If I had to sum up The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner in one word, it would have to be “hunger”. Hunger for a father’s love, hunger for food, and a hunger for success. Gardner’s rags-to-riches memoir was the basis for the motion picture of the same name The Pursuit of Happyness where Will Smith plays him. The film, however, took some creative licence by detracking a little from real-life events as events that had actually spanned several years were condensed. I’ve never watched the film but I might do so after having read the book. For films that have been adapted from books, I usually prefer reading the book first as it provides more details and gives me a better understanding of the film if/when I watch it later. The title, by the way, is a deliberate misspelling of the word “happiness”.
Statistically it’d have been impossible for him to break out of the poverty cycle. Growing up in the black ghettos of Milwaukee in the 50s and 60s, Gardner and his mother and three half-sisters, were subjected to years of physical and emotional abuse by his stepfather. At the bottom rung of the social ladder, money and food were always short throughout his growing up years. It didn’t help that racial prejudice was still rife in the 50s all the way till the 80s and it was hard moving up the social and economic ladder as a result.
As a young adult in his 20s, he goes through a few jobs but through a stroke of bad luck, finds himself unemployed with a girlfriend and an infant son to feed. Frustrated with their financial situation, his girlfriend leaves together with their infant son. A few months later, unable and unwilling to cope with the demands of being a single mother, she returns their son to him and takes off. This situation then leaves Gardner and his son (who is only about two) homeless as the shelter he was living in did not take in children. Left with no choice, the two spend almost a year moving along hotels, soup lines and even sleeping in the public restroom of a subway station.
Vowing to be always there for his son and to give him a better life, Gardner decides on a career as a stock broker after seeing the vast amounts of money that people could make from it. Of course, such money doesn’t come easy even in the booming 80s. But through sheer grit, determination and hard work (imagine making 200 cold calls to solicit clients every day) and a will to survive, the street-smart and intelligent Gardner eventually becomes a Wall Street darling. He would go on to open his own multimillion-dollar brokerage firm, Gardner Rich & Company. Aside from running his firm, Gardner is now also an avid philanthropist and motivational speaker.
I like reading the life stories of self-made people. I want to know how they rose above adverse conditions to get where they are. I want to learn what drives them. While the need for survival is always one of the factors, I think more essentially, such people are dreamers. They dare to dream and they dream big. They are also people who have a lot of self-discipline and are able to focus on the big goal they set for themselves. They are so focused that they don’t let any setbacks nor naysayers get them down. Slowly and little by little, they take baby steps towards their goal.
I admire such people because I’m not like that. I’ve never had that kind of drive displayed by people like Gardner. Maybe it’s because I’ve never wanted anything enough to drive me like that. Maybe it’s because I’ve never had to starve or be really for want of anything in life having grown up in a middle-class family. Maybe it’s because I have never dreamt big enough. Maybe it’s because I’ve never had nor felt that need. Yes, “need” is the key word here. Life has just been humming along and I’ve never had huge ambitions, as embarrassing as it is to admit. But I read such stories to get inspiration on how I can live my life better and make it more fulfilling. I think these people’s experiences can teach others some important life lessons. As Gardner writes:
“I’ve often been asked how much money equates to real wealth. My answer is always the same. By my definition, money is the least significant part of wealth. My net worth is not among the Forbes 400, nor is it my ambition to be so listed, but I am healthy, have raised two children as a single parent (blessed with a village of support) that have become outstanding young people, and I’m in a position to do work that reflects my values. That’s my definition of wealth. Wealth can also be that attitude of gratitude with which we remind ourselves every day to count our blessings.”
Book available from the Hong Kong Public Library and Singapore National Library. eBook also available from the latter.
