Life Matters | Feb 04,2023
May 6 , 2023
By Eden Sahle
I have encountered people that made drastic decisions based on the ‘motivational speeches’ they heard.
Four young men dropped out of medical and business schools deciding that years of attending universities was a waste of their youth while they could reach the top of the ‘success ladder’ quickly. A woman decided to leave her husband, convinced that being with him had prevented her from exploring opportunities abroad as he could not get a visa.
They all opted to search for a new path leaving their status behind.
"Motivational speeches" are booming with several speakers who have not accomplished anything except being articulate speakers taking the local stages.
History records that motivational speeches were commercialised three decades ago with academics invited to companies and institutions to share their expertise with a broader audience. The experts have imparted wisdom while getting paid which was great.
Inspiring speeches can make us laugh or cry and eventually think. People who battled against the odds to make their dreams come true can impart wisdom when they are bold enough to speak openly about their experiences. They talk out of practical accomplishments.
The problem started when it transformed into a lucrative multibillion-dollar industry. When it falls into the wrong hands and is done as a mere business, it becomes discouraging, triggering people to leave off their accomplishments behind.
The 26-year-old young man I met who has been delivering speeches to hundreds that paid to attend his event was jabbering about things he has not experienced himself.
I had a chance to talk to him later. He dropped out of college as the income through these events surpassed the potential salary he expects after graduating. It was shocking to me people actually paid him with hopes of getting a tangible action to change their lives.
It is reckless to advise young people with no business idea to work for themselves as they will not have a boss that orders them around.
What anyone does not hear at the sessions is how nerve-wracking it is to start a business in Ethiopia where so many uncertainties arise at every corner. The speakers do not tell them what measures they have taken and how much they have invested mentally and emotionally.
Success is not attained by mere wish but through hard work and sacrifice. There is no guarantee that the young men who dropped out of universities will succeed in life nor the woman who is leaving her husband behind to try on opportunities abroad. Our willpower is finite. The capacity to accomplish many things does not mean it was beneficial.
Depending on the ever-changing motivation can leave us high and dry when we find ourselves somewhere we did not expect to find ourselves.
Dreaming is an integral part of what makes us human. Working towards accomplishing our goals spurs our motivation not to give up; however long the journey may be. Nonetheless, having a solid mindset to materialise a personal life objective saves us from changing our minds with someone's opinion.
We have to be careful to avoid getting caught up in generalizing when identifying the road to success. Many motivational speeches portray successful people as individuals who achieve extensively without finishing school. While a handful of people made a fortune without going to school, others are leading a tough life because of it. Imitating their lives has perilous consequences.
It is good to be motivated but better to protect ourselves from uninformed decisions early on than regret for a lifetime.
Reality should strike a chord within us to discover and work towards our individual gifts. Formidable moments make us reach our goal. It is precisely what makes us grow and be accomplished.
PUBLISHED ON
May 06,2023 [ VOL
24 , NO
1201]
Life Matters | Feb 04,2023
Featured | Jan 15,2022
View From Arada | Jul 24,2021
Obituary | Jan 28,2023
Radar | Mar 11,2024
Addis Fortune | Oct 30,2022
Sunday with Eden | Jul 15,2023
View From Arada | Dec 07,2024
Sunday with Eden | Mar 16,2024
Editorial | May 24,2025
My Opinion | 129888 Views | Aug 14,2021
My Opinion | 126197 Views | Aug 21,2021
My Opinion | 124203 Views | Sep 10,2021
My Opinion | 121987 Views | Aug 07,2021
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
May 24 , 2025
Public hospitals have fallen eerily quiet lately. Corridors once crowded with patient...
May 17 , 2025
Ethiopia pours more than three billion Birr a year into academic research, yet too mu...
May 10 , 2025
Federal legislators recently summoned Shiferaw Teklemariam (PhD), head of the Disaste...
May 3 , 2025
Pensioners have learned, rather painfully, the gulf between a figure on a passbook an...
May 24 , 2025
First came the trickle, then the torrent. On a humid night in late March, a low-lying neighbourhood on Addis Abeba's southeastern fringe wat...
May 24 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
When Moses Akuei received his geology degree from Wolaita Sodo University, the 27-year-old from South Sud...
May 24 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
The Central Bank is launching a sweeping initiative to overhaul the agricultural finance system, targetin...
Federal legislators are considering a bill that would allow foreign nationals to lease land and own resid...
Loading your updates...