Jerry is the manager of a restaurant in America. He
8 {, W# \, j" i+ k5 bis always in a
0 i+ W1 b# Q* M( L% k& T% [- Fgood mood and always has something positive to say.
! L# t; E2 B- R5 Z: YWhen someone would ask 9 q' Q) V5 @% D" ~# ]$ s
him how he was doing, he would always reply, "If I
. N' X' o, L8 T' a/ P- {: Rwere any better, I / S0 q- ?9 d) J1 z( O# ~5 \5 |
would be twins!": I3 h) f3 ~+ p( }& F- W1 ~7 D) i
Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs d# I! C: x& `1 Z9 W6 H: [
when he changed 2 x2 x9 d; _% d5 P; y# s
jobs, so they could follow him around from restaurant
: E9 X3 G' C3 T8 K& b2 F% \+ vto restaurant. 8 Q- P( E# k7 c* R
The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of
! K+ n4 o! C( @- khis attitude.
: Q& b3 H% c' q, o1 nHe was a natural motivator. If an employee was having
/ Y) w4 o+ Y% e2 s, t& a/ }a bad day, Jerry
' T& A0 C' G4 J( K4 bwas always here, telling the employee how to look on
$ H, V+ F+ \/ A% Athe positive side
7 P" m. g6 a9 \: e1 Gof the situation.
2 b, Z% R/ _7 z% |Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I
/ y& g% x' B7 O% H2 R8 ~went up to Jerry " K9 A: D/ G; \6 ?% \% G* D
and asked him, "I don't get it! + r9 e3 @7 |% W/ H
No one can be a positive person all of the time. How6 K1 v' ?' l1 m! f N: S: p+ |
do you do it?"
9 M/ { d; _! a& G: KJerry replied,
! P5 Y: s. J9 P7 s9 F! j$ U' {+ u"Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two
0 H+ R# t1 y3 s) C/ H# m. {choices today. I # G9 l, c0 \4 m \
can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be3 x' B$ I2 K/ b' i6 C# ^
in a bad mood. I 4 ~7 w: k4 S# k
always choose to be in a good mood.
0 B) F' k+ ]" X' |2 Z
! m" B8 k/ [ {0 C# G. L0 s1 AEach time something bad happens, I can choose to be a
9 {! } E' D& c5 Y3 Xvictim or I can
* Y3 E, `& ^! T$ Dchoose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from) M4 F4 S j2 p( t1 A9 Z
it. Every time ( S6 k/ @0 h9 c
someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to
8 Z! ~! y9 J0 J. R3 o5 {accept their
" Y' k3 g" { y" D9 Tcomplaining or I can point out the positive side of3 a- |3 y) _1 x) t8 G }. {
life. I always 2 s; R2 m8 g2 E7 Z7 D4 P- t
choose the positive side of life." * @2 L2 X; T2 }4 ]& }
"But it's not always that easy," I protested. 1 B9 j5 f/ S2 q- z
"Yes, it is," Jerry said "Life is all about choices. 3 g+ f, U3 `' F) V, d2 K8 g+ x l9 b
When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a
. h* R# y) R; Y6 A! bchoice. You choose % |" [. e+ ]6 V' e! J
how you react to situations. You choose how people
7 t5 ^/ D" V j, O: ~2 g' f6 uwill affect your
) X$ Q4 f9 U/ I. Z( E! M. {- Tmood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.
3 P2 \' I- ?: ?) b gIt's your choice how
6 {( I& Z1 b8 T; U* s' Fyou live your life." / n5 v5 ?7 m2 C, R
Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally % ~& K! b. _0 i* l. K6 }" K0 b( w4 o
did something you are never supposed to do in the A& G# U$ D, i; c; R2 H
restaurant business: left the back door of his 7 {; V8 D* i/ t1 `. t
restaurant open one morning and was robbed by three
% b, H# @; n. j! r$ jarmed men. While trying to open the safe, his hand, ) T$ I0 A7 L8 ?% P3 j3 p/ s0 V/ Q1 } M
shaking from nervousness slipped off the 0 H; @5 E! ^& F6 Y" R2 y1 K6 ]! q
combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.
