The Pursuit of Happyness

Chris Gardner is the main character of a movie called "The Pursuit of Happyness". His character was portrayed by Will Smith in the movie. He's a single dad who finds himself homeless with his little boy as he's trying to pursue a dream of becoming a stockbroker. It's a very moving film, and shows inner human strength can triumph even when all the odds are against you. Because of this man's remarkable experiences and his incredible story, he's become a great motivational speaker as well.

Because of this my company chose Chris Gardner as our keynote speaker at last week's conference in Orlando. I remember how the original movie easily moved me to tears, and a few times during the talk, I felt the same way. It was an honor to hear him talk, and he shared valuable life lessons. Never let yourself get defeated no matter how difficult the road gets, since human spirit can triumph. If you haven't seen the movie it's definitely worth a viewing.

There are some differences between the movie and real life. The movie takes place over 8 weeks while in reality much of what happens lasted over a year and a half. Also in the movie the son is 5 years old. In real life, Chris had 14 year old toddler at the beginning of his ordeal. That alone makes what he went through even more remarkable.