Persona
Ernie Dial is a 44 year old owner and operator of a physical therapy company providing service to those experiencing pain, injury, weakness, or joint immobility. He started his company 4 years after he graduated with a bachelor of science in physical therapy from Ithaca College. He enjoys running his own practice, as he left the company he worked for during college after finding issue with the daily operations. Ernie believes a good life must be balanced, and incorporates this philosophy into his company. He makes sure his employees are happy by showing his appreciation for their duties through several company, or has he calls them, family outings each year.
Ernie believes a nutritious diet, regular exercise and at least 8 hours of sleep will help him and you live a long, healthy life. His day starts around 5 AM with a wholesome breakfast and a short run before work. Regularly getting to work by 7:30 AM, he handles most of the previous days paperwork before any employees show up. Ernie would rather spend the day on his feet helping his clients and aiding his employees than behind a desk. Over the past 8 years he has grown his company from 2, including himself, to a family of 14. Ernie doesn’t feel the need to make millions of dollars or live extravagantly, as it would go against his philosophies.
In addition to his physical therapy practice, Ernie runs a Wing Chun Kung Fu studio in the evenings. He has been training Wing Chun since he was 17 and is considered among his peers as a Master. A great deal of his attitude about life and work comes from the days he spent in studio listening and training with his Master. He opens the studio 3 nights a week and for a few hours Saturday morning. He has a dedicated class of 7 disciples and a steady flow of interested candidates that come and go. Three of the 7 students are also employees of the physical therapy company. Ernie is not married and has no children. He considers his employees and disciples his family ands spends copious amounts of his time mentoring them.
Each night Ernie stops by the market, picks up something to cook for dinner and heads home. Rarely eating dinner out, he spends a great deal of time in the kitchen using produce and spices from this own garden to prepare meals. As much as he feels his employees and students are his family, the truth is they all have families of their own, leaving Ernie countless nights alone. His philosophies have served him almost too well, hindering his close relationships and turning him into a fairly sad middle aged man.
Scenario
There wasn’t much pain, but his orientation was off. Ernie shook his head lightly and composed himself, he had just been in a car accident. Through the windshield he noticed a larger man charging towards his car. Unbuckling and opening the door, Ernie stepped out and asked the man if he was okay. “Fuck you man, what the hell were you thinking?!?!” Caught completely off guard, Ernie confusingly looked around; it didn’t seem like he had done anything wrong. Continuing his belligerence, the large man proceeded to curse and blame Ernie for the accident. Although he couldn’t recall the incident, Ernie had no memory of making a mistake. Letting the man blow his steam, Ernie waited until he was finished, allowing for understanding of the strangers perspective. History provided Ernie with the confidence to stand his ground, correcting the man, he proceeded to call the police. As the police arrived, the man was still cursing away and Ernie was smiling blissfully.
Thirty minutes of protocol and Ernie was riding to a body-shop in a tow truck. The driver looked to Ernie, “Dude, your car’s jacked, what’s with the shit eatin’ grin?” With a second of pause Ernie replied, “He was just like all of them. Why did it take me so long to get it?” Looking confused, the driver responded, “You wanna go to the E.R. man?”
The following Wednesday evening in studio, Ernie was letting his students rest while he finished telling them a story. “...and the students tea cups kept being filled by the servants. For you see, when a cup is full there is no more room for tea, but when it is empty it can be filled again.” As he wrapped the story, Ernie disappeared into the back, letting the students ponder the wisdom he had just past on. Upon his return from the back, everyone was paired up and playing their forms. While wondering, watching and quietly correcting students details Ernie decided to pull one of the younger students, Travis, aside. Travis had only been training kung fu for a few weeks, but was showing decent progress. A tall, lanky individual, Travis was not your typical student, but Ernie picked up on Travis’ determination early on. Ernie never spent more time with one student than another, but always made sure younger students maintained an understanding for the fundamentals. Ernie new that if Travis could keep up this level of determination he would excel quickly within the class.
Over the next hour Ernie meticulously instructed Travis by adjusting his hand positions ever so slightly, explaining the significance of individual movements and the shape and purpose of a kung fu fist. Ernie was teaching Travis how to relax and literally feel his opponent, showing him that with his eyes closed he would pay more attention to what he was feeling and his reactions would present better results. After long bouts of training, Ernie could tell Travis was getting tired, so he made him play his form, Sim Lim Tau, in order to find his center, balance and breath. After a several minutes, Ernie would start at the very beginning again, through this repetition Travis was beginning to let the kung fu settle and hopefully become natural to him. As class time came to a close, Ernie requested that Travis forget everything he learned and come back with an empty cup. Travis with a look of clarity on his face, smiled, nodded and headed out the door.
Leaving the studio that night, Ernie was smiling ear to ear because the truth was, Travis reminded him of himself. Since opening his studio, it was the first time someone like this had started training and he was proud to see let alone, the face of determination, but also an underdog on his way to the top.