2. We All Have A Choice
The most inspiring keynote came from Chris Gardner, author of the best-selling autobiography The Pursuit of Happyness and the person Will Smith played in the movie.
Gardner said the movie was only one year of his life. There were important things that happened before that time that allowed him to go from being homeless to eventually being a success. As a 5-year-old boy, he recalls making himself a promise to be a good dad, unlike the abusive stepfather he’d had. He also remembers his mother saying, “You can do or can be anything you want to be.”
Gardner coined the term “spiritual genetics.” It means that we do not have control over the genetics our parents pass on to us, but we do shape our own spirit.
He told a story about being on set with Will Smith and pushing to rewrite a father-son scene in the script taking place on the basketball court. He and Smith won a 30-minute debate with the film creators to give the final scene a message about protecting your dreams. The main point: Don’t let someone tell you what you can’t do.
Before two managing partners at Bear Stearns saw his potential and took a chance on him, Gardner at times went hungry so his kid could eat. As the movie depicts, they even slept on public bathroom floors. His son at the time was less than 2 years old, but in the movie the son was 5 so there could be dialogue between the actors.
He remembers asking himself, “Why did this happen? What is going to happen next?” and the hardest question: “How did I get here?” Gardner said it hit him that he drove to where he was and it made him smile, as he could drive out.
“Nobody appreciates hope more than me, but you need to have a plan,” said Gardner. It needs to be clear, compelling, concise, consistent and committed. He gave an example of David versus Goliath. David only had one plan.
Gardner urged the attendees, “You must be committed to plan A, not committed to plan B. Write this down, ‘Plan B sucks!’”