I hate motivational speakers

Yep, you heard me.  I hate motivational speakers.

The speech always goes like this:

1. I have a problem that nobody else has (usually a disability)
2. I succeeded at something everybody else succeeds in (or conversely I succeeded at something others don't have to succeed at)
3. If I succeeded, there's no reason why you can't succeed.

This type of speech makes a few assumptions that are not true.

The first thing it implies is that the speakers problem is worse than anybody else's problem ever has been or ever will be.  This simply isn't true.  You can't tell what another person has been through simply by looking at them.  You need those people to tell you about their problems, and they certainly are not going to do that, when you're telling them that every problem they've ever had is trivial.

There are all sorts of problems, that are not visible: domestic abuse, sexual assault, house fires, refugee status, alcoholism, kidney problems, neurological disorders, and past childhood trauma.  None of these things can be understood simply by looking at a person.  But each other them (an several other things), can seem like insurmountable problems.

And these insurmountable problems, can often interfere with success.

There are so many things that influence success: health, finances, education, family support, access to statehood, and many other things.

To say "I have _____ and I succeeded so there's no reason why you shouldn't.", is being very disrespectful to anybody else who has ever suffered in a different way than the motivational speaker has.

And that's why I don't like motivational speakers.  They are disrespectful, and their message is usually a lie.