Young motivational speaker inspires

Usually, motivational speakers are adults who, like many others, have experienced and overcome hardships in their lives. They aim to educate anyone who would listen on how to deal with shortcomings, based on personal experiences.

A teenager is rarely able to stand in front of a crowd and speak as confidently and informatively as those with years of experience. Desire Chefor, commonly known by his pseudonym Simple Wise, is a 19-year-old who speaks with the wisdom of someone who has lived for hundreds of years. His stage name comes from his personal mantra, ‘Simplicity is a key factor of wisdom’.

His pseudonym is fitting of his exceptional public-speaking ability; the wisdom expressed by a young man of that age is rarely seen. He has been speaking publicly for a little more than a year, saying that he wants to inspire people to live better.

Just like many motivational speakers, Desire’s personal experiences have pushed him to take on motivational speaking. He is from Ambazonia in Cameroon, and has moved to Witpoortjie to have a better chance in life. He has faced several difficulties throughout his childhood and teenage years, and has taken on motivational speaking to teach others how to overcome their hardships.

He is head boy at his high school and does motivational speaking whenever he can. On 16 October, he presented a business workshop for Witpoortjie residents at the local library on Payne Street. Rather than focusing on the physical aspects of business, Desire’s workshop focused on the mental requirements for achieving success.

In his presentation, he spoke about how nothing could be achieved without ambition, and that when one truly makes a decision nothing and no one can stand in your way. “A decision you make for yourself, by yourself, and within yourself, can never be changed by anyone,” he believes.

He gains his experience from evaluating situations and people, and the strengths and weaknesses they display. He said that he is in no place to judge, he evaluates and combines his life experiences with what he learns to motivate people.

Some day in the future, he would like to speak internationally and start a motivational speaking business where he will be joined by professionals and other inspired people, who will then go out to inspire others.

As for short-term goals, Desire would like to speak at schools and make the learners aware of reality. “Children are the foundation and the future of society; we need to help them learn from the mistakes they are making today so they can help make a better tomorrow.”

He pointed out that at school, learners are told what to do and how to do it, but that reality is different. That is why by speaking at schools he is hoping to prepare the learners for the business world, teach them study techniques, and teach them how to cope with their personal and school lives.

“Everyone and anyone can make something of themselves if they are willing,” he concluded.