Passion: Pursuit of Passion (happyness)

What would you do if you made good money and had a respectable job and then realize it is not what you wanted to do? Would you drop everything to accomplish your goals? Would you be content and forget about your dreams? Life is about choices, and the choices we make define who we are. Chris made a choice to become a stock broker and then made the choices to pursue his dream. This is not Superhero story. It is a story about a man that made a choice to not give up.

Chris Gardner was 26 years old when he decided that becoming a doctor was not what he wanted and his current marriage that he was in was not the match he needed to be successful. He then began a relationship with another woman and had his first child. Then again, Chris was not happy with his situation, he wanted more out of life, he was hungry to find his passion and decided to pursue it once he found it. This attitude caused another strain on his new relationship.

One day while at work as a sales representative Chris ran into a gentlemen that was getting out of his Ferrari, Chris stopped and asked the man what he did. He replied " I am a Stock Broker" and from that point on Chris did whatever it took to become a stockbroker. He was accepted into a trainee program. But on the day of his training, he found out that his hiring manager was fired, to make matters worse, Gardner's relationship with Jackie was falling apart. She accused him of beating her — an accusation that Gardner denies to this day — and left him, taking their son with her to the east coast. He was taken to jail and a judge ordered that he stay there, for ten days, as punishment for being unable to pay $1,200 in parking tickets.

10 days later right after he was released Chris walked into Dean Witter Reynolds and landed the training program for the firm. Chris took the trainee position and was only paid a thousand dollars a month stipend. In 1982 he received his license and was recruited by Bear Sterns. But, the struggle was just beginning, his child's mother returned and left his son with him and he had to move out of his living conditions because they did not allow children. For a year he and his child were homeless, that did not stop Chris from pursuing his dreams. He finally saved money for a rental house in Berkeley, California and the rest is history. In 1987 Chris started his own brokerage firm and in 2006 he sold it in a multi-million dollar deal.

Chris Gardner's Passion has been identified.

Passion: The Recipe for 30 Minute Meals

"My life has been a total accident—a very happy, wonderful accident that I didn't and couldn't have planned."

How to make a Rachael Ray:

Rachael's Passion for food begun at an early age. Rachael Ray's family growing up owned several restaurants and managed several in New York as well. While she was in her early 20's Rachael moved to New York to take her bit out of the Big Apple. She landed several jobs that would give her plenty of experience in the food industry. Rachael did not want to make the Big Apple a long term stay so she moved back to Upstate New York. This plan worked out perfectly, from there she started managing pubs and restaurants which helped her land a job as a food buyer in Albany for a gourmet market. While she was at this job she saw a need to help people that were overwhelmed by cooking. So she started offering a 30 minute meal class to local customers. In a short amount of time the cooking class created a buzz and caught the eye of the local news channel and the news asked her to appear in a weekly segment for cooking. This, along with a public radio appearance and the publication of her first book, led to a Today show spot and her first Food Network contract in 2001 and the rest is history. Rachael has been the target for many critics who say that she is unqualified for teaching people how to cook because she has no formal training. That is very true, She has no formal training in cooking. Rachael is a true measure of the American Dream. She wins because of her desire to succeed when opportunity knocks.

Rachael Ray's story has inspired us all. More times than none, we think that people with great success have some type of magic potion. That is simply not the case. These people LOVE what they do and it is their passion. They work day in and day out pursuing their dreams. They are not driven by the thought of being rich, They are driven by pursuing their passion. Behind every instant success story is ten years of hard work.

Rachael Ray's Passion has been identified.