“Walk that walk and go forward all the time. Don’t just talk that talk, walk it and go forward. Also, the walk didn’t have to be long strides; baby steps counted too. Go forward.” -Chris Gardner
If there is anyone who understands the value of a society that is full of opportunity, that’s Chris Gardner. I would assume that a good many of us are familiar with the movie and title of his book which depicts his testimony of achievement: The Pursuit of Happyness. His story is heart touching and admirable: a man who, through great adversity, went from the transient state of homelessness to being a multi- millionaire.
Chris didn’t have the best upbringing. Facing the challenges of an absent father, foster homes and an abusive stepfather, Mr. Gardner was no stranger to the many trials and tribulations that life may throw our way. However, his mother always told him something that he would hold near to his heart: “You can do or be anything that you want to do or be.”
After being honorably discharged from the Navy in 1974, Chris moved to San Francisco where he began selling medical equipment. He struggled to get by as it was: stacking up parking tickets, struggling to pay rent and the sales weren’t turning the profit he needed to get out of those holes. Chris notes an encounter that inspired change in his life, he saw a man parking his red Ferrari and he asked what the man did for a living. He was a stock broker. Once the two had conversed, Chris saw an opportunity for the change he’d been seeking. Turning to the financial world, Chris would find himself in an interview for an internship at a brokerage. However, as all opportunity often comes with obstacles, Gardner was put in jail for a number of days because of failure to pay his fines. He was released the day of his interview, forcing him to show up in the street clothes he was arrested in. Despite the (forced) choice of dress, his drive, charisma and motivation landed Gardner the internship, paving the way for him to find his success.
The troubles didn’t stop there. Chris was separated from his son’s mother, and custody of their toddler, Chris Jr, was given to Chris. Being just a low paid intern, there was not enough money for a deposit on an apartment, so the father-son duo was forced to sleep in a variety of places: parks, his office, shelters, and the famous subway bathrooms. Things weren’t exactly easy for the man to get to where he is today. Continuing to fight and press onward, Chris thrived in his workplace. He went full send, 100% into his internship. He had the vision in his head, and always sought to be world class in all he did. Chris ended up getting the job as a broker, and not too long thereafter, he had enough money to pay for rent and get him and his child off the streets. Not too long after his success in becoming a broker, Chris opened up his own brokerage in 1987 and sold it for a multi-million dollar deal in 2006. Chris and his son’s mother had reunited and they built their lives together with their two children. He now has authored books and travels the world as a motivational speaker and philanthropist, helping those who are in the shoes he’d once walked in. Chris had done it, he was determined to break out of the mold of his environment. Whether it be the environment he grew up in, or the one he found himself in where he was striving to just make ends meet, he wouldn’t let his surroundings determine his fate.
Here we have a man that had every excuse to give up, every excuse to quit and throw in the towel, yet he continued on. He pursued, he persevered and he has overcome. The obstacles which seemed so daunting and for some, unthinkable to pass, Chris knew in his heart he could rise above. When facing all of these opportunities to fail, Chris only saw opportunity to endure and win. There is a great deal to be learned on this journey of life. Life is what we make it. Chris attributes his success to the choices he made. He saw the light at the end of the tunnel and fought to make a change in his own life, and now changes lives and inspires wherever he goes. It’s no wonder why Hollywood came calling with a desire to illustrate his life. There is great power in our individual choices. Opportunity is boundless, when we know what things are possible.
