chris gardner in the pursuit of happiness

Chris, hearing her, realizes what his next pursuit will be-to go back to high school and give permission to dream to the next generation of problem solvers and change makers.Ī true fable, Permission to Dream is a timeless and timely manifesto for turning dreams into action-beginning right now.Īt the age of twenty, Milwaukee native Chris Gardner, just out of the Navy, arrived in San Francisco to pursue a promising career in medicine. Toward the end, Brooke observes that in Atomic Time it’s never too late for anyone to reinvent themselves and change their fortune.

No matter how much wealth you achieve, Chris notes, true success comes from enriching the lives of others-so all can still have access to the American Dream. His tools include the “new 3 R’s”-or the Rep, the Rap and the Rolodex-which reveal how to earn a stellar reputation, develop a rap for marketing yourself, and amass a Rolodex of rewarding relationships.

Gardner delivers the secrets to achieving a prosperous career-from a method for identifying your ultimate dream to a playbook for becoming world class at it. As the two wind through a changing cityscape, Chris reflects on past lessons that offer powerful guidance for dreaming your way to monumental success.Īt its heart, this book lays out a blueprint for building a dream-come-true life-even during uncertainty. Lost, Chris and his granddaughter board a bus, reminding him of earlier rides through dark times when dreams of a better life kept him alive. Even while giving Brooke permission to aspire to one day become President of the United States, he knows it’s time to reclaim his own permission to dream. Her question haunts him: “Now that we know how short life can be, what will you do with the time you have left?” After five years, he feels an urgency-what he calls, “Atomic Time” in which every second counts-to find an answer, but is stuck. The search sends them North “beyond the wall” into a foreboding Chicago neighborhood and, soon, on a harrowing adventure that will change both of their lives-and ours.Ĭhris is still mourning the loss of his girlfriend to brain cancer. On a winter’s day, Chris Gardner set off with his nine-year-old granddaughter Brooke to find the harmonica of her dreams.

Chris gardner in the pursuit of happiness