3 f3 J0 l$ m# L O" l, x+ r! Q0 q$ o7 ~( r
- Y: T( |2 g! ?, h" \+ h/ h9 RLuckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the 1 Q, E0 g9 w6 t3 w# [6 L4 z
hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of
3 e! ~# @# J* C" s# y, e* X3 Cintensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital ( e w' M5 O8 G. I
with fragments of the bullets still in his body.
* Q9 M1 b8 Q3 L. z! L/ ^4 N
2 @# R+ h$ j3 K5 v. U8 R% hI saw Jerry about six months after the accident. 0 q- f) i" F: z4 D- X0 {7 a
When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were ) p) F% t5 D z; Q! O5 c4 C
any better, I'd be twins. * U5 A7 @( n/ @3 E) F- k R6 e8 _
4 f5 h3 _9 O3 B4 x1 d t' i8 |Want to see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, ( C% R8 X7 E+ H' B0 U. ]( s
but did ask him what had gone through his mind as
; x! v( k3 r7 t6 u+ t- i7 Wthe robbery took place. ( r5 q$ O, O, {2 }1 T
V$ t- x/ L0 K
"The first thing that went through my mind was that
6 n( C7 P" [5 G/ _" l6 bI should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. ; ?* z6 C1 z0 b' l# A
"Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I 4 m! n$ ]3 j. x W4 V. O
remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to ( ?$ `! n* B$ g" g+ |: @3 y
live or choose to die. I chose to live." $ V3 x, u4 t/ n. Q3 D) p, E
% A; ^) y# P% H3 ~8 x
"Weren't you scared?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The
0 T+ E. v3 E2 M/ s; W" s$ gparamedics were great. They kept telling me. I was
7 ~8 e X6 Y% ]% ggoing to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the
* O$ K6 ]8 R/ p/ b7 `7 o; | BEmergency Room and I saw the expressions on the % a- [* ^, W b( a; u
faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really + R9 R4 S/ c- @& |% @$ H
scared. In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.' I 6 M3 s; \2 {' g& @, G
knew I needed to take action."
% R7 `7 k+ u* F+ j2 o# `2 V"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big 9 h W# g. m$ D. V
nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She
: t+ L: F, G9 N6 D, kasked if I was allergic to anything."
# k6 M# F: Q& N! J+ o( g1 n) k' n! n; B; G
9 P+ z* U D$ H. X1 V- [
'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped B2 D- U0 d# E% m4 H. q5 u
working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep
% F% B+ x9 ~+ O, \ breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I# [8 y, l5 f- n% e: R5 _5 N2 A; E
# b4 U4 ?) h' u5 K* wtold them, 'I am choosing to live. Please operate on . x' J/ F1 V5 t' ~$ N c( J$ K
me as if I am alive, not dead'."
% Y6 o0 k8 N9 w5 IJerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but * V4 O6 t5 `" H
also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from - n# x6 k! _5 N. ^! S3 E4 f
him that every day you have the choice to either 4 @2 u9 C; r* x4 g6 c9 h
enjoy your life or to hate it. / F0 R3 p9 y( `& I
The only thing that is truly yours that no one can # K+ T* ]) B' h( C
control or take from you-is your attitude, so if you ' G6 G' A% }( {+ S6 ~4 `* z. T( g( t
can take care of that, everything else in life
& Y0 _1 C" k! y# r$ B( o& E Mbecomes much easier. 6 w8 p |* [* N- [9 h
\" q2 S+ P+ n5 E. Q( S6 a4 J5 m
Now you have two choices to make:
4 E( G c( q! b; _ n# U, z6 ^ S1. You can just close the browser now OR
% _" i$ L: g& C5 m) a z9 v1 A' g5 }& X# b0 f% v
2. You can forward it to someone you care about. 5 Y# g; D T6 t* x! F
I hope you will choose #2. I did.* X7 L1 V- c' L D, j5 o' c# C
|