I watched the biographical documentary of the legendary Nina Simone titled What Happened, Miss Simone?

Eunice Kathleen Waymon [February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003], known professionally as Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and civil rights activist. 

There are so many lessons to be learned from Nina Simone’s life.

Although being a singer was not “any big thing” to Simone when she first started, she learned to recognise the seductive, spellbinding qualities of her androgynous tones.

“Sometimes I sound like gravel,” she says in the film, “sometimes I sound like coffee and cream.”

And when she discovered people loved her singing, she used it to stir things up, and found her calling.

Finding one’s voice is not only about vocal abilities, it is also an understanding of those innate talents and passions that give our lives meaning.

To identify your purpose, Stephen R. Covey, best-selling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, says you must ask yourself:

[1] What am I good at?

[2] What do I love?

[3] What need can I serve? and

[4] What gives my life meaning?

Don’t expect the answers all at once, or the results to manifest themselves.

As a girl, Nina Simone once dreamed of becoming the first African American classical pianist. Ultimately, her voice made her a legend worldwide.

Find your voice, perfect it, package it and ship it.

Sometimes you will sound like a gravel and other times you will sound like coffee and cream.

Image: David Redfern/Redferns