WHY YOU DON'T NEED TO BE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER TO MAKE AN IMPACT

Over the past few years, an industry has emerged in Ghana especially among the youth. This has got to do with motivational/inspirational speaking. Today, the average youth wants to be involved in motivational/inspirational speaking of some sort. Here on Facebook, you will see many writing motivational pieces as an attempt to make an impact. And the oft-held fallacy is that, you make an impact as a motivational speaker. Nothing could be further from the truth. I will explain. Sadly, too, I have observed some youth resign from their jobs only to land themselves in motivational speaking all in the name of wanting to make an impact. As I observe these happenings, I like to think most of these young people venturing into motivational speaking are really not going there because that is what they were born to do, but because of the perceived popularity that comes with standing on a stage and speaking for people to see you. Or, authoring a motivational book with their faces at the back to make them popular.

The point is, and I can tell you this for a fact: most of these so-called motivational speakers make no impact. Sitting on radio or TV and having interviews, or being invited to speak at various programmes is not the measure of impact. Anyone can do that. In fact, anyone can lobby for a place on these media platforms just to make "noise" and be said to make an impact. Making impact has got nothing to do with motivational speaking. It doesn't matter what it is you are doing; be you a teacher, doctor, nurse, engineer, cleaner, etc., as long as your work somehow brings comfort to others, you are making an impact. I can't tell you how impactful the woman responsible for the sanitation of my office is to my life until I need her desperately to help with cleaning the office. When I walk into the office after cleaning, I feel fresh and focused for work. She doesn't need to resign from her work and become a speaker to know she's making an impact.

The interesting thing is, a good number of these motivational speakers are either school drop-outs because they refused to take their studies seriously and so they were booted out, or are out of school, in need of job but because hey have found nothing to do, they thought the best thing to do is to venture into motivational speaking. I am not in anyway attacking anyone or industry. I am only trying to speak the truth as raw as I could just so you know that whatever you find yourself doing, you are making an impact as long as you tune your mind to it. If you're not meant to be a motivational speaker, don't force it. Be you. Do what you are meant to do. Don't see someone jumping from one platform or the other, and because you love the popularity they enjoy, you also want to do motivational speaking. The interesting thing is to listen to these "wanna-be" motivational speakers who have no substance to deliver to their audience and yet somehow, they think they are making impact. Go, discover what you're meant to do, and do it the best way you can. Impact is not equal to popularity. You can be doing the most mundane job, and yet it is a source of comfort to many; now, that is real impact!

by 

Jonathan