One of my favorite movies of all time is “The Pursuit of Happiness”. For the small population of the world that has not seen the movie, it is based on the true story of Chris Gardner, a man who has nothing but with hard work and perseverance eventually gets everything. In the movie, he is a hard-working, caring and loving single father, who struggles financially to provide for his son. He went from shelter to shelter to even spending the night in the subway station bathroom, a scene in which instead of losing all hope the audience see’s Gardner strong will and inability to give up. He rises the next day determined to find something that works for him and his family. This movie is so important to me because it holds so many lessons that I carry on with me each day. So in tribute of this movie here are five lessons that I learned from watching this movie.
- You might not be able to change where you come from but you can change where you go.
- Life WILL throw curve balls at you.
- Remain calm and positive
- Never let people tell you what you are capable of doing.
What got Gardner to where he is today was his never-ending efforts and determination. Gardner never left anything to fate or luck but instead he paved his own path and went all for it full force.
Rich or poor everyone is always going through something. However how you act towards a situation is what separates you from the rest. Chris loses his house, goes to a motel, and eventually he ends up living in a homeless shelter. He never lets that stop him from having a dream and going for it.
Gardner sold all his medical devices, but the IRS took all his money for unpaid taxes. He takes the final exam at the brokerage firm, he does his best, and the only thing that’s left for him to do is wait. No money, no other place to go, he just waits….. He gets the job and opens the door to a new opportunity One of the managers asks him “Chris, was it easy?” and he replies, “No sir, it wasn’t”. That part of his life is what he calls happiness.
My favorite scene and the scene that always sticks with me is the scene on the basketball court when Gardner lectures his son from spending too much time on the basketball court because he felt like his hopes of playing basketball were unrealistic. He takes a moment and takes back what he says and instead tells his son “You got a dream…you gotta protect it. People cant do something themselves they wanna tell you that you cant do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period”.
5.) The only person who needs to believe in your dream is YOU.
In the movie Gardner’s wife thought the stock broker internship was a waste of time, in fact she didn't even believe he had what it took to make it as a stock broker, she teased him and said are you sure you don't want to be an astronaut? But he never let that stop him from having a dream and going for it. In the end he proved her wrong.
