The Pursuit of Happyness (not happiness)

A blockbuster film release of 2006 and one of my all time favourite flicks is The Pursuit of Happyness (not happiness), starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith. It’s a film for parents (fathers in particular), a film for anyone who ever has (or ever will) experienced adversity in their lives and for anyone who has ever had or believed in the power of their dreams. Interestingly, what I had completely overlooked was the fact that The Pursuit of Happyness is a true to life story of one Man’s (Chris Gardner) against the odds victory over seemingly insurmountable challenges. I’d wondered if the facts of the film may actually have represented a fraction of the truth, with the real story hidden under Hollywood artistic licence.

It was therefore with great interest that I learned that Chris Gardner would this year be the key-note speaker at Express Day (Utility Warehouse main national seminar) in April; also that the Company was a running a competition, where the Network’s top 50 Distributors would be invited to attend a black-tie gala dinner and to meet the man himself. Now in my book, that’s a goal worthy of some serious effort…an opportunity to meet and ‘rub shoulders’ with the author of a New York Times/Washington Post #1 bestseller (The Pursuit of Happyness)…a book that has now been translated into over thirty languages.

And what an absolute honour it was to meet and have a few minutes with Chris. What a goliath of a man…in stature, but more his attitude and outlook on life. What do you ask a man like that…a man who endured and overcame challenges that made my own eternal jaunt seem like a relative easy path? Suffice to say that the reward/opportunity to meet Chris Gardner was well worth a little extra Utility Warehouse effort at the beginning of the year and that hearing his story first-hand was even more motivational and moving than the film.

When Chris took to the Utility Warehouse stage earlier in the day, the reception he met must have shaken the very foundations of the Telford International Centre, but when he concluded, the standing ovation must have registered somewhere on the richter scale. And for the 50 minutes between, so intent and captivated was the audience, that you could have heard a pin drop. Poignant, deeply emotive, relevant and hugely impactful…these are words that capture my thoughts on what Chris shared with us. The integrity of his story has all the ingredients that paradigm shifts are made of and speaking with the team after, it’s easy to see how this mans story has been so impactful for so many millions of people across the globe.

‘There but for the grace of God go I’ – whilst listening to Chris, this was a phrase that came to mind. I don’t recall it’s source, but I was reminded of the fine line that we all tread, how easily ‘a fall’ can happen and how perilous life can sometimes be. And given the challenges that we all face in life, there were of course many parallels to measure against the price of success in network marketing, as a Utility Warehouse Distributor and I wonder in a few years time how many Utility Warehouse success stories will be attributed to decisions made in the company of Chris Gardner at Express Day 2011.

From the film, The Pursuit of Happyness, I like the following quotes:

“You gotta dream, you gotta protect it.”
“I met my father for the first time when I was 28 years old. I made up my mind that when I had children, my children were going to know who their father was.”
“It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?”

And from Chris Gardner (direct), the following words of wisdom hit a nerve:

“Claim ownership of your dreams.”
“Ready or not, tell yourself to jump.”
“Money is the least important component of wealth.”
“The thorny past may give you your gold.”
“There is no Plan B for passion.”
“Net-worth does not equal self-worth.”
“It’s ok to fail…it is not okay to quit.”
“What is your why?”
“Make your vision larger than yourself.”
“Hard work is not rocket science.”
“It is your responsibility to pursue what matters.”

The Pursuit of Happyness/Chris Gardner – books & DVD’s

The Pursuit of Happyness is available to purchase online via Amazon, as are several book titles (Start Where You Are & The Pursuit or Happyness) by best selling author and international speaker, Chris Gardner.

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