A Movie Review for Motivation

Pursuit of Happyness - A Movie Review
by Ruth Cope, Business Counselor, Loudoun SBDC

Last night I watched the movie Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith as Chris Gardner. (Yes, it is "happyness" instead of happiness, but you will need to view the movie for the reason behind the misspelling.) I had read his book last year and was motivated and inspired by his rise from homelessness and poverty to author, motivational speaker, and owner and ceo of his own brokerage company, Gardner Rich LLC.

He says his mom taught him that, "in spite of where he came from, he could chart another path and achieve whatever goals he set". He followed his goals in spite of numerous difficulties. Sometimes we all feel we are having a tough time. Listen and read about some of Chris Gardner's difficulties and see how they compare to yours....He was evicted from his apartment for not paying the rent, jailed for not paying parking tickets, walked and took the bus to job interviews and appointments, and slept in public bathrooms and homeless shelters while interning for his first position at Dean Witter. In spite of all of this, he continued to protect and shelter his son as he was slowly achieving his career dreams and goals.

In an August interview with Christine Roman, he said that, "entrepreneurs shouldn't wait for a perfect economy to pursue something". He also said, "skills, talents, and expertise are transferable". You have to transfer these to opportunities you are passionate about.
Chris has authored another book, Start Where You Are.

If you have a dream to be an entrepreneur, check out Chris Gardner for inspiration and motivation and the Loudoun SBDC for assistance with your plans.
http://yourbottomline.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/06/chris-gardner-start-your-business-now/

Ruth Cope
Loudoun SBDC
http://www.loudounsbdc.org/
rcope@loudounsbdc.org