The Pursuit of Happiness is a 2006 American movie directed by Gabriel Mouccino and starring by Will Smith, Thandie Newton and Will Smith’s son Jaden Smith. This movie is a biographical movie based on Chris Gardner’s one-year life when he was homeless. Chris Gardner is an American entrepreneur, investor and motivational speaker who struggled with homeless during the early 1980’s while he was rising his son.

1. “The Pursuit of Happiness”, movie lessons
applied in business when adversity.
By David Kiger
Image courtesy of fluteril at flickr.com

2. The Pursuit of Happiness is a 2006 American movie directed by Gabriel Mouccino and
starring by Will Smith, ThandieNewton and Will Smith’s son JadenSmith. This movie is a
biographical movie based on Chris Gardner’s one-year life when he was homeless.
Chris Gardner is an American entrepreneur, investor and motivational speaker who
struggled with homeless during the early 1980’s while he was rising his son.
The movie is focused on that period when while rising his son, Chris Gardner battle with
his marriage problems that emerged after Gardner invested his entire life saving in
portable bone density scanners. But, troubles come up when after some tries, he could
not sell the enough amount of scanners to overcome his financial demands that grow
until it is not possible to continue paying the rent anymore. Then, in downtown, while
Gardner tried to sell a scanner, he meets Jay Twistle, the Dean Witter Reynolds’
manager. Gardner impresses him by solving a Rubik’c Cube during a short taxi drive.
And, this new relationship gives him the chance to become an inter stockbroker,
competing with around 20 interns for a paid position as a broker. As inter stockbrokers
are not paid, his wife was not pleased and made the decision of left him with his toddler
son. Furthermore, Gardner’s bank account is garnished for unpaid taxes and he and his
son had to sleep at restrooms at a BAR station, homeless shelter or at a hotel when he
had cash. Disadvantaged by his limited work hours, and knowing that maximizing his

3. client contacts and profits is the only way to earn the broker position, Gardner
developed a method to make phone sales calls more efficiently, including reaching out
to potential high value customers, defying protocol. At the end of his internship,
Gardner is called into a meeting with his managers. The manager let him know he has
won the coveted full-time position. The epilogue reveals that Gardner went on to form
his own multimillion-dollar brokerage firm.
This touching story has been taken for motivational lectures and it is a good example
of how one single person can overcome adversities and become an inspirational
leader. Here below there is a short list with lessons about how overcome adversity this
movie teaches, and here these lessons are appliedto adversity management in business.
1. When things get dark, just calm down and relax. This will not last forever: May be
what you have planned for your business will suffer a dramatically change but it
doesn’t mean things will not work. Everything in business is about patience, you
can’t obtain results immediately. Furthermore, perseverance is what makes leaders
success. If you have a good idea but others do not think the same about that idea,
do not give up. As more efforts you make, as better results you will obtain. As Chris
Gardner says “Never ever give up on your dreams, no matter what.”

4. 2. Even if you are somewhere, you do not necessarily have to be there. In business
you often have to start from zero and work on thing to improve it. But, despite
things move slowly, it doesn’t mean you have to stay there. On the other hand, if
you are working for a company and you feel you do not belong to that place, you
are allowed to change and look for the right place for you.
3. We receive what we want after doing everything we can: This is about efforts,
constancy and perseverance. You must not regret about results at work if you have
not done your best so far. What you obtain is the result of what you have done
although difficulties surround your business or work. This is in the movie when one
of the managers asks Chris “Chris, was it easy” and he replies “no sir, it wasn’t”.
But, at the end he got the job. It is the same for you, despite things are not easy, if
you do best, everything is going to be all right.
4. There is never any excuse not to try it: If you think it with calm, you willalways find
an excuse that stops you. Business is about risks. You just need to evaluate risks but
for sure one out of all possibilities will work for your business. Therefore, do not be
afraid of try it. Furthermore, nobody said it was easy but in the end it will worth all
risks and at that point, you will realize the great leader you are.

5. It is not a secret you need to motivate yourself as well as your employees hence, take
this movie as an inspiring story for make your dreams come true.
Image courtesy of EnterpriseBank at flickr.com