Alejandro L. Garcia Jr.
Leadership
AGSB Clark
Application of Campbell's HERO Stages to the Plot of
"The Pursuit of Happyness."
1) THE HERO IS INTRODUCED IN HIS ORDINARY WORLD.
In 1981, San Francisco salesman Chris Gardner (Will Smith) invests his entire life savings in portable bone-density scanners, which he demonstrates to doctors and pitches as a handy quantum leap over standard X-rays.
2) THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
The scanners play a vital role in Chris' life. While he is able to sell most of them, the time lag between the sales and his growing financial demands enrage his already bitter and alienated wife Linda (Thandie Newton), who works as a hotel maid. The financial instability increasingly erodes their marriage, in spite of them caring for their five-year-old son, Christopher (Jaden Smith).
3) THE HERO IS RELUCTANT AT FIRST.
Chris goes through a lot of hardship personally and professionally. When he thinks he is "stable," he finds that he has lost $600 when the government takes the last bit of money in his bank account for taxes.
4) THE HERO IS ENCOURAGED BY THE WISE OLD MAN OR WOMAN.
While downtown trying to sell one of the scanners, Gardner meets Jay Twistle (Brian Howe), a manager for Dean Witter Reynolds and impresses him by solving a Rubik's Cube during a short taxi ride. After Jay leaves, Gardner lacks money to pay the fare, and chooses to run, resulting in the driver chasing him into a BART station. Gardner boards a train but loses one of his scanners in the process. His new relationship with Jay earns him the chance to become an intern stockbroker.
5) THE HERO PASSES THE FIRST THRESHOLD.
The day before the interview, Gardner grudgingly agrees to paint his apartment so as to postpone being evicted due to his difficulty in paying the rent. While painting, Gardner is greeted by the police at his doorstep, who takes him to the station, stating he has to pay for his numerous parking tickets he has accumulated. As part of the sanction, Gardner is ordered to spend the night in jail, complicating his schedule for the interview the next morning. He manages to arrive at Dean Witter's office on time, albeit still in his shabby clothes. Despite his appearance, he impresses the interviewers, and lands an internship. He will be amongst 20 interns competing for a paid position as a broker.
6) THE HERO ENCOUNTERS TESTS AND HELPERS.
Gardner's unpaid internship does not please Linda, who eventually leaves for New York. After Gardner bluntly says she is incapable of being a single mother, she agrees that Christopher will remain with his father. Gardner is further set back when his bank account is garnished by the IRS for unpaid income taxes, and he and his young son are evicted. He ends up with less than twenty-two dollars, resulting in them being homeless, and are forced at one point to stay in a restroom at a BART station. Other days, he and Christopher spend nights at a homeless shelter, in BART, or, if he manages to procure cash, at a hotel. Later, Gardner finds the bone scanner that he lost in the station and, after repairing it, sells it to a physician, thus completing all his sales of his scanners.
7) THE HERO REACHES THE INNERMOST CAVE
Disadvantaged by his limited work hours, and knowing that maximizing his client contacts and profits is the only way to earn the broker position, Gardner develops a number of ways to make phone sales calls more efficiently, including reaching out to potential high value customers, defying protocol. One sympathetic prospect who is a top-level pension fund manager even takes him and his son to a San Francisco 49ers game. Regardless of his challenges, he never reveals his lowly circumstances to his colleagues, even going so far as to lend one of his bosses five dollars for cab fare, a sum that he cannot afford.
8) THE HERO ENDURES THE SUPREME ORDEAL.
Concluding his internship, Gardner is called into a meeting with his managers. One of them notes he is wearing a new shirt. Gardner explains it is his last day and thought to dress for the occasion.
9) THE HERO SIEZES THE SWORD.
The manager smiles and says he should wear it again tomorrow, letting him know he has won the coveted full-time position. Fighting back tears, Gardner shakes hands with them, then rushes to his son's daycare to embrace Christopher.
