If a man were to be abandoned by family, abused by his stepfather, raped by a gang member, put in jail, divorced, raise his only son by himself, and be homeless for a year, the odds of that same man being able to overcome his adversities and turn himself into a multimillionaire and CEO of his own company, would be looked at as slim to none. However, Chris Gardner has done exactly that, defying all odds in his extraordinary life, living one of the most influential “rags to riches” stories in American history.
On February 9th, 1954, Chris Gardner’s unlikely journey to the top began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was born. The start of painful events for Gardner began the day he was born, as he grew up not knowing who his father was, because his father lived in Louisiana. Not only was Garner’s father not involved in his early life, but Garner also lacked any positive male role model, as he lived with his mother and his aggressive and abusive step-father, Freddie Triplett. Triplett abused Gardner throughout his childhood, to the point that he kicked Gardner out of his home on Christmas Day one year, and held Gardner at gunpoint as he stood unclothed in the snow. Eventually, when Gardner was eight years old, his mother became fed up with Triplett’s abusive behavior and tried to set fire to the house while Triplett was inside. Gardner’s mother was sentenced to multiple years in prison; however, Gardner was never told where his mother was; instead, he was placed in foster care.1 However, at a time of great confusion and darkness for Gardner, he found a source of positivity when he met his Uncle Henry. Henry served as the positive male role model that Gardner desperately needed in his life, as Henry encouraged him to join the U.S. Navy and travel the world when he was a little older. Despite the void Henry was able to fill for Gardner and offer encouragement doing so, tragedy struck again as Henry drowned in the Mississippi River when Gardner was nine years old. Gardner attended his Uncle’s funeral where he then learned that his mother was in prison, as she was being escorted to the funeral by a prison guard. Gardner not only had to deal with the uncertainty, abuse, and abandonment from his family at a young age, but he also was raped by a local male gang member. Gardner certainly faced enough adversity and gruesome events to make someone give up on having a bright future; however, Gardner has stated that his motivation for not letting his childhood events hold him back came from his mother’s advice, saying “You can only depend on yourself. The cavalry ain’t coming.” This became Gardner’s motto, and it would push him to depend and believe in himself to succeed.2
As Gardner finished secondary school, he decided to follow his Uncle Henry’s advice and join the U.S. Navy. He was stationed in North Carolina as a hospital corpsman. Gardner met a cardiac surgeon, Dr. Robert Ellis, who offered Gardner a job to assist him in clinical research at the University of California Medical Center and Veterans Administration hospital, located in San Francisco. In 1974, at 20 years old, Gardner left the Navy and accepted the job in San Francisco, where he was responsible for a lab and helped Dr. Ellis write several articles in his first two years on the job. Gardner married Sherry Dyson in 1977, and now with a wife and a promising medical career ahead of him, Gardner was finally starting to feel success and a sense of accomplishment.3 Yet again, things started to change drastically for Gardner, as he expressed to his wife that he believed pursuing a medical career might not be what’s best for him, as changes in health care would soon occur and his profession in the medical field would be much different. His wife strongly disapproved of him not pursuing a medical career, because she felt it would provide stability for the both of them. This conflict resulted in Gardner and his wife being driven apart and eventually divorcing. Gardner then met Jackie Medina, a dental student, and he had his first child with her. They named their child Christopher Gardner Jr., and now with a son to raise, Gardner knew he needed to look for an opportunity to make more money. He started selling medical supplies to whoever he could.
After working this new job and saving money, Gardner tracked down his father and visited him in Louisiana. Gardner then returned to San Francisco, and a life changing moment occurred for him, as he came upon a well-dressed man in a Ferrari. Gardner asked the man what he did for a living, to which the man replied, “stockbroker.”4 From that day, Gardner knew he wanted to pursue a career in business and be able to make enough money to support himself and his son. Gardner persistently looked for any opportunity to get his foot in the door in the business world, and luckily enough, he was accepted into a training program at E.F. Hutton, an American Stock brokerage firm. Gardner wanted to give this opportunity everything he had, resulting in him giving up his job selling medical equipment. However, when he went to the office for his first day of work, he found that the manager who had hired him a week before had been fired and Gardner’s job no longer existed at the brokerage firm. Not only was Gardner’s door of opportunity slammed shut, leaving him jobless, but he also had insult added to injury as he was sentenced to jail for being unable to pay $1,200 in parking tickets due to his lack of income. 5
When Gardner was released from jail, he went to his apartment, only to find it empty. Jackie had taken his only son with her to the other side of the country, to the East Coast. Gardner found another stock brokerage training program to join. However, it only paid about $300 a month, and with Gardner having no savings to live off of, he became unable to pay his rent. Drawing on the advice his mother had given him, “the cavalry ain’t coming,” Gardner knew he’d have to fight and grind his way out of the dark situation he was in, so he ended up becoming one of the firm’s top trainees, and he passed the Series 7 Exam on his first try, making him a full employee of the firm.6 After four months of Gardner having his son taken away from him by Jackie, she returned to San Francisco to leave their son with Gardner, as he willingly accepted full custody of the child. Despite Gardner becoming employed, his job still didn’t pay enough to support him and his son. Thus began a whole new chapter in Gardner and his son’s lives, as they now had to fight for survival while becoming homeless. For about a year, Gardner managed to raise his son by himself while trying to eat in soup kitchens and stay at flophouses, parks, public transports, airports, and even in a locked bathroom in a transit station, while keeping the fact that he was homeless from all of his coworkers.7 During this struggle, Gardner had to leave his son at a poorly ran, yet affordable day care center, named “Happyness.” This undesirable lifestyle for Gardner and his son soon changed though, due to Gardner’s motivation to be the successful and positive father figure he never had.
