Like this article? PLEASE +1 it!

Lesson #1: Find Something That Gets You Excited

Article Overview: “You have to be committed, and you have to find something that you are passionate about,” says Gardiner. “And forget about money. I’ve learned that money is the least significant aspect of wealth.”

Free Download - Chris Gardner Bio By Chris Gardner

Lesson #1: Find Something That Gets You Excited

“You have to be committed, and you have to find something that you are passionate about,” says Gardiner. “And forget about money. I’ve learned that money is the least significant aspect of wealth.”

Gardner is the first to admit that in the early days of his career, his major motivating force for finding work was money. He needed to pay the rent, he needed to be able to afford food and clothing, and he needed to look after not just himself, but also his young son. Nevertheless, it was only by choosing to focus on a career that truly got him excited, that Gardner was able to rise to the top of his field.

“Do something that you love,” says Gardner. “Whatever you’re going to do is going to be tough enough. 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.”

For Gardner, that thing was becoming a stockbroker. Being a poor black man with little education and no experience, Gardner knew that the odds were stacked against him. Of his childhood, Gardner says, “I didn’t grow up in a household where dinner conversation was ‘How did the market do today?” Nonetheless, Gardner had finally found something that he could get excited about and he wasn’t about to let his chance at happiness pass him by.

“You have to be bold because there will be folks who will say ‘You can’t’ or ‘You shouldn’t’ or ‘Why?’” says Gardner. “There is a certain boldness to saying ‘Well, I really don’t want to be a high-powered corporate lawyer. I’m really passionate about painting.” Gardner had struggled through years of hard jobs that had left him unfulfilled. In dreaming of becoming a stockbroker, Gardner was finally excited about his future.

“The first things kids want to know is how much money I make,” says Gardner. “For them, that’s a validating question because it means: ‘Why should I listen to you?’ My answer is always the same. If I were in the NBA, I might not be making as much as Shaq, but I wouldn’t be on the bench, either. I tell them forget about money; money is the least significant aspect of wealth. It’s more important to do something that makes you happy.”

Gardner does not purport to be an expert on making money and achieving success, but the fact that he has come from where he did to where he is today, invariably makes him one. “No matter how much money is involved or no matter how easy it is for you to do, if you’re not happy, you are nothing more than a slave to your talent and money,” he says. “Do something that makes you happy and makes you feel good about yourself. Do something that makes you feel your work is significant and meaningful. If you just want to make money, that’s a whole different trip. I can’t help you with that.”

Related Articles

More on Compelling Reasons

Who Is Your Proud Family?

Losing Sales - A Ridiculous Sales Habit You Need To Ditch

The Law of Attraction vs. Nonattachment

The Gravity of Failure

Home > Famous-Entrepreneurs > Chris Gardner > Lesson 1 Find Something That Gets You Excited

Article Tags: becoming a stockbroker, black man, boldness, corporate lawyer, dinner conversation, education, gardiner, happiness, household, how much money, jobs, nba, odds, painting, shaq, sun

More from Chris Gardner

Chris Gardner Stock Broker

From Rags to Riches Gardner Lives the American Dream

Chris Gardner Pursuit of Happiness

Lesson 2 Make A Commitment To Be The Very Best

Chris Gardner Book

Related Forum Posts

Re: Best way to start a business? - Find a good mentor.

Dan Kennedy Marketing Methods - We haven't sent out the physical letter yet as the person owning the list wanted to make modifications to the letter that we knew would work well but the List owner had a point - it didn't reflect her personality so her clients would know it didn't come from her. Lesson learned for me. We're back to the drawing board with the list owner more involved in the development of the letter and emails. I should have known better being a Business Analyst in my day job that you never leave the end-user out. So Evan we haven't had the opportunity to test any of it yet but it's been a fun process for me to stand back and look at.

Re: How can I promote my site? - I agree that SEO is the best way but you should not rely on it solely. Find a few different methods that work for you and use them together.

How to Do Great Marketing with (Amost) No Money - I've given this presentation to CEOs many times. Now i can share it with you. But I cannot because I do not yet have 20 posts. Jeff Ogden, President Find New Customers

Re: Invest in Real Estate or Stocks? - I want to reiterate what Barb said, be prepared for the long run. Investing in stocks and real estate myself, I highly recommend learning as much as you can about both. Find a great mentor in both areas as well if you can. But always, always, remember that you buy both and WAIT. There's no flipping around or you can lose alot! Jude

Recommended Article for You close


Name:
Email: