Jerry is the manager of a restaurant in America. He 6 Z; j. Q( Y" A9 T; C
is always in a $ b& M- p2 M- _% V/ X; ~- ^
good mood and always has something positive to say.
" R) k4 ?: C S6 g. nWhen someone would ask
h) s6 z- u# yhim how he was doing, he would always reply, "If I
' Q8 v8 S! L, R4 X7 Nwere any better, I 9 Q; i& O4 W$ i' Y) W8 p( \
would be twins!"1 U2 a5 J0 C' F9 f: v4 p& F
Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs" C+ T% h7 S& Q8 S- j, h- D9 Y
when he changed / F* |0 K* E3 r- H: Q; ]2 P, V% o
jobs, so they could follow him around from restaurant7 ~, j! b3 W& o! H
to restaurant.
2 \5 G. r! C7 `8 n2 `2 U( jThe reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of
7 x$ e2 I4 a: y$ K" Qhis attitude. 4 u: } S. {) s3 S) N
He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having
& {+ }0 h7 x( Ja bad day, Jerry 1 V. q$ ]! ~! o# S, j
was always here, telling the employee how to look on
# ?7 C$ R- L0 R8 e/ z" v' B8 Qthe positive side
) C" g" H( M4 dof the situation.
, @- j7 L. A: |$ A' k! lSeeing this style really made me curious, so one day I
- E" f1 B- C9 H( ]" Q; hwent up to Jerry ; n) @0 ] z/ ~9 \; K. n
and asked him, "I don't get it! 3 v( t* g* f+ V% Z: |9 Q
No one can be a positive person all of the time. How
5 i6 M e' V5 u+ p& ]. p( l: t8 |0 tdo you do it?" , l* {. H3 E: E7 n
Jerry replied, T/ w7 u7 H3 K: b2 C
"Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two& L1 c& }. h. \( w& k
choices today. I
' e! ?# U5 i7 X* j$ ~0 P1 O+ tcan choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be
8 ^( ]- M4 e1 R$ Oin a bad mood. I ) U$ O }8 u: l9 G; a% ?: R
always choose to be in a good mood.
6 J+ M1 x# Z+ t& @! `
2 u+ W. S6 j3 H$ @7 z! G$ sEach time something bad happens, I can choose to be a/ `4 N! H6 K1 K) Q8 `) V* T
victim or I can 2 ^/ f) S7 l- o8 y: k1 x- H
choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from
# O) c- b9 e+ t* Bit. Every time ! m7 O% D+ ]. V3 B# ]( r; k& H
someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to
4 q2 }/ O d6 m' u& Xaccept their
) b( z( U w$ Q, r- i: Jcomplaining or I can point out the positive side of3 T: {4 r ^3 `- {
life. I always
' P. g& G0 b& f1 c: \choose the positive side of life." % m$ h3 k7 W: c) `' N
"But it's not always that easy," I protested.
+ @0 {7 p) N# f( ?! o0 ~ y"Yes, it is," Jerry said "Life is all about choices.
# Z' @" i- Z bWhen you cut away all the junk, every situation is a8 H9 q5 `& t, R9 `0 b) }0 j
choice. You choose - u6 N6 P8 d* e9 x J8 l! D
how you react to situations. You choose how people; m7 _3 Q" B0 g7 s3 }, h6 i, s
will affect your , R+ |+ r1 o( Z' c5 k
mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.
/ B" i% X. ?0 O% T3 VIt's your choice how - ^ d U8 G6 `: o7 H
you live your life."
3 C- h; t% ^* fSeveral years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally
R, K. S& T7 d# X8 H; h/ Ddid something you are never supposed to do in the
! L/ w$ s" L( trestaurant business: left the back door of his / J! |3 ?2 w. E! w. e% J/ ~& K% Q
restaurant open one morning and was robbed by three
9 @- A* @6 m, z/ Q* ~1 @- a7 x2 Uarmed men. While trying to open the safe, his hand, " { G% i5 R' P- l8 x2 ~! Q, T P
shaking from nervousness slipped off the + q1 E0 U8 K1 Q$ c- r8 f
combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.
3 E: A2 I; f. G5 ?! B/ l) {1 f8 ]6 F" g* I; R5 U( B6 R
, ?7 b# S" d: g' ~5 X! XLuckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the
) P2 Q" [% V( F) i% T1 T1 Lhospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of
# w% ` W6 t$ c& u# @7 Zintensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital , d4 ~1 X% v: d' l- J
with fragments of the bullets still in his body. 0 @1 S7 y8 t. F4 B9 r% Y. T
7 r, G4 f/ @; c
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. ! Z5 ~" Q$ e0 J
When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were - U4 K/ }7 K/ |5 G! s
any better, I'd be twins. $ z, E K$ T4 [. ^
9 U9 F7 O1 d* R! T9 Z/ G! X7 m3 y) e2 ^+ o) H
Want to see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, & M9 M. P# Q" N+ @) q/ B* _
but did ask him what had gone through his mind as {7 ? E/ D/ t) h) g
the robbery took place. 7 A% L1 X( N8 k
/ V" x+ P; G( V( A8 H6 d
"The first thing that went through my mind was that / k: J7 B( q! W* m; Q) l
I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. ! N: u% E! Q6 L! ]; D5 {0 p- \& {
"Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I $ s; E/ m& U2 W: w
remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to
7 @* n( _' F+ b+ klive or choose to die. I chose to live." 3 p. r y8 H: F9 s
2 y% R& F9 `% P6 R0 v"Weren't you scared?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The 2 T8 r! D; p+ a4 l
paramedics were great. They kept telling me. I was
9 l3 F4 X" C$ H% e7 O5 ygoing to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the 6 F9 C. _+ ]" ^1 t' u; M
Emergency Room and I saw the expressions on the : l: d: q; p: J% M" h
faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really 3 L" Z) \5 y( |- s+ k- n# @
scared. In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.' I 3 I/ z3 \# D; X+ ^* \) ?- j- g
knew I needed to take action." 9 N' k' q1 G' d
"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big 2 p) R; _6 S' B4 ?9 m
nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She
5 e9 N* x! W8 |3 p2 L) @8 Q, }asked if I was allergic to anything."
- M6 w" c0 w" d9 o/ Q# H) }1 g; W8 y$ h
1 M8 }3 I7 U2 l1 d) V" @2 ~6 i
'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped
5 b& H" B. a2 V+ [4 A& Aworking as they waited for my reply. I took a deep
' C" N. Q6 V5 g% A) x( ?8 g breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I- e# y$ r2 _* c4 b. a
3 X6 K# I- z7 H; K0 k# q: L( Ttold them, 'I am choosing to live. Please operate on / J3 O) [" q2 ^, q2 C: B D- q
me as if I am alive, not dead'." ' a0 |1 Y2 Z3 L7 s/ V
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but
T4 g& M! z7 W# Talso because of his amazing attitude. I learned from 4 x3 x2 L" z, j" y# [( {
him that every day you have the choice to either 0 k/ L& L. h- M. C, h0 u0 H$ e* Z# X
enjoy your life or to hate it.
8 w4 I$ ?# s! ^# `The only thing that is truly yours that no one can
( J1 V1 D8 G6 a% T" @: x& \3 econtrol or take from you-is your attitude, so if you 4 l# s7 o. M/ ]7 S1 `, [
can take care of that, everything else in life * f* Y$ a: ]& I2 F
becomes much easier.
! K; Q$ ~' d% h# Y V$ {4 R+ P3 ?' o$ ]1 ?
Now you have two choices to make: 5 G s9 g8 u; U7 e5 V1 q( Q
1. You can just close the browser now OR , ^" y$ Y( X R7 ]7 k0 j9 S
: w2 J5 z$ c5 ?& L0 n' d: T/ e x
2. You can forward it to someone you care about. 4 Y! j8 y7 I/ b4 S
I hope you will choose #2. I did.
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