Determined more than ever to get out of the position he was in, Gardner took a job at Bear Stearns & Company and became one of the highest earners in the company. In 1987, Gardner opened his own brokerage firm named Gardner Rich & Co., in Chicago, Illinois. Gardner grew the brokerage firm for almost twenty years, and then sold his small stake for in a multimillion-dollar deal in 200. He then became CEO and founder of Christopher Gardner International Holdings, and opened offices in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. Gardner also expanded his companies business by visiting South Africa to talk with Nelson Mandela about investment opportunities there. After starting from the bottom and completing a long and treacherous journey to the top, Garner had succeeded and had a life story that has been able to inspire people all over the world. Gardner reflected on his own life and decided to write an autobiography titled The Pursuit of Happyness, spelling “happiness” incorrectly with a “y”, the same way the daycare center that Gardner took his son to had spelled it. Gardner’s book became wildly successful and was even turned into a movie called The Pursuit of Happyness, which starred Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith, playing Chris Gardner and his son.8 However, Gardner wasn’t particularly thrilled that Will Smith was selected to play him because he felt Smith wouldn’t play Gardner accurately. But Gardner was able to laugh it off and appreciate Smith’s work as he saw the message of the movie was portrayed correctly, resulting in helping Smith earn his second Best Actor nomination.9 Gardner wanted to take the message from his autobiography and the movie based on his life and spread it to everyone he could by becoming a motivational speaker. This message of Gardner’s includes prioritizing what’s important, staying persistent, and remaining hopeful in whatever situation you’re in, in order to become successful. Gardner claims that he travels about two-hundred days of the year as a motivational speaker, and has now spoken in over fifty counties. Gardner also sponsors many charitable organizations and has given back to the community in San Francisco by helping fund a $50 million project that helps create low income housing and opportunities for employment in the same area where he was once homeless.10
When some people think of a multimillionaire. They may associate them as a greedy, self-absorbed, or money driven individual, however, in Gardner’s case, he has been able to avoid any of those characteristics and only expressed how much he wants to help those around him with the money and experience he’s gained in his inspiring life. These characteristics of Gardner show the man he is and where his morals and priorities stand, which are all due to the determination, hopefulness, and persistency that he has maintained throughout his entire life, and with his selflessness and generosity, he’s been able to not only transform himself from being homeless to being a hero, but also from being someone without a role model into being a role model for everyone.
- Chris Gardner, The pursuit of Happyness (New York: HarperCollins e-Books, 2014), 1-12. ↵
- Chris Gardner, Hasnah Daud, and Hidayah Kasuma Abdul Hadi, Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (Batu Caves, Selangor, PTS Professional, 2012), 12-14. ↵
- Basak Guner and Chris Gardner, Flora of the Silk Road (London, United Kingdom: I.B. Tauris and Co. Ltd., 2016), 10. ↵
- Basak Guner and Chris Gardner, Flora of the Silk Road (London, United Kingdom: I.B. Tauris and Co. Ltd., 2016), 16. ↵
- Chris Gardner, The pursuit of Happyness (New York: HarperCollins e-Books, 2014), 47. ↵
- Barry LaBov, Becca Watson, and Chris Swymeler, The Corporate Entrepreneur: The Small Way to Get Big Results at Your Corporation (Ft. Wayne, IN: LaBov & Beyond Marketing Communications, 2003), 27. ↵
- Basak Guner and Chris Gardner, Flora of the Silk Road (London, United Kingdom: I.B. Tauris and Co. Ltd., 2016), 5. ↵
- The Pursuit of Happyness, (2018), (film) directed by G. Muccino, Alameda, California: Sony Pictures. ↵
- Lisa Iannucci, Will Smith: A Biography (Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press, 2010), 53-54. ↵
- Nate Berkus, The Things that Matter (Spiegel & Grau, 2016), 12-15. ↵
73 comments
Engelbert Madrid
Chris Gardener has a personal testimony that truly demonstrates persistence, hope, and determination. I had never heard of Chris Gardener and neither of his book titled, “The Pursuit Of Happyness”. His story motivates people to have a growth mindset, although it is difficult to have one when your stranded in the middle of a tribulation. However, this article highlights all of the economical and social difficulties Gardener; therefore, there is a way of progressing or being successful if people have faith and grit.
