Blog Post by Murat Yaşar


Posted on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 10:05:17 PM and it has been read 1730 times since then.


Just do not listen to them, you can definetely do it

We all have reasons for losing, being defeated, crushed under the heaviness of life. In addition, these are the reasons which can captivate you like a person who is being pulled by sleep while he/she is freezing.

You give up striving, fighting, trying to do anything.

You let yourself go in darkness of your own excuses.

You lose the fight which is between you and life even before it starts.

They are not defeated, they just did not fight. They who love being defeated are the ones those who fear being defeated. Giving up is easier for them than being defeated. This is the defeating of those who have not even succeed to manage get defeated.

These people seem pitiful to me. I like fighting and those who like fighting and not to fear being defeated. I like resistant people, fighter ones. I like of those who create their own dream and pursue it. These people is not estimable to me because of their dreams, in fact some of their dreams are completely stranger to me. They are valuable to me because their courage while they are walking towards their goals, their persistence in spite of all difficulties that they are having in the process of time to get what they want. Those people get exactly what they want. For me, it is not the case either money or fame to be successful. Neither is power. My success definition is very simple. As far as I am concerned, being able to accomplish whatever you dream of is success. In other words, being able to overcome all obstacles between you and your dreams.

I came across one of Chris Gardner's stories recently. A black person.

The person who had a bad childhood. His father left them and his step father treated him and his siblings roughly. His mother had been beaten by his step father. He swore about not leaving his children when he was 7 years old.

Because he was smart, he was being called "big head" by his friends. But he did not study. He joined naval forces. He became corps man. He learned very quickly his job and he was noticed by the doctors. He thought about studying medical after naval forces. After he had left military service, he started to work in a hospital. Things were going fine. After he had gotten married, he gave up working in the hospital and wanted to become a trader. He thought that he would become rich by selling medical equipment. This was the decision which fired his bad days starting. Also he got a baby boy.

He was trying to go door to door for selling a product called scanner to doctors. But things were not going fine with the selling. Life became harder and harder for him. Lack of money, child care expenses, accumulated and arrear bills, monthly house rent and in addition to these not being able to sell any scanner to doctors and his wife's long work hours... He was in a bad situation. One day, he saw a ferrari while he was walking in hurry for one of his appointment with a doctor about selling a scanner. A young man appeared who was getting of from the ferrari which is red. He stopped the young man to ask some questions. "I have  two question if you do not mind," said the black guy and continued "What do you do being able to buy such a car and how do you do this job?" "I am a speculator" said the young man. He pointed a building out and continued, "In that building there is a course for those who want to become a speculator."

Gardner decided to become speculator at that moment. He went to the building and told that he want to join the course. He passed the exam which will led him to join the course after interview. Just the day before interview, police came his home and arrested him because of his arrear traffic fine. Because he was painting his house when the police came, they took him what he wore and how he looked like. At that moment he was wearing under shirt and he has some stain on his face. The next morning he went to the interview in running after released from police station.

The president of the committee asked him what could he possibly say if someone came to an interview in under shirt and stain on face. Presumably I could say that he was wearing a good trousers, said Gardner. Because of this witticism, he was accepted for the course. The course was about 6 months and after that period of time only one person will be accepted to join the company as an employee. He was trying to sell the scanners while he was attending to the course but he was not able to sell any. The life was getting harder and harder for him.
 
Finally his wife left him. Chris, decided to live with his son in spite of all difficulties he was facing with. One day, towards evening, he took his son to a basketball field. After he harshly criticized his son's shoot, his son gave up trying more shoot and said that he would not be able to successful about shooting. Chris said to his son "People always say you can't do this because themselves can't do.". Don't listen to them. Even I say to you that you can not do this, just do not listen.
 
After some days, because they did not pay the monthly rent, they were kicked out by the landlord from their house. They went to a motel and started to stay there. He was dropping off his son to day nursery, going to the course, talking on the phone with customers to be able to sell share and passing other participants in the course, coming back to the day nursery to pick his son up in the evenings and after all being able to sell the scanners to doctors he was walking around door by door.

