WarriorRic: It’s time for Potchefstroomers to tap into their greatness

‘Where are my soldiers at?’ shouts WarriorRic (Ricardo Gressel) at the top of his lungs with a massive motivating smile on his face during one of his many motivational talks at Hoër Volkskool this week. The response is an overwhelmingly positive ‘right here!’ as the crowd reacts with a sense of fulfilment and determination – ready to leave worrying behind and become warriors of their own lives.

When WarriorRic, an acclaimed motivational artist picks up the microphone during his performance, you can feel the electricity in the air as sparks of purpose are jolted into the listeners’ psyche. Themes of bravery, commitment, courage and discipline are echoed from his voice into the hearts and minds of everyone in attendance.

‘There is so much potential for development in Potch. South Africans, in general, do not realise how great their country is. I feel that locals often seem to take what they have for granted instead of embracing what the city offers. Be proud of what you have and market what is great about the city. Do the hard work and celebrate your greatness towards ultimate victory,’ he said.

WarriorRic was in Potchefstroom, primarily as an ambassador/MC for the Potch Lentefees’s annual Barbarian Race but used his week wisely to speak at schools (Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom) visit NGOs, Eastvaal Toyota and Famsa as well as making a trip to Abraham Kriel, to name a few.
‘On my visit, I noticed that a lot of young sports teams have this fear of failure in Potch, where they should rather fear success. It is important to emphasise fun when teaching the technical aspects of a sport. Practise hard but enjoy the sport, first and foremost. There is also a growing need for the youth here to understand their purpose and the meaning of life and to live it without fear of failure,’ he said when quizzed on the potential that Potchefstroom’s upcoming sporting generation has to offer.
He also emphasised the ‘Southern Hospitality’ that Potchefstroom brings to the table in the sense that the community accepts anyone with open arms.

‘I find Potchefstroom to have this warm hospitality where there is not a lot of traffic, wide open spaces and a real community culture. The Lentefees is a perfect example of this, where it just signals the end of winter – everyone is happy and really speaking that warm, spring mentality into existence. We need to embrace the same Spring Day mentality 365 days a year. I want the youth to lock into their greatness, not waiting for the weather, their teacher or something to happen first. They should say I am great because God is great.’

WarriorRic puts his own life philosophy down to passion, calling, purpose and a true love for using his God-given talents to inspire change within local communities and on a global scale.
‘I’ve been a motivator since I was born – from day one – but I only used my talent full time four years ago because, I believed, my calling was supporting other people in their gift.
After years of postponing, I grabbed the mic and started to engage on stage. I love the way God works, and there I suddenly realised that it was easy, I get paid for it and the world needs it. It’s all about living the dream.
‘I don’t wake up with an alarm clock, I wake up with purpose!