"In Pursuit of Happyness"

In the inspirational movie 'In Pursuit of Happyness' Will Smiths' character tells his son; "when you have a dream don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't, including me." In my mind no truer words were ever spoken. Every entrepreneur has a dream. What is your dream? Is it about lifestyle? Is it about being able to give back to the local and/or global community? Is it about power and control? Or is it about running away from pain? Did you start with nothing in life and therefore it is your dream to get away from that life in pursuit of a better life for you and your family? "Happyness" is not a typo. Will's character had a dream which was only to be happy. He wanted to be like the many people he saw each day on the streets outside their offices who all had smiles. He just wanted to smile. To be happy.

Tiger Woods had a dream to be the best golfer in the world. Wayne Gretzky had a dream to be the best hockey player in the world and Michael Jordan had a dream to be the best basketball player in the world. They achieved their dream not because they pursued being the best but rather because they had a passion for their chosen sport. Each of these three superstars invested hours of practice time with early morning rises while others slept, arriving before their team mates for each practice and game and when they were not practicing, they were studying the game.

This commitment to succeed is more than the average person is willing to dedicate even though many average people have had similar dreams. These exceptional athletes put the required hours into honing their skills because they enjoyed and loved the sport. Their sport was their passion and the dedication required to play at their level can only be achieved through their respective 'Pursuit of Happyness.'

Success can be measured and achieved in many ways. For example by the money in your bank account, the friends and family in your life, what others in business say about your business practices and ethics, but what the most successful will always say is that they started and were driven because they truly loved what they did. To them it was not a job, it was fun.

It is the strength of love and passion for what you do that will give you success. ''The Pursuit of Happyness" is the journey that can be good or bad but unique to each person. It is the power of our passion that keeps us focused on the future and allows our inner voice to say "I can" when all the external voices (influences) tell us repeatedly "you can't".

To all the dreamers out there, The Pursuit of Happyness is a worthy and admirable quality and let me be a positive influence on your life and say; "YOU CAN!"