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The Pursuit of Happyness

If you are anything like me then you were taught to be cautious. Don't speak to strangers. Don't walk down a dark alley. Don't answer the door. These principles still hold true. However, the problem is we bring this structure into our adult lives.

If we are not taking risks and instead are being cautious all the time, we become ordinary, with ordinary outcomes. One of my favorite movies is "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith, who is one of my favorite actors and activists. Will plays Chris Gardner, a man who loses it all (home, girlfriend/wife, car, etc,). You name it and he lost it. He is left to support himself and his young son, Christopher. Although the struggle is real, we begin to see him pick up the pieces of his life. Lets pause here for a second. This man is on the street with his son and has less than $21 in his bank account. He lost his girlfriend of at least 6 years. His car was repossessed. If you have been in a similar situation and your anything like me, then you know that to even think positively at this point is difficult. So how does Chris do it?

One day he sees a man on the street standing in front of his place of employment. The man is impeccably dressed and and is locking up his red Ferrari. Chris asks him what he does and how does he do it. Lets pause again. Chris sees a successful man. More than the expensive suit and vehicle, his confidence is what truly catches Chris' attention. If you want to be a basketball player and you happen to run into Lebron James wouldn't you ask him the same thing? If a successful person gives you the recipe for success, aren't you more likely to follow? Even if there is a risk?

The stock broker, Jay Twizzle, tells Chris that he just has to be good with people and numbers to do what he does. Chris was inspired because he was already good with people and numbers. The outcome is my favorite part of the movie, but this awakening moment is as well. As humans, we are terrified to take risks. We want a guarantee before we invest our time and energy. Chris realized that his cautious way of thinking would not give him the same results as the successful stock broker. You should be hearing bells go off now lol!

Although he had very little knowledge and experience, he pursued becoming a stock broker. He understood that he had to do something different. Sometimes, we truly have to walk on faith, even if its a long shot, even if its uncomfortable, even if people say we are crazy for doing it. He went to the broker firm where he met Jay. Although they were not looking for a new broker, he was offered an internship. He accepted the offer even though there was no salary. There was a job promise at then end of the 6 month program to the best performing intern though. The problem was Chris wasn't the only candidate. I don't remember the exact number but for the sake of the story, lets say there were 40 interns in the program. I don't know about you, but I don't like those odds. How does a man with only $21 to his name take that risk? Walking on faith, maybe?

Thats exactly it! He clearly doesn't have the money to support himself and his son, and he has accepted a 6 month unpaid internship and there is no guarantee of a job in the end. It sounds ridiculous, right? Also, keep in mind that the duo are living in a homeless shelter, washing their clothes in a sink, and chasing down friends who owe them $14--its a rough time, thats my point.

I too have fallen down. I lost everything. I became depressed and it was miserable and comfortable at the same time. If you don't fight for yourself, no one else will. No one is going to walk up to you and offer you an opportunity that will change your life and no risk is involved. There will NEVER be guarantees. If you need a guarantee, as they say, don't quit your day job. If you are a full-time employee and you make $15 an hour, you are guaranteed to make $600 per week (for a second lets forget about taxes). Thats why most jobs have you sign an offer letter when you come onboard. They are guaranteeing you (given the company doesn't go out of business, huge layoffs, etc.) that they will pay you $15 an hour and provide you with 40 work hours per week. If you require full transparency then you are too cautious, and I'm sorry but you will not get ahead that way. Freedom is on the other side of fear my friends. You have to believe this! It was life changing for me. I used to be cautious because that is how i was brought up. One day I opened my eyes and looked at what being cautious has gotten me. I seriously analyzed my life. My high/low points. My accomplishments/failures. So on and so forth. This was a professional and personal analysis. The results were daunting. SAFE!

If you play it safe then you pretty much know what your results will be. If you take a chance, the results can vary. You may fail on your first attempt, but does that mean than you'll never take a chance again? The unknown is a very scary place, but it's also exciting. You don't see the excitement because you are focused on the unknown being negative. I get it. Some people feel unlucky. They believe they will always get the short end of the stick. Sadly, I am very familiar with this line of thinking. I didn't ask to think this way but there it was, and my experiences backed it up.

We have to change the way we think. I know this is not the first time you've heard that. It's pretty common advice now, but its true! If you don't change how you think, when you think about the unknown or risks, you will only see the negative side. There's 2 sides to every story. There's 2 sides to every coin. There's 2 sides to every..... you get where I'm going, right? Imagine all the times you assumed you would fail. Imagine all that time and energy spent beating yourself up. Now imagine if the same amount of time was spent building yourself up. You have to build your inner confidence. If it sounds like I'm talking directly to you, it's because I am. Your not weak for beating yourself up. Maybe you don't even believe in yourself anymore. That's ok too. We are human and we fall down, but we can't stay down. It's easy to stay down if we have no support and no path though. Once I analyzed my life, I saw what I was doing wrong and what needed to be done to correct it. I vowed to change my life and I did. I found a path and support (and in that exact order).

So what was the whole point of this blog? Well, there were many actually. First, if you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for? It's an amazing movie. I loved the father/son dynamic. In my community, Black fathers don't always take care of their kids. Chris' girlfriend/wife was going to take their son, Christopher, with her and Chris fought for his son. He was not going to allow her to take him. It was beautiful to see. It would've been a thousand times easier to pursue his journey without a kid, right? However, there was no journey worth pursuing without his mini-me by his side. I also liked how Chris maintained his composure when his woman left him. He didn't chase her. He knew his worth. He also had more important things to worry about at that time. There's valuable information throughout this movie. You just have to pay attention.... Now for me, the most valuable lesson in the entire movie was Walking On Faith. Knowing that you can fail, but also knowing that you can achieve success beyond your expectation. Freedom is on the other side of Fear. (>>>>>Check out the video above where Will Smith speaks on fear. The message is important) Are you ready for the other side? Say hello to Financial Freedom. Tell 'em Indy sent you!

Are you ready for a life changing opportunity? Go here: https://tinyurl.com/yczkpxfp

I'll see you on the other side :)

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