Life lessons from the “Pursuit of happyness”

Now and then, a movie, book or song comes along that isn't just a big hit but also teaches us invaluable life lessons. It's even more powerful when the film is based on a true story. And in this case, it's the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness". The film is based on the real life of Chris Gardner, a man who lived the American dream and went from homelessness to a millionaire.

The move isn't new and has been out for over a decade. But there's a quote that has stuck with me and continues to inspire me.

"You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period." – Chris Gardner, "The Pursuit Of Happyness".

Right from the movie's beginning, Chris's life was a grind. And despite the punches thrown at him and the people and circumstances telling him he can't do something, he perseveres and ultimately reaches his goal. While I've been fortunate and have never faced the struggles he had, now and then, I reflect on this quote when my aims or dreams get pushed down by others.

Story

The movie begins at a point in Chris's life where he struggles financially and personally. He earns a living by selling portable bone density scanners to doctors. Still, as they are expensive and offer slightly better image quality than x-rays, he has trouble selling them. With an unstable income and has invested his life savings into the business, Chris does not earn enough money to make ends meet. His wife needs to work two jobs. And with raising a 5-year-old child, they are struggling with poverty.

While Chris is trying to sell one of the scanners, he meets a manager of a stockbroker firm. He impresses him by solving a Rubick Cube, which lands him an unpaid 6-month internship with the firm. But, already in financial hardship, his wife argues with him over the unpaid internship. She ultimately leaves him and their child for a better life. Unable to pay his rent, Chris and his son are evicted from the apartment. The pair become homeless, living in shelters and sometimes in public toilets.

Growth in Adversity

Chris was at the bottom of his life. But it was during this time that he had the most significant growth. He eventually doesn't just climb his way out of poverty but becomes a millionaire.

It can sometimes be easy for us to become complacent with life. Going to work each day, coming home to Netflix or games and going out for drinks with friends during the weekend. We might rarely develop financially or personally.

Instead, it's not until we face hardship or lose everything that we grow as a person. For example, when we lose our job, we might be forced to upskill to find another or take a different path and start our own successful business. Or, when we get sick, we might push ourselves to follow a healthier life. I don't wish for anyone to encounter such hardship, but if you do, know that you will become a much stronger person when you overcome it.

Protect Your Dreams

Chris was constantly looking for a solution to his financial struggles. He saw the internship as a way to escape his financial burden and get the job as his "happyness". But not everyone supported him, and some even mocked him.

We have all been through this. A moment in life when we have something we really want to do. It can be a dream to write a novel, become a medical doctor, become a famous actor, travel the world or get fit.

We are so eager for it that we dream about it each night, and when we wake up each morning, our first thoughts are of it. But as you start walking toward your dream, you give up because someone told you that you can't do it.

Chris sums it up beautifully with the following quote.

"You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period. " – Chris Gardner, "The Pursuit Of Happyness".

For some dreams, not everyone will see your vision. So you must protect it and keep focused on it regardless of what others tell you.

Setbacks are a Way of Life

Throughout the film, Chris is faced with numerous situational challenges. His wife left him, he lost his car, became homeless, was thrown in jail, his business didn't work out well, and he was broke. And on top of that, Chris had to look after his son alone. But despite all the punches thrown at him, he never stopped trying, and his persistence eventually brought him success.

Many of us will hit some setbacks when we start on a new challenge. This can come from injury, sickness, money and time constraints or current economic conditions. They may also come from difficulties or challenges we may personally face. These setbacks are traditionally viewed as failures and can lead us to question our worth and whether we are good enough. After hitting the second or third setback, it's common for many of us to quit. Our original determination to chase our dreams is slowly defeated.

It's important to understand that setbacks are just a part of life. We can try and minimise them, but we can never completely eliminate them. Certain things in life are out of our control, and the only thing we can always control is how we respond to them. Our attitude and approach determine whether we manage to move forward.

It's Never Too Late

Chris was in his forties when he started as an intern in the stockbroker. Not only were his coworkers half his age, but he was also a medical equipment salesman with no educational background or experience in finance.

But he didn't allow these to be barriers to his goal. He knew that he lacked the experience but also knew that he could find ways to bridge that gap. He firmly believed in continual learning and squeezed all his extra time into reading and studying finance.

Chris was also disadvantaged by his limited working hours, as he had to look after his son and stand in a queue every evening to get into the homeless shelter. What others had nine hrs to do at work, he only had six. To face this, Chris paid twice as much attention to everything as anybody else. He improved his observation skills to gain more information about the clients. Chris looked for ways to optimise his time and rescheduled his client contact calls to maximise profit. He improved his communication and telephone skills to increase client call efficiency. He even drank less water during work to reduce toilet breaks.

We might not have the talent or background in the things we start. But what we lack there, we can make up in effort. But not just through mindless effort. Instead, we can make incremental improvements through focused efforts on small skills and activities. Of course, the first few days or weeks will be tough. Still, those unfamiliar areas will gradually become core skills that will compound in themselves.

Work Ethnics

During the internship, Chris woke up early each day and dropped his child off at daycare. He then travelled to the office and worked continuously without breaks. After work, he picked up his son, queued to get a place to sleep, and studied at night. Chris did this repeatedly each day.

Most dreams and aims can't be reached in a day. It can be easy to lose track of your goal before reaching half point. Especially as we will have other commitments to work around. Consistency and building good work habits are essential to overcoming this. Finish the other things you need to do, but make sure you allocate time each day or week for your own dream. And stick to it, try not to miss a day and don't make excuses. Once the habit gets built, it will be tough to break it. You will find yourself almost craving to work on it even though you are tired. But habits work the other way also. Once you break it, it's tough to build it again.

Final Thoughts

Chris lived the American dream and fought hard to protect and achieve it. But the story can be about anyone who has something they want to do.

1. Such dreams will come with many hurdles. But don't let these stop you.
2. View setbacks as one of life's greatest teachers, as something to test us, develop us and make us stronger.
3. Know that solving large problems in life needs longer time and harder work than most people would imagine.
4. Don't let your past or situation dictate what you can achieve.
5. And most importantly, never stop learning.