Chris Gardner is a successful American entrepreneur, speaker, author, philanthropist and investor. His motivational speeches have taken him to over 80 different countries all over the world.
CHRIS GARDNER
Entrepreneur
'Someone that has had no failures has never tried to do anything. You've got to have failures. Failures are a part of life. Failures are healthy, as long as you learn from them. It is okay to fail, it is not okay to quit. Quitting can become a habit.â?
Needless to say, quitting is not a word in Gardner's vocabulary. During the early 1980s, he struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son.
CHRIS GARDNER
Entrepreneur
'Why do you spell happiness with a 'yâ?? The 'yâ? is there to make us all mindful that it is you and your responsibility, you and your opportunity to create the life that you want for you and Your family. That's a universal message.â?
His incredible life experiences were projected onto the big screen in the 2006 academy award nominated movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, staring Will Smith. Gardner credits his tenacity and success to the wisdom and strength his mother handed down to him.
CHRIS GARDNER
Entrepreneur
'She would say these things to me constantly. These things that became parts of my life. She would say to me: 'son, the cavalry is not coming.' There is no back-up. You've got this. You're responsible.â?
And responsibility is something he harnessed early on in life. After many trials and tribulations he was able to climb up the corporate ladder most American dreams are built on. Except his American dream became a reality. It was not before long that he became the CEO of his own successful stock brokerage firm. But one can only assume that he managed to do this by having many failures but always putting his family first and never quitting.
YA
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JM
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Up: AQ