Jerry is the manager of a restaurant in America. He + K- c' ]* a! O" @$ V: b5 X
is always in a ! F7 T! Z3 Q6 w# v( t+ W
good mood and always has something positive to say.# a- ?- ~: y/ k( [
When someone would ask ! q* \5 p7 ~& h
him how he was doing, he would always reply, "If I
" f/ b H% k- ~were any better, I ; v) Q. S V8 e% [8 r' ]
would be twins!") |& H4 C, @* ^; g6 d
Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs
9 U8 \5 H& B# ywhen he changed ) U6 l4 N) t: x" J ?
jobs, so they could follow him around from restaurant
1 N& m; w' K& }/ t' E1 @to restaurant.
. i5 a5 v) {7 M6 u9 OThe reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of
2 M( c* C2 h7 G" A( b" this attitude. 0 A" x, l& ?( V% t6 L& I
He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having
/ a# t+ z9 B* Y L: Va bad day, Jerry ; a- g8 v8 K4 A% a( W
was always here, telling the employee how to look on
( q3 u& n, A) wthe positive side / M* O0 O3 K s7 K3 H
of the situation. 5 u, Y# y$ N! K! k/ Y x, W2 q
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I' Q/ M4 }" i- u; w0 k
went up to Jerry
4 A) x/ ^# ^7 r" b8 Zand asked him, "I don't get it! , ]2 N) ^- M0 j, S% @- Z
No one can be a positive person all of the time. How
* _. Y) K1 d2 n0 w0 jdo you do it?" 3 E2 g) t' S& v. [1 a
Jerry replied,
8 C( l0 a/ w {1 l"Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two( L* O. U' p. t# q) F) c% s2 D8 |
choices today. I 1 m# \$ F8 O. M9 m
can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be
! H4 y& a+ d9 Z3 S! tin a bad mood. I
! B0 O4 r, ]0 h$ s. R/ B1 Talways choose to be in a good mood.
- x G' \# Z4 Y; E# `; |( K
% K" D" M2 O4 C) f5 lEach time something bad happens, I can choose to be a3 g8 n! V8 V4 K5 O+ p4 s: ~# L
victim or I can i% `3 h' W' m; i! T7 C0 w( o- W
choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from
3 ^+ ~% v o* kit. Every time 6 W" v" `' T0 R2 v$ Y5 I
someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to; G. S9 l3 ?! \8 Y, E8 `: m
accept their ; ^2 e+ J, ~" ^- H s0 v
complaining or I can point out the positive side of& c6 _7 }( O+ y" s
life. I always
2 v3 u; _- L& X# V% c, {choose the positive side of life."
1 I3 L& X1 C; p4 M" c"But it's not always that easy," I protested. ! ?! e' y; I5 X: |! V; W
"Yes, it is," Jerry said "Life is all about choices.
9 ~; Q6 ]; e, e+ X, H) tWhen you cut away all the junk, every situation is a
2 \3 F9 U4 ~! @2 s8 s4 D- echoice. You choose
! U3 ^ j3 t3 Khow you react to situations. You choose how people
6 }+ \; z$ B, O" s" ?will affect your 6 x7 S2 C* f1 G W0 F/ o
mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.
! s( b8 Y# q+ T. O. n5 ^% e4 }' F7 L& M. mIt's your choice how : s6 B! ]' e* b8 o% q; i. x
you live your life."
3 z8 L( e5 I. H9 USeveral years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally
% K5 B4 R" Z3 t6 mdid something you are never supposed to do in the
+ \! E" W8 T2 l' X T* N) H% prestaurant business: left the back door of his
! A- Q/ J; Z$ q. E1 o: qrestaurant open one morning and was robbed by three
$ t+ @7 N) U& x% o9 C1 ~armed men. While trying to open the safe, his hand,
% q1 A. B3 ]4 z) h# W+ Nshaking from nervousness slipped off the
" Q& n) R' ^9 Lcombination. The robbers panicked and shot him.