Valeria Perez
What an amazing man! Being a successful person means taking advantage of every opportunity in life, if there is none then you create some yourself. Gardner was able to learn and grow not only from his own mistakes but from those around him. He did not let his past define him, or the present stop him. It would’ve been really easy to give up at any point but he kept going.
I really like how he chose to share his journey, through his auto biography, with the rest of the world. I am now very excited to read his book!
Pamela Callahan
Before reading this article I had never even heard of Chris Gardener. The title “From Homeless to Hero” caught my attention and made me want to learn more. After reading this article I think that I will look at every situation in a more positive light. Reading about one person going through so much adversity and still becoming successful, let me realize that the challenges I face every day are nothing in comparison to those that some other people are forced to endure and that I can overcome them and become successful in the same way.
Brianna Ford
The title seemed to catch my attention, and as soon as I started reading i was automatically hooked, The fact that this man had so much adversity, for example, being ganged raped to being homeless and he still ended up CEO of his own company, that is truly inspiring. I also did not know that the movie, Pursuit of Happiness” portrayed this guy’s life. It just makes his story even more beautiful. This guy has my dearest respect. This is someone with a beautiful story and more people need to know about this guy.
Adrian Cook
Mr. Gardner is the true definition of adversity. He endured so much growing up that they few words spoken by his mother “the Calvary ain’t coming” hit at home each time things got tough. Building success is not easy but this man did it all by himself because he wanted to make a difference in his life and for his son. It makes me happy to see these kind of success stories because it can apply to anyone who is in a low place in life and is trying to find a way out. Although I’ve never seen the movie it’ll definitely be something I would love to see.
Roman Olivera
This man, Mr. Chris Gardner, is a real hero of mankind and a true success story. There are many rich and successful people out there, but none that I have heard of until him, that have a true rags to riches story facing constant adversity. Mr. Gardner had everything against him since birth and seemed nothing was getting better as he got older. No matter the circumstance he seemed to keep pushing towards his goals. No father, abused by his step-father, mother in jail, being raped, homeless while being a single father and he just kept on striving for better. This man embodies the American Dream, in his story of his “Pursuit of Happyness,” by rising to the top after literally being at the bottom. What is really even more amazing to me is that even after becoming a great success, he has stayed humble and willing to help others in need. If there ever was a person who was qualified as an inspirational speaker, Chris Gardner is that person. If this man can go through all he went through and make it, what excuse do we have? This was a great article and really put a smile on my face.
Micaela Cruz
I had no idea that the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness” was based of a true story nor have I ever watched the movie… something I will be doing soon. The idea that this man, Chris Gardner, went from homelessness and abuse to being able to make something of himself is an inspirational message to all. Gardner is living proof that you can come from nothing and still be successful. He faced an incredible amount of adversity in his childhood as well as in adulthood, but he did not allow these obstacles to stop him or keep him down. His willpower to succeed and to not give up, along with the advice his mother once gave him, is heartwarming; the world needs more influential people like Gardner. A great article, loved reading every bit of it.
Didier Cadena
This was a very well written article. I have only heard of the pursuit of happiness before, unaware that it is based on a true story, but now I feel that I have to see the film. What Garner had to go through was terrible but it worked out well for him in the end. The way that you structured the article kept me hooked and interested.
Sofia Andrade
I unfortunately have not seen the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” but I for sure will have to watch this movie now. In reading this article I found Gardner’s story truly inspirational. It is great to see that through the midst of the bad things in his life Gardner was able to take the little positive he had experienced in order to push through all obstacles.
Sienna Guerra
The phrase rags to riches comes alive at once! Before reading this article, I knew the name Chris Gardner came to mind. When I saw the cover of the movie “the Pursuit of HAPPYness”, I immediately was intrigued to read more into his story. Gardner not only went through the adversity he faced with being raped, seeing tragic and horrific deaths, and was abused by a man who was not his real father not only lead him to struggles but success in the long run. This article should not only remind all that opportunity is before all of us if we work for it, but an inspiration like his son can make him do anything, but make a life for himself that when you look at him, you never thought was as it was.