By Adam Wakefield

Molimi originally hails from Soweto and is the youngest in his family. It was through the “grace of God, hard work and an optimistic attitude” that three successive bursaries led him to being educated at St. Peters Preparatory, St Albans College and the University of Pretoria respectively.

Of all the things Molimi could have done, he decided to be a motivational speaker, an unconventional choice for someone his age. Why?

“The fulfillment that I constantly received from inspiring and empowering people was one of the factors that led me to pursuing a career as a motivational speaker. I started motivational speaking when I was in my first year at varsity and I loved it,” he says.

“The other factor was that I was making a difference in people's lives by re-awakening the sleeping giant within them and people were willing to reward me financially. Lastly, it was the immense support from my powerful mentors who are leaders in the motivational industry.”

Beyond motivational speaking, Molimi is an author, writing a book titled Work Through The Barriers to Success, and an entrepreneur, heading up his own consulting firm.

The book itself speaks about what Molimi calls the five major barriers that stop dreams from coming true. These are; lack of vision, the enemy within, victims of circumstances, negative opinions from others, and being comfortable.

What personally drives Molimi to succeed is the admiration he has earned from those younger than him. The best way for him to be a blessing to others is “giving hope to many other young people that it is possible, regardless of your age and where you are from”.  

“The other factor that that drives me to succeed is the fact that so many people believe in me, they have invested in me, and I cannot afford to fail,” Molimi says.

Asked what he believes a person his age can teach others, including those older than him, Molimi says he can inspire others to overcome barriers, as he has because barriers have no age restriction. 

Among the five barriers to a person realising their dreams, Molimi points to lack of vision and the enemy within as the most persistent he has encountered among those he has met and spoken to.

“Throughout the conversations that I have with people on a daily basis, it has become evident to me that many people have no direction and no vision for their lives,” he says.

“When you have a clear vision and you focus on that vision, you are not intimidated by the problems of today, but rather, you are inspired by the possibilities of tomorrow.”

Regarding defeating the enemy within, Molimi tells of attending a seminar in 2013 where the speaker asked the audience, "Who of you want to be millionaires?" Everybody in the audience raised their hands immediately, with the speaker following up with the question, “How many of you think you can become millionaires?". Compared to the first question, only 40% of those attending put their hands up. 

“As he asked that second question, many people in the room heard their inner voice saying: ‘You can't do it. Are you crazy?’ They started doubting themselves, and thinking of all the reasons why they couldn’t become millionaires,” Molimi says.

“The biggest enemy that we have to deal with is ourselves. An old African proverb says, ‘If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm’.”

Molimi’s advice for conquering these two barriers is to find a place where you can sit in silence, think clearly, not be disturbed, and with a piece of paper and pen at hand, write at the top “My Vision” along with the day’s date.

“Then, write down the following questions: What would I go for if I knew that I could not fail? Where would I like to see myself, my business or organisation in the next year, in the next 5 years and in the next 10 years? Underneath each question, write down your answer.”

Put another way, Molimi says it takes much longer for a person to answer the question, “What do you want?” versus “What don’t you want?”

“People find themselves focusing on what they do not want and end up getting what they do not want,” Molimi says.

And Molimi himself? What is his vision for the next five years?

“To have a foundation: Young Movers and Shakers Foundation, putting five kids every single year through university.”

If Molimi follows his own advice, it is very likely that he will be helping more than just five students a year.

For more information, connect with Molimi on Twitter.