}+ b# e: l. X! i3 v
% C1 L0 K# c- t2 C/ z7 g2 ^9 f* h1 K
Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the
$ ]$ ~* b$ J0 T3 ehospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of " ]) C3 m4 m6 g
intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital
$ A) L: K- @: M3 m' n5 Uwith fragments of the bullets still in his body.
3 F- y- x: Q3 B& e2 d( o6 [! A$ o7 R# D2 _
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. 0 o" Q" P6 H8 F. H" b
When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were
) o; `2 k$ v: y5 b3 {. `' C% s! Z7 Jany better, I'd be twins.
' ^! ?& L6 t6 y" E, K& `" _1 q' [- {1 R; e) W2 |1 G3 {
Want to see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, 7 H+ [, ]2 F! Q9 K# E
but did ask him what had gone through his mind as
7 ~8 Y, M J! }the robbery took place.
3 I% A- E3 D7 I5 _ f, E
/ A1 w; f$ Q! o- ["The first thing that went through my mind was that 0 i' d1 b; _3 f I; j' P
I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. ' K. F/ j: u- o; M% v7 j* p3 m
"Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I : Q9 I: {+ s, N) C- J. w
remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to 4 z- B3 B E6 O" ]6 ]0 }2 Q. `
live or choose to die. I chose to live." 5 e5 D# I9 i2 T
/ H+ o1 G4 P/ j! z2 ?: k, t
"Weren't you scared?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The + K+ P# ?: {' C& V
paramedics were great. They kept telling me. I was 1 `) r7 u( ~ i. D M- H
going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the
( M: R. g U' _& `# `$ ~ pEmergency Room and I saw the expressions on the
- t; Z" j) F! a3 h( K- ]1 C) w/ gfaces of the doctors and nurses, I got really & ^4 j" o/ a6 z5 b. Q% V; [
scared. In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.' I
3 n x5 R6 D. \: [8 q8 a+ E3 \knew I needed to take action."
w2 G0 v* h/ q) B/ p- E"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big
* H. ^. d; c$ Y& inurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She
+ C3 q" `) N" A8 m& Sasked if I was allergic to anything." 6 W8 {0 x* o% y" g0 a+ ~( _8 k
: E5 Y: s3 w" a! c! S0 S
; I; D# \* E, J$ A! F# y+ O'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped
$ M: T$ _+ A6 X+ Z8 b5 f" hworking as they waited for my reply. I took a deep $ x& n' |; q: u4 R* [6 y' R
breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I
! o9 h' f9 z; m; v* n9 E8 ?9 j2 Z+ p# ]- V
told them, 'I am choosing to live. Please operate on ' ^3 h* f. K. E! }5 b s* B
me as if I am alive, not dead'." ' W/ a9 j; H+ L X2 Z+ m/ n
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but
3 p# V+ t( G _( \6 M' u! Xalso because of his amazing attitude. I learned from ; u) U! T! `' d0 U5 D' m
him that every day you have the choice to either
: H& }' N5 @2 t( Xenjoy your life or to hate it.
3 H* ?) k2 O& j; i, m) uThe only thing that is truly yours that no one can ! {; y, y5 L- q0 Y1 z5 D$ @( v
control or take from you-is your attitude, so if you
# a B; Q8 H( A* w* Ican take care of that, everything else in life 3 u" l8 v' Z& t0 {
becomes much easier.
i+ Q2 Z: \& r+ t: H4 O5 m! o" C! p5 f1 i
Now you have two choices to make: 9 ?: z! w6 a1 V% C6 C: S
1. You can just close the browser now OR 7 h- \. x* {" x/ e3 u; G
) K6 i9 L- o7 ~& ]8 Y* s- r2. You can forward it to someone you care about.
1 Q# A( Y4 l$ _, A/ u3 _( v: q; S- r$ XI hope you will choose #2. I did.3 a# |3 R( _8 S
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