Things started to get better a little bit. He started selling some scanners to doctors. When he was about to say things were getting nice, he got a letter which was about his tax due. He gave all of his money for this. He was left with only one scanner and twelve US dollar in his pocket. Because he couldn't pay to the motel, they were kicked out from the motel as well. He had no enough money in his pocket, nor a place to go. He took his son to a subway station. He showed the scanner to his son and said to his son "Look, this is a time machine. Come on, push the button and change the time." After his son pushed the button Chris said, "Yes, time has changed. Look dinosaurs are coming. Let's run away and hide in a cave." They went to toilet in the station. Chris said "Here is a cave", to his son. Chris spread toilet paper out to the ground in the toilet. They sat down on ground. For the first time he cried after made his son sleep.

The next morning he went to the course with the scanner, his luggage and a suit in his hand. When someone asked why all those things with him, he was answering that he would go on a trip in that night that is why he was carrying all those things with him. At the same time he was working like a crazy in the course. At that night, they went to a church which provides accommodation to homeless people. After he put his son to sleep, he tried to fix the problem on the last scanner in his hand. He was going to the course every morning. If he took a break in the course, he was going a doctor's office to sell the scanner. After he finishes the course he was going to line with his son from where he could find an accommodation for homeless people for the night. Sometimes they were staying in the subway station if they couldn't find accommodation for the night. He was also calling to rich managers that the other people who attend the course never dare to call and getting appointment from them, sometimes he was going their homes and ringing their doorbell while his son with him.

This young man sometimes meet one of the richest men in the country and make a friendship with them even though he has no money in his pocket and coming back to the place they stay for the night where homeless people live. One day he did manage to sell the last scanner in his hand. That night, they stayed in a nice hotel and ate nice hamburger. The course was coming to end but the administrator of the course was giving him some errands to do. While he was trying to catch up the others, he was also doing these nonsense works and losing time. Despite all, he was putting up with all difficulties. He sold stock certificates.

He went to the course in his suit the last day. He was invited to the last interview. The manager of the course told him "Today is your last day here as a person who attends to the course because you are going to start working here as a broker."

Gardner's eyes filled with tears.

The manager asked him if this what he achieved has been difficult or not. It has been very hard sir, said Chris.

He started working the next day with a good salary. He found his own company 6 years later. He sold the company 15 years later for many million dollars. He sat down and wrote a book which was about his own life. The book which was written by him, became the best seller worldwide. The film which was made from the book he wrote, was nominated for the Oscars. He is a rich man now.

I loved this man's story a lot. Neither his richness nor his job was the case for me to love his story.

He had many excuse for not being able to do all those things what he achieved. A man sleeping in the streets with his child, hungry.. A man, while he was competing with other people who had taken better education than he had taken, he was also trying to sell a scanner which seems like no one wants to buy the device he was selling despite all a man who have never given up and always have been with his children. A man, in spite of all difficulties giving advice his child about being able to do everything if you really want to do and even though people around who says that you can never do whatever it is. His resistance.. Even though sleeping in the toilets never made him give up from his aims.

He could become anything whatever he wanted to be with this level of resistance. Being not scare of life, misery, poverty; not to complain even once, being able to say "I am fine" even though sleeping without eating a morsel the previous day, not hiding behind his excuses for failing, to stay sleepless for 24 hours if necessary, protecting his son in every situation... All those things make people admire him.

By his life story, he was giving the same advice to people that it had been given to his son by him.

- Those who are not able to do things will say to you that you can not do it at all, just do not believe them.

If someone have strong excuses for not being able to do something, they should look his life. After they watch his life, they will either do whatever it is or ashamed.

Source : Hurriyet
Author : Ahmet Altan
 
Also you can check this web site out:
http://www.chrisgardnermedia.com


(In order to use this feature, you have to register.)


  • Murat Yasar
    Murat Yasar | Reply
    Wednesday, December 23, 2009 10:07:57 PM

    I watched the movie of this story. It was really good.

Tag Related Blog Entries

The Path To Fulfilment - Part One (Sharing)

Saturday, May 26, 2012 0   2625  

Into Each Life a Little Rain Must Fall

Monday, January 04, 2010 0   1408  

Just Do It

Friday, January 01, 2010 0   1548  

Dream Bazaar

Thursday, December 24, 2009 0   1612  

A Real Life Story About Success

Monday, December 21, 2009 0   1469  

If Hope Finishes

Tuesday, December 08, 2009 0   1464  

The Last Leaf

Tuesday, December 01, 2009 0   1668