10) RESURRECTION.
They walk down the street, joking with each other and are passed by a man in a business suit (the real Chris Gardner in a cameo appearance).
11) RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.
The epilogue reveals that Gardner went on to form his own multi-million dollar brokerage firm.
Lessons from "The Pursuit of Happyness" and how it applies to my life experiences.
1. Chris Gardner went through a lot of obstacles but he never quit no matter what, was not distracted, and faced all the situations and circumstances with only the aim of succeeding.
I had an uneventful childhood. My parents are both doctors and I would say I grew up in a family that "can afford." My brothers and I went to the best schools in Manila from kindergarten to college, we had yayas, chauffeured to school, and we drove our own cars when we reached eighteen.
My life was relatively easy going until I was in medical school when I found out that my dad had another family. My parents have been having marital problems for years already but they never made us aware of it because they were still trying to resolve their problem and they did not want us to be bothered as it might affect our studies. I just found out when the last straw broke and my mom decided she will leave my dad because she could not bear the pain of infidelity anymore.
I was a medical intern already and in a few months I would be graduating from medical school. It was the first time that my mom opened up to me about her problems and I felt how much pain she was going through. I felt betrayed by my dad and I was really mad at him. I wanted to rebel. I have been a good son all my life and I thought that rebellion would be my revenge. However, I realized that doing that will not only hurt my mom more, but it could also affect my future. In the end, the loser will be me and not my dad.
I did not let the problems in our family affect me and continued to focus with my studies. I also made sure that I was always there for my mom and helped her heal. This life experience tested my resilience and I feel I became a stronger person after.
2. "You got a dream, you got to protect it… You want something, go get it. Period."
I have always dreamt of becoming a doctor and in spite of the life-changing events that happened, I was able to achieve my goal. However, becoming a doctor was not enough. I wanted to be financially independent.
When my parents separated, my mom, at the peak of her career, left her ophthalmology practice in the clinic which she put up with my dad and went home to her parents in Vigan, Ilocos Sur where she started again from zero. I did not expect her to support us because she was going to restart her career from scratch. She also did not expect any support from us especially from my dad. Although my dad continued to support us until we finished our studies, I was resentful and I did not want to accept any help from him. I wanted to start earning right away to help my mom and become independent.
I went residency right away in a government hospital where I will receive a salary that will be enough to support my daily needs.
3. Take a step back to move forward.
I've always wanted to become a surgeon like my dad because I looked up to him ever since I was a child. So I chose surgery as my specialty when I applied for residency. I was accepted in the program. However, after three months of 48-hour duties, not being able to take a bath for days, no weekends off, and pressure and bullying from the seniors, I realized I was not happy and the environment was not optimal for my learning. Also, I was not happy with the person that I am becoming. I was starting to manifest with traits similar to my dad: Impatient, hot-headed, and "mayabang." Possibly because of my resentment of him, from being my idol, I did not want to be like him at all. I hated it when people told me I looked like him or when they say I am just like him. So I quit surgery.
I took a rest for a while and decided to get into anesthesiology, a totally different field. Of course my dad was disappointed but I was happy for the following reasons: 1. I will not be compered 2. I disappointed him, a form of revenge 3. It's a three-year program compared to surgery, which was a five-year program. I could take off with my practice sooner.
So I started my training with anesthesiology, graduated, started my practice, and now I hold a chairman position in a big hospital. I have been financially independent from my parents, was able to fund my wedding, built a modest house and have been supporting my family without any help from my dad. My brothers are equally successful and happy. I would say I am still resentful and my revenge is showing that I have become successful despite what we have been through. Only time will heal everything.
4. It's never too late to start something new.
I have been practicing for five years and I feel there's still a lot of room for growth and improvement for myself. I am now enrolled in MBA to learn new things. I also applied in a training hospital where I will have the opportunity to teach residents and at the same time become motivated to continue to be updated with my specialty.
VG Dr. 4
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