In a 1993 Saturday Night Live skit, Phil Hartman pretends to be a frustrated father trying to motivate his teenagers (Christina Applegate, David Spade). A family meeting is called and the parents recite some recent disappointments they’ve had to contend with. The mother says “your father and I have come up with a brilliant idea to give you kids some direction – a motivational speaker.” The father then invites ‘Matt Foley’ (Chris Farley) to come up from the basement (where he has been kept). Foley then proceeds to tell the teenagers that they better get motivated or they will end up like him “living in a van down by the river.” This SNL skit is one of my favorites, and I miss both Phil Hartman and Chris Farley’s great comedic acting.
Since then however, the term “motivational speaker” has almost become a caricature. That’s not only unfair but unfortunate. Many such speakers have fascinating true stories to tell, stories that do inspire people to achieve their full potential. Moreover, today’s young adults are not the unserious teenagers in Farley’s skit. Unlike the 90’s and 2000’s, many college-degreed adults are still struggling to make it – – five years after the recession began. Cynicism and lack of idealism find fertile ground in such an environment. Inspirational speakers provide some evidence that one’s hope can and should be real.
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One of those speakers is Kris Mathis, the August 6th speaker at the next GRAPE event. See for yourself his interesting stories below- and click on this required registration link to attend. You won’t be disappointed.
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