"Chris Gardner was doing his best for his family. But his best wasn't enough."
This movie right here is a real tearjerker. I was extremely moved (to tears, I might add) the first time I saw the trailer. But the movie was just something else. Props to Will Smith and to his son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, who made his showbiz debut :)
Other than the endless quest for one's happiness, the movie also shows the value of determination.
"You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you, you can't do it. You want something, go get it. Period."
-- Will Smith as Chris Gardner
Never let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Not even the people who are closest to you. If you don't believe in yourself, then who will? Dream big. And when you know deep down in your heart that your dream is something that you really want, then do your very damn best to get there. To those people who have nothing good to say, who have nothing else to do but to bring you down, don't give them the luxury of your time. More than proving to them that you can do it, prove that what really matters is you and your dream, and not so much what they think of you.
It's pretty straightforward, the story of the movie, I mean. The pursuit of happiness. Everyone wants it. But for some reason, not everyone can get it. And you might even end up asking yourself if there's really such a thing as happiness, or if it's just something that you constantly pursue, endlessly trying to attain.
Happiness holds a million and one definitions.
To the street kid who constantly knocks on car windows to ask for a few pesos, happiness could be in the form of a P20 bill or half of the meal you just had for dinner that you weren't able to finish.
To the security guard at your office who tirelessly opens the door and holds it for each person who goes in and out, happiness could be in the form of a simple smile and a "Good morning, kuya!" or perhaps even just bothering to find out what his name is instead of just referring to him as Manong Guard.
To the saleslady in the fashion store that you frequent, happiness could be in the form of small talk and a warm smile, or the mere considerate gesture of trying your best to fold and put back in place the numerous tops that you held up to yourself but didn't buy.
To the customer service agent that helped you out with your inquiries, happiness could be in the form of your patience despite having to wait for a few minutes to be attended to, or even just thanking him or her at the end of your call, and remembering his or her name.
To the officemate whom you see five times a day and regularly get to talk with about work, happiness could be in the form of trying to get to know him or her, more as a friend than just a co-worker.
To the friend that you haven't seen in ages, happiness could be in the form of a simple "How are you doing?" text, despite not being able to commit yet as to when you can finally hook up for that long-overdue coffee date.
To the people in your family that are closest to your heart and more often the most taken for granted, happiness could be in the form of simply spending some time together, like watching a few TV shows or perhaps having a DVD marathon, having lunch or dinner together, or maybe an out-of-nowhere dessert treat.
To that special someone, the one person closest to your heart, happiness could be in the form of simple surprises, like turning the tables around and picking HIM up for a change, inviting him to watch a movie and saying it's your treat, being gentlemanly and holding her hand while you cross the street, whispering sweet nothings to each other.
What happiness means to you could be a totally different thing to someone else. But wouldn't it be nice if we could all just go out of our way once in a while to make someone else happy? :)
