughout the entire process ultimately cultivated a seed of a business that would expand. Big things all start small, growing bigger as time passes.
Expanding a business is like blowing up a balloon, you have to be careful or else it’ll pop. Of course, you don’t want to leave your business as a small tiny seed in the middle of tall towering trees. To expand your business, you need to gain a stable customer base and increase your sale of products. Annie expands her business slowly in New Directions. She doesn’t start getting fancy things all at once, but does it bit by bit. For example, she first gains the liking of the cotton gin men and the men at the lumber mill, then sets up a permanent stall, then increases her products. Being able to figure out what people like to buy is an important part in a business. Don’t try to sell cold drinks in a cold town north, and vice versa (don’t try to sell hot drinks down south). To expand your business, you need to be able to figure out what people will buy and how you can use that to your favor. For example, people in a cold area might like to buy scarves. If you have a friend who is a wizard at knitting, then you might want to collaborate with them. Annie uses her smarts to grow her business into a store. From a simple brazier with meat pies to a store with many different options, Annie really took into account what the men wanted and played it to her favor. Being able to take things so that they play out well for you is a skill that will be useful in many occasions in life.
New Directions by Maya Angelou is a really touching memoir that holds many true life lessons that readers can take. Annie Johnson, the protagonist of the story, manages to open her own store and support herself as well as her two toddlers in Arkansas, using all her wits and cleverness in the process. Through the story, we understand the importance of being able to come back after a miserable beginning or a setback. Additionally, we are able to perceive the patience needed to start a business and the wits required to expand a business successfully. New Directions is truly a really heartwarming memoir that holds many lessons true, and demonstrates many skills that readers can utilize later.
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