The Pursuit of Happyness; It Takes More Than Smarts To Do Great Things

At one point in the film, The Pursuit of Happyness, Christopher Gardner, the main character, recalls that when he was a child in school and would make an A on a test, he would get a feeling that he could great things one day. Then he expresses his despair during the narration by adding that as an adult he had not done any of the things he had once imagined.

The thing is, he was meant to do great things… just not the things he thought he’d do. He could either dwell on those missed aspirations or he could rejoice in being the good man he had become and on those things he was obviously destined to do, which were just as important – maybe even more important – than what he had once dreamed.

The thing is, he had turned out to be a dedicated, involved father as well as an honorable man with integrity and a determined attitude. Those attributes and his actions helped make him into a man more incredibly noble than anything else he could have ever dreamed for himself when he was a mere child. And, as the real story goes, his hard work and attitude (as well as some pretty industrious guardian angels!) moved his financial status from impoverishment in 1981 to being worth millions of dollars by 2006.

In the movie, Chris Gardner is obviously a hard worker, smart, and outwardly affable, but those are obviously not the only ingredients for his success and happiness. Clearly, it has also taken faith, determined purpose, and an unshakeable belief in his vision. During a crucial scene when he realizes the power of his influence on his young son and how he can easily hand down his disillusionment, he says to him, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Not even me.”

The thing is, this is the part of his life that he could call “Doing Greater Things Than I Ever Imagined I Could”.