When All You Have Is You!

When all you have is YOU! 

Written by Anthony W. McCarthy, special to The Baltimore Times  

A conversation with author Chris Gardner.

 Direct. Confident. Hilarious. Serious. Compassionate.

These are some of the personality traits you will experience when you have an encounter with award winning and New York Times bestselling author Chris Gardner.

Just like the charismatic preachers I grew up with in the South, Gardner’s presence consumes you from the moment you meet him and by the time you’re done talking to him, you feel like you can do anything.

His heart wrenching biography The Pursuit of Happyness, now published in 18 different languages, made him a much sought after motivational speaker and business consultant. The subsequent movie version starring actor Will Smith made him a household name. 

His new book “Start Where You Are” is a timely, inspiration self-help guide that is winning rave reviews. 

But notoriety appears to be the last thing on the mind of Chris Gardner.

“I want people to find their joy and happiness. If someone comes up to me and talks about the movie or how many celebrities I know, I’m not really interested in that conversation,” he said. “But if they were down and didn’t know which way to go and my books or something I said helped them find their way, then I feel like I’ve made a difference.”

“Start Where You Are” gives readers a step-by-step roadmap to successfully navigate challenges and to find one’s true calling in life. It begins with an honest and truthful self assessment.

“You’ve got to be real with yourself. That’s the hardest person to be real with,” said Gardner. “You can put on a mask and hide from everyone else. But you can’t fool yourself. So, I believe, taking a really honest look at your situation, your mistakes, and your disappointments is not a bad thing. It’s an opportunity to begin the process of finding out who you really are. Once you know that, you’re ready to move forward.”

The new book relies heavily on finding your own inner strength and relying on your faith. It does not, as many self help books do, rely on the understanding of how other people may impact your life and your decisions.

“This book is about you. You are the only person standing between your success and your failure. You only have you to rely on in any given situation. So finding and utilizing your strengths and your potential are key,” Gardner explained.

“You and I know people who are stuck. They’re stuck in jobs they hate. They’re stuck in relationships that are not healthy. They’re stuck in bad and destructive behaviors that are ruining their chances to be happy.”

Asked why people stay “stuck” in these situations Gardner answers with one word: FEAR. “Fear will keep you frozen because you know you don’t want to go backwards but not knowing what’s around the corner is overwhelming to some people. But if your priorities are solid and focused, fear can easily be overcome.”

The book is full of suggestions from Gardner of how to make tough decisions about your priorities.

“Ultimately, happiness is NOT about how big your checkbook is! You have to get past that and ask yourself the bigger questions. What is important to me? What do I truly want to do everyday? Do my children know me? If you answer those questions, the other difficulties in life will become easier and easier to manage,” he said.

Gardner knows first hand what it means to have nothing and systematically begin building a foundation for success.

“People receive this tough message from me because I’m authentic. They know my story. They know that I slept in train stations with an infant strapped to my back and through sheer will, determination and focus I made it to where I am today.”

Gardner shows no sign of resting on his current success. His travel schedule is constantly packed with speaking engagements and book signings for “Start Where You Are” and he practices what he preaches.

“For me, my life is all about being happy and spending time with my beautiful daughter and grand baby. Just like I ask others to do in the book, I asked myself the tough questions and answered myself truthfully. My mission in life is to find my joy and then, in turn, help others do the same thing.”

Chris Gardner will be in Baltimore this weekend for the Baltimore Book Festival and for several book signings and speaking engagements throughout the city, visit www.chrisgardnermedia.com for details.

Anthony W. McCarthy is a former associate publisher of The Baltimore Times and is currently a freelance writer and radio talk show host on WEAA 88.9 FM