The Pursuit of Happyness
So what does triathlon have to do with homelessness?
Well, as Chris Gardner said, "Baby steps count, but you've always got to be moving forward."
Chris Gardner was once a homeless, single dad living in Oakland's shelters and cheap hotels, trying to take the steps necessary to move himself and his young son out of poverty. Today he is a highly successful stockbroker and the owner and CEO of Christopher Gardner International Holdings with offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. You may have seen his inspirational story at a theater near you.
Like Chris and the homeless parents currently living at Genesis Home, we're taking baby steps in the right direction:
- Committing to our goal, even if we're unsure of how the story will end.
- Looking forward and planning ahead -- making a schedule for the week, setting our multitude of work / training / school gear out the night before, making meals ahead of time -- in order to anticipate and hopefully avoid barriers.
- Getting up every morning and doing what it takes to stay on track with that goal, even when the snooze alarm's siren song is calling.
- Negotiating time for training with our families and engaging them in the process of achieving our goal.
- Understanding that setbacks are simply part of the journey - and not a reason to give up.
Like Chris Gardner and the Genesis Home families, we're pursuing our dreams, our version of happiness -- a life where we're at our best physically, mentally, spiritually -- for ourselves, our families, and our communities. Triathlon helps us get there. And this year, we're doing it in solidarity with those homeless families in Durham who are simply pursing their own happiness -- lives of stability, dignity, and hope.
We hope you'll join us and them by supporting our efforts. All donations to Genesis Home through this campaign will be matched by a local foundation.
