Chris Gardner Grit

Grit. An uncommon word that describes our work habits and traits. It is a hidden, yet an

important aspect in our lives. After reading the articles “Top 5 Reasons most people fail”, “The Truth about grit”, “5 Winners teach us how to learn from failure”, and “How failure makes us stronger”, it really showed me how important grit is in our lives and the lives of many. The Pursuit of Happyness is based on a true story about a man, Chris Gardner, who demonstrates many aspects of grit. I believe the three main aspects of grit is having the perseverance to keep going, taking action without hesitating, and keeping a positive mindset.

One of the main aspects of grit is having to force oneself to keep going. In the movie, The

Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner demonstrates grit by having the momentum and determination to keep going knowing that he had so many things

to fight for. Stated in the article, “The Top 5 Reasons most people fail”, “The truth is most of us give up just before we’re about to have a breakthrough. We let discouragement and obstacles become barriers, rather than using them as launching pads for the next approach”. Chris Gardner did not have the slightest clue when he was about to have a breakthrough. He had to keep on pushing while his money, wife, house among many more was taken away from him. Amidst his possessions that was taken away, he still had one more thing to fight for: Christopher Gardner, his son. He used his son as motivation and energy to keep on pushing. There was not a chance to give up for the sake of Christopher. Every individual has experienced the feeling of procrastination and discouragement. Every individual has had two choices for the problem; 1) To overcome that feeling and push through the workload or 2) To give up and do it ‘later’. This is the thin line that separates using grit to achieve success and letting obstacles get in the way.
Another main aspect of Grit is taking action no matter how big or small the task may be.
In the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner demonstrates grit by taking the initiative to apply for an internship that took weeks of hard work and sacrifice.

In the article, “The Top 5 Reasons most people fail”, it states, “...we have to take action in order to get somewhere.” Chris Gardner needed to take action for the sake of his family. He went from door to door, and no matter how hard he tried, he was barely scraping by with the funds of his medical machine. There was an opportunity for a job at Dean Witter and Chris Gardner took the opportunity in a heartbeat. He lands a spot amongst the 20 interns competing for a paid position as a stockbroker. Chris Gardner did not know where to start however he put in as much effort he could put in to get there. When an individual takes on a big role, there is that voice in the back of the head saying they can not handle the task ahead of them. This can further lead to the feeling of depleted motivation and irresponsibility. Having the willpower to fight off the voice and conquering the task can determine a person’s grit and can further validate their

success.
The final aspect of grit is remaining positive in negative situations. In the movie, The
Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner demonstrates grit by taking a completely negative situation and turning it around to a positive state. Quoted from the article “5 Winners teach us how to learn from failure”, it states, “But during this rock bottom time, she realized she still had a wonderful daughter, an old typewriter, and an idea that would become the foundation for rebuilding her life”. Being homeless is a unfortunate situation to be in. It weakens an individual's state of mind, no matter how young they may be. Christopher Gardner was 5 years old when his father and him camped out in the subway bathroom for the night, as they had nowhere to go. Chris Gardner took the grim setting and lifted the mood by using imagination to hide the negative situation. His plan worked because Christopher Gardner forgot about the situation and felt safe and sound in the pretend cave. Sometimes, people take on the mood that the atmosphere occupies. When a group of people act in a bad mood, one might feel the need to take on the same mood as the people around them. This situation requires an individual with a strong mindset to take on the challenge and spread the positive mindset. This also causes a chain reaction within the moods of many.
In conclusion, Grit is shown through the individuals who occupy perseverance, who take
action without the need of others, and remain positive throughout. Keeping perseverance throughout the situation will show persistence and determination. There might be a choice to do or not to do, however with those who have grit, there is only one choice: to take action and just doing it. There might be negative times of hardship and frustration, however, it is important to remain positive and keep a positive mindset. Grit can be a difficult trait to acquire however it will guarantee lifelong success.