Christopher Gardner: Hey. Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. All right?

Christopher: All right.

Christopher Gardner: You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.

I was watching the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” yesterday, and one scene really stuck with me.

Christopher Gardner (Will Smith) and his son (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) have a father son sort of moment in the basketball courts. The father has a feeling of regret, reflects on his life, and gives advice so that his son doesn’t have to feel or go through the same problems. This information, in my opinion, is the best that you can ever give your child.

All throughout our lives we are told more often what we shouldn’t do, and not what we should or can do. However, there is a logical reason why this is the case. When we are children, our parents want to give us the best life possible. Some think that if they play it safe by never taking chances or risks, they will teach us to be safe by example. The basic reason that our parents do this is because they have learned what to do and what not to do in life- what works and what doesn’t. The major problem with this reasoning is that the perception of, “safe,” and, “danger,” or, “not safe,” is entirely up to the individual.

One person might think that poverty is something to fear, and will not take risks in life because of this. On the other hand, a person who has experienced poverty first hand has nothing to lose and will take a risk as though it is not a risk. For this man a risk is only an area of opportunity or a challenge. For the previous man, a risk is something to fear because he does not completely understand what it is to lose something. Without knowing what it feels like to lose something, to try something and fail, you can imagine the fear you would have to overcome.

To change, you have to redefine what, “safe,” actually is. One day you open your eyes and see the world for what it really is. Is there actually anything to fear in your life? Do you work the same job you are unhappy with for 20 years because it is safe? Or do you work towards a better life, take a few risks, and find true happiness? I’m not saying that you can’t be happy with a job and work it for as long as you would like, but I am only pointing out a common example that I see everyday.

The bottom line is exactly what this quote points out…

“You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.”

If you have a passion for something, then fulfill your dream. If someone tells you that you can’t do it, then that is their problem. Forget what they tell you, make your own mistakes, create success from what you learn, and fulfill your own dreams.