Matshisevhe's journey begins with a book

Gumani Matshisevhe’s debut book - a motivational self-help guide titled Be the Driver of Your Life - has just been published and, like so many others out there, this first-time author says he too has the lockdown to thank for rediscovering his talent and putting it to good use.

Matshisevhe (24) started writing a novel and a few short stories while he was in the tenth grade at Jonathan Thifulufhelwi Secondary School. “During free periods, I would stand in front of the class and read my draft to fellow pupils. Most of them responded warmly to it,” he remembered. “I spent all those years writing stories, but never finished them because I had no motivation to push my writing further.”

However, his passion was reawakened by the effects of the national lockdown last year. “I was surrounded by people searching for their ambitions, hidden talents and knowledge, and putting it to use,” he said. “Restaurants were not allowed to operate and suddenly people started making pizzas from the confines of their homes; others started sewing or baking cakes. Many people found talents within themselves which they never even knew they had, and that was what encouraged me to also start putting my writing skills to use.”

Matshisevhe’s reflections over this time inspired him to write something that would make a positive difference in other people’s lives. So, he sat down, started writing and finished the first draft of Be the Driver of your Life.

One thing this aspiring writer learned is that, during hard times, people tend to forget to play the blame-game and start redirecting the course of their lives for the betterment of their own situation, as well as that of others around them. “People get into the driver’s seat of their lives, and the journey of making a difference begins,” he said.

“During the lockdown, I started to recall moments in my life where I went through really tough times, but I refused to be controlled by the situation. Instead, I became the driver of my own life. I started to figure out how our local celebrities have done it; it was not by overnight success, but through the decision to take control off their situation and work towards achieving their dreams and desires.”

Be the Driver of Your Life is a self-help book on how to acquire the skill of self-mastering, know oneself from within, and to differentiate oneself from the world. “It also encourages the reader not to give up on his or her dreams, even when they seem to be failing along the way,” he said. “Always get up again, dust yourself off and resume your journey.”

Gumani Matshisevhe can be followed on Facebook (Gumani Matshisevhe), Instagram (Gumani Matshisevhe), and Twitter (Gumani the Author), or reached on Tel 072 232 1520.

Entertainment - Date: 31 July 2021

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]