The Pursuit of Happyness Brings Motivation and Satisfaction

In support of his new book, The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner was interviewed for USA Today. Chris has turned his unlikely journey from homeless father at times supported by San Francisco prostitutes and a caring Christian community to a multimillion dollar owner of an investment firm in Chicago into an inspiring tribute to the importance of finding a career that you love--a career that makes you happy!

In the interview, Chris said it well, "The secret of success is there is no secret. Blocking and tackling. And more important than that, find something that you love. Something that gets you so excited you can't wait to get out of bed in the morning. Forget about money. Be happy. That takes a certain amount of boldness to say, 'This is what I like.' The money thing will come. I know so many people who have so much more money than I. They are miserable. It is so important to be happy."

Don't settle for doing a job that pays the bills and expect to be motivated. There is something that comes to life inside you when you can use the gifts God has given you in a way that makes a difference for others. Some people call it being in the flow! When you are doing what you love, it doesn't feel like work. That feeling doesn't come every day even when you are in the right job, but it comes often or it isn't the right job.

When people ask me, "How do you keep doing the same program over and over again and have such passion and energy?" When I'm doing what I love in front of an appreciating audience, it isn't work. At the end of the presentation, I am satisfied, not tired.

If you've found a job you love, you are blessed. Count your blessings, and keep motivating yourself to take your skills to a new level. If you haven't, begin investing at least 5% of your time in searching for what you are meant to do. Take courses or training in areas you have always wanted to do; trust your instincts. Look for ways to cross-train and work with areas of your organization that might interest you. Take action, and enjoy the journey. That may prove to be motivating in and of itself. Don't believe that you can't live your dreams. If Chris Gardner can, so can you.

Source: Chris Gardner, author of The Pursuit of Happyness (with Quincy Troupe), Amistad, 2006, quoted in Rodney Brooks, "Whether in riches or rags, happiness matters," USA Today, May 22, 206, p. 3B.