ASSIGNMENT

UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR
THE BUSINESS SCHOOL

TOPIC: FIVE LIFE LESSONS AND FIVE CAREER LESSONS FROM THE
MOVIE “PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS”

NAME: PEERZADA MOHAMMAD BASIM

IMBA 9TH SEM
IHRM
ROLL No: 36
FIVE LIFE LESSONS
1. One of the key lessons I learnt from the movie is that “the road to happiness is
full of setbacks”. In the movie we have seen that the character will smith went
through various milestones before he finally made it to the success. He lost his
car, his wife left him, he became homeless, he was broke, his business didn't
really work out, he had to look after his son himself, I Mean the setbacks were
endless. In the similar way if you are experiencing major setbacks in your life
right now in your pursuit for happiness and the fulfillment of your dreams, then
you are on the right path.

2. Another major lesson to be learnt from the movie is to learn how to use your
talent in right way. Not only does Gardner goes down a road less taken, but he
makes it too! Other than his determination, strong will and tenacity, he puts his
brains to good work. He assesses his talent for numbers and keeps at it. Learn to
put your flair to good use. There is always hope if you never quit.

3. Be positive and earnest: Chris Gardener is nothing without his optimistic

outlook and his earnest pursuit of life. He lives hand to mouth from day to day,
but still does not lose his cool. Half his appeal and charm lies in his being polite,
friendly, bright and vibrant. His firm handshakes and a simple “Hello” and “How
are you” wins over everyone at work. A calm approach to tough situations will
help keep anyone’s head above water.

4. Another lesson which I learnt from the movie is that it's never too late to start
something new. The character will smith played in the movie was already in his
40's when he started the internship at the stock brokerage firm. I'm sure that he
was conscious of the fact that the other people competing for the position were
half his age, but he didn't let that stop him, he didn't allow his age to be a barrier
to his goals. Maybe you are looking at yourself today and thinking to yourself "I'm
too old to start that" or "I'm too young to start that" age is nothing but a number.
What matters is your drive and willingness to succeed not your age.

5. The future is uncertain, so just do your bit and everything will fall into
place. No one can predict the next moment. So, we can just be on our way and
hope that we reach our destination. Who knew that the six-month payless
internship would work such wonder for Chris Gardener.
FIVE CAREER LESSONS

1. "The Cavalry Ain't Coming, You Got To Do This Yourself."

While trying to sell one of his bone scanners downtown, he meets Jay Twistle, a
manager for Dean Witter, whom he impresses after solving a Rubix cube puzzle in a
taxi ride. After securing an interview with Dean Witter to become an intern stockbroker,
he is arrested for unpaid parking tickets. After spending the night in jail, he must decide
between showing up for the interview in his clothes from the day before or not going at
all.

After sucking up his pride, Chris shows up to the interview in sweatpants and a wife
beater. However, this doesn't stop him. He rises to the challenge, and presents his
reasons for candidacy with such strength, determination and passion that his employers
were forced to look beyond his appearance.

2. "Ready Or Not. Tell Yourself To jump."

Chris must struggle with finding a place for him and his son to sleep while maintaining
the illusion at work that he is the most put together, normal candidate for the possible
job at the end of the internship. He must maintain that he is just like everyone else, he is
not destitute. At one point he even has to go so far as lend his last $5 to a coworker for
a cab, just to maintain the illusion.

Every day he must run from work to secure a place in line at the shelter so he and his
son can have a bed at night, thus putting himself at a serious disadvantage with the
other candidates for the job. Due to his limited time, he must find a way to make his
sales calls at work more efficient, even going against protocol when he reaches out to
very high level prospective clients.

Even at the lowest point of his life, when he was sleeping with his son on the restroom
floor of a subway station, he maintained the illusion that he was just as much a viable
candidate as the other interns who had homes and all the luxuries of modern day
businessmen. He proves that perception really is everything, and how you make people
perceive you is a major part of the recipe of success.

3. "Do something that you love. Whatever you're going to do is going to

be tough. Find something that gets you so excited that the sun can't
come up early enough in the morning because you want to go do your
thing."
Chris Gardner never let anything stop him from his dream, his one true passion. He
knew how hard and special it was to find something he not only loved doing, but that he
understood. He pursued that goal with everything he had, every fiber of his being.
Because what else is there in life if you aren't pursuing your dreams? What's the point
of it all? We have one life, one shot, to do what we love and to make the most of our
lives.

You must find your path, your focus. It's important that you keep your dream alive and
keep a clear eye on the end goal. It's not about the failures and missteps along the way,
but how they help to make you stronger on your journey to the end.

4. Never let anything hold you back, and don’t make excuses for yourself. Gardner was
in a position where it would’ve been extremely easy to give up. He had no place to call
home, and also was jailed the day before an interview because of unpaid parking
tickets. Despite all these challenges, he persisted, and was able to land an internship
and eventually secure a job.

5. Some people will watch this movie and believe the ultimate lesson is that
money=happiness. At the end of the film, Chris has a high paying job, and is finally
happy. However, it’s not that simple. The entire movie, he is trying to provide his son
Christopher with a better future. This job and the salary that goes with it are a means to
an end. This is why Gardner is so overjoyed when he lands the position. A job is just as
much about why you do it as it is how you do it. Doing a job for the right reasons is
extremely rewarding, and more fulfilling than doing a job just for the salary. Finding a job
where you can do something you believe in, and do it for the right reasons is worth
much more than just its salary.

*******************************************THANK YOU******************************************