Good teachers learn from their mistakes

Dumisani Ncube | Friday May 5, 2017 14:22

 

We get very little wisdom from success”. This rings true for 26-year-old Thabo Mhlanga, as he recalls how he got to learn from his past mistakes that range from drug abuse, promiscuity and abusing his clergyman position.

Mhlanga puts this on his debut motivational book When Dreams Don’t Come True where he talks about his life as the bad boy Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) pastor, who was not only a ‘chick magnet’ but was also a heart break kid, and drug abuser that later cleaned up his act.

 In the 126-page book, Mhlanga talks about his true life story as someone who comes from an SDA background and grows to be a celebrated pastor that was always travelling around the region preaching the gospel all the while sleeping with multiple young women and abusing substances.

 Due to his charm he developed a weakness for women as he had string of them from different churches and institutions he was connected to which led to him being accused of impregnating one.  This led to him resigning as a pastor before even reaching the age of 30.

All this happened when he was at the peak of his career and in a relationship with a woman that was a keeper. Mhlanga even abused alcohol while he was still practicing a preacher.

Upon retirement he ran away from his misery, embarrassment and shame to the USA where he continued with his abuse of drugs and alcohol. 

With time he came to his senses and cleaned up as he made peace with his past that had haunted him.

In the book he is graphical and raw.  He talks of how he thought he was cheating on a woman he dated yet script flipped on him when he found out that she was getting married in a few months to someone else, which only broke his heart.

He also talks of how some parents of different young women would entrap him into dating their daughters.  Some would invite him to their table for meals only to do a disappearing act leaving him with their daughters.

While talking of how he made all his mistakes, which did not only embarrass him but his family, Mhlanga gives life lessons on different teachings as he takes advantage of his religious expertise referencing biblical scriptures on the different chapters in the book.

The author touches on different life lessons in the book such as failing, lack of faith, mourning, love, faith, heart breaks and God.  He uses biblical verses, stories in relation to his past as he tries to motivate the reader. He also adds his own views and opinions.

Most of the teachings he gives are derived from what he experienced during his dark times. In the book he admits that what he went through difficult times and he was being used by the devil to achieve his wrong agendas. When Dreams Don’t Come True is a book to read for people who feel they failed in life, are failing in life, dreamers and those who want to live their lives with caution as it gives out lessons on different elements.

In simple terms this is a book about a spiritually lost young man who allows demons to control him while he was on a mission to do right.

He concludes the book with an interesting paragraph, which reads, “You can start again. It is not too late. You can start again.

A dream is not limited to time and seasons, a dream is in the desire you possess to achieve it. There is no dream you cannot achieve. Align it to God’s purpose for your life and you will achieve it. Listen, you are more than a conqueror. Situations come and go, but the fact that you are still here is a sign that: You are great”.

It is rare to find a motivational speaker/author and life coach who is in their mid-20s as people would doubt them quickly for believing they do not have much experience in life.

This is someone who was famous regionally and made sure he left a commotion everywhere he went.

For a young person, Mhlanga was well inline when it comes to motivation and life lessons in the book.

Having all this in his book shows the many challenges and demons that religious leaders face despite acting all strong and confident in front of the congregation. 

Literature wise he keeps the language simple and clean to make it even easier for readers from different backgrounds to understand and appreciate the read. Production wise the quality of the book cover can still be improved as it wears off quickly, and graphic colours do not coordinate well for a motivational book.

Thabo Andyle Mhlanga (2016) When Dreams Don’t Come True, hardcopy, 126 pages, ISBN 978-99968-496-8-8