Chris Gardner: An Icon of Success
Nobody had an idea of how successful Chris Gardner, born 63 years ago in Milwaukee, would become in his future. His childhood was a troubled one after his parents separated and he acquired a stepfather. Chris Gardner’s stepfather became physically abusive, beating his mother up in his presence, not hiding his brutality from Chris’s siblings either. His mother, Bettye Jean Triplett, was convicted twice out of false allegations making Chris’ life more difficult, lonely, and sad. Since Chris and his siblings had no place to stay and no one to take care of them, he took his siblings along and sought refuge in a foster home while he was only eight years old.
Despite lacking all that he needed to survive, Gardner maintained his focus for success. He drew his inspiration from his mom who encouraged him to remain strong and confident regardless of the difficulties he went through. In the 1960’s, Gardner also drew his inspiration from famous individuals such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. He was thirsty for success. Gardner experienced countless failures that would have discouraged him from moving forward. For instance, his marriage to Sherry Dyson failed leaving him devastated. His choice of leaving his medical career, cheating on his wife as well as poverty cost him his marriage. Unfortunately, Gardner became too desperate to an extent that he spent countless nights in the parks, public toilets, and airports for lack of accommodation.
But still, not all was lost for Gardner. He was still determined to make a difference in his life and excel in his career. His life took a different turn after he saw a good looking man in a Ferrari. He went on to find out his career and found out that he was a stockbroker. He approached the man, Bob Bridges, and requested him for training; a step that opened up more opportunities for him than he had ever thought. He dedicated himself to training in firms such as Dean Witter Reynolds and Merrill Lynch and became better in terms of pursuing a career as a stockbroker. Consequently, Gardner quit his job at the medical firm and took up the challenge of becoming a stockbroker. Before long, he was hired at Dean Witter Reynolds firm as a trainee, and later he was hired.
Due to his diligence and vision in life, Chris Gardner was able to start his own firm, Gardner Rich & Co., in 1987. Today, he owns offices in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. His life remains to be a huge inspiration to millions of people all over the world. Since he came from a difficult childhood background, Gardner engages himself in several organizations such as Glide Memorial United Methodist Church, which offers food and accommodation to the homeless people in the United States. He has also been honored with several humanitarian awards such as Father of the Year Award as well as Friends of Africa Award.
Difficulties in life should never be used to determine the future of any person. Individuals have the ability to achieve whatever they want to. Chris Gardner is an epitome of success in this generation. He is a testimony that anybody can achieve anything as long as one has a vision in life. Thanks to the challenges he went through, the man had no excuse for not achieving the best in life.