I have seen “The Pursuit of Happiness” many times over, but each time, it never fails to stop me in my tracks. Chris Gardner struggles with taking care of his young child, Christopher, all the while fighting with his spouse. Everything around him says “Give up, and find another way to provide for your family,” but that is the complete opposite of what he does. Time and time again, he is thrown a curve ball. I am not going to go into detail because I want you to watch the movie, but his drive and determination shows in whatever he does.

The movie is based around the premise that if you want something, no matter what situation you might be in or how messed up it may seem, you have to fight. That is exactly what Gardner did.  There were sad moments within the film where I began to cry, but nothing made me weep more than the moment he saw true happiness. Those endless tears of sorrow were easily outweighed by that one moment of happiness.

That is what life is about. That is why we are living and breathing. We are fighting to make something of ourselves and to reach our greatest potential. I know you want to get to the point where you have to just stop and give thanks to God because your hard work and determination has finally paid off.

In order to get there, though, the walk is not easy. There will be moments of pain, sorrow, confusion, hurt and turmoil, but this movie has done nothing but spark a drive within me. It has taught me to fight for what I want and to never give up hope. I have Gardner to thank for the inspiration.

-Jas