Business

What is the first word that comes to mind when you hear "Donald Trump"? I am sure that not even a word comes to mind, but a symbol we use and see everyday. $ Yes, the glorious dollar sign pops into all of our heads. NBC.com describes Trump as "the very definition of the American success story, continually setting the standards of excellence while expanding his interests in real estate, gaming, sports, and entertainment."

With his father as a role model, Trump established his dreams at an early age. Right after graduating from college, he went to work for his father's company, the Trump Organization (http://www.nbc.com/).

Trump eventually invested in large building projects in Manhattan and his empire took off from there.

Donald Trump is not your everyday success story. However, it seems that through hard work and perseverance, Trump has fulfilled all of his dreams and continues to everyday.

Trump takes a unique perspective on achieving dreams. His positive mindset has taken him to the high success level that he has reached today. In his quote "I like thinking big. If you're going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big." Even one of the books that he wrote is titled Think Big, and Never Give Up (http://www.trump.com/). Donald Trump exemplifies the positive thinking that has helped him reach his goals and dreams. Just like in Martin Luther King Jr.'s simple and historic quote "I have a dream", Trump puts it in perspective that your dreams are only what you make of them and achieving them is all in the mindset.

Film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEGSiX0JA-s&feature=channel_page

Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous quote "I have a dream" is almost perfectly reflected in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness. This movie was based off the book The Pursuit of Happyness which was published originally as an autobiography of author Chris Gardner's life.

Chris Gardner's life is a true "rags to riches" story in which achieving dreams and never giving up on those dreams made him the successful person he is today. Throughout his childhood he encountered universal issues such as poverty, alcoholism, domestic violence and sexual abuse. As he continued into adulthood he was not able to make ends meet and continued to suffer being homeless. He dreamed of becoming a stock broker (www.chrisgardnermedia.com).

He finally got a job at Bear Stearns & Co and worked from 1983-1987 as a top earner. In 1987 he founded his own brokerage firm Gardner Rich with only $10,000 and finally achieved his dream (www.chrisgardnermedia.com).

In this Youtube clip, Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) teaches his son an important lesson about dreams and never giving up on them.

Chris Gardner now lives in Chicago and New York and has two sons. Gardner Rich LLC is now one of the largest brokerages in the country (www.chrisgardnermedia.com).