Jerry is the manager of a restaurant in America. He
: n3 S, k' [7 W9 [' S0 u) ris always in a * H$ s) Q: Z3 X9 W% B3 U
good mood and always has something positive to say.
; f7 |! z( v3 ]8 Y. r; b0 u. _When someone would ask
% d/ A4 x& D' T Xhim how he was doing, he would always reply, "If I# E8 y7 ?2 P) o* l( o5 f6 `& k, P
were any better, I
- F! ~4 W5 g2 kwould be twins!"
: |7 x+ E, {' o. ?; n K9 TMany of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs
9 J6 I$ g. z. @7 k9 G$ G! U& Hwhen he changed
& [* c; S) s p0 S2 Tjobs, so they could follow him around from restaurant
) A7 y1 k8 E/ @- _% J( l0 x8 L% Ito restaurant. : Q& @0 L7 [7 t2 B4 R
The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of
- M8 k( R# d( z* h+ D# l3 g1 bhis attitude. ! z5 K& J/ a( j4 D
He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having
" C7 Q4 D) [; ]3 t- F- @0 Ra bad day, Jerry
% ^. I* E8 n; L& ?5 w3 B6 C6 uwas always here, telling the employee how to look on9 _1 v5 @( L4 v( R
the positive side # E9 t+ q$ u l0 G
of the situation. 3 x+ i6 q! U. f! Z1 D+ @
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I
$ D8 J! ^! W3 {% iwent up to Jerry ; k3 m" V$ y4 T
and asked him, "I don't get it!
* f/ r/ H f. D; G ^, YNo one can be a positive person all of the time. How
4 G r: v) }0 M' V2 f7 cdo you do it?" + Q( g0 W: P: H1 e6 E
Jerry replied, 6 ~; o8 G4 V7 R6 A+ y( A
"Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two
- K2 B- }9 _3 F1 Q w6 Rchoices today. I
6 p1 B( p5 n x" x' Q6 |can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be u, c5 J9 s; r7 N
in a bad mood. I 6 s# n! j8 h- Q: ]3 ~ B2 b7 C
always choose to be in a good mood.
$ m- l2 h. d& [2 S0 ]0 o7 n ]
- h& u G3 h, @Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a: J) U+ j/ L7 }/ V: R! R
victim or I can
4 r0 G) \: H9 }) H7 H' `" k. Ochoose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from: R/ p0 f9 E' S
it. Every time
+ |: W9 |) G( U' f/ H" M* v/ Fsomeone comes to me complaining, I can choose to
# ^! p; U3 V) d. `accept their
8 K' l: C$ X" L, H( `0 U) W3 ?0 zcomplaining or I can point out the positive side of7 M! m4 h2 d; [- G- N. ^
life. I always . `% [" j0 e, k! U
choose the positive side of life." : o# x# s: m) b, ~: {# m
"But it's not always that easy," I protested. % d3 I" w# \: z; k
"Yes, it is," Jerry said "Life is all about choices. 0 w* r7 P/ d0 |# L1 [' d
When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a# G+ z: F) O& D' i7 N! K, ?) ^
choice. You choose ) t9 q* {0 p3 B
how you react to situations. You choose how people J+ X J5 _( j0 f
will affect your ' |3 ~$ ^- o( H' A& \- h+ X
mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood., [; C2 A, C+ X
It's your choice how ! J9 `2 y8 F1 N
you live your life."
+ K T1 H G% r A1 X1 A2 ASeveral years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally ! |1 F) b4 i8 w$ P5 D9 o/ A# j
did something you are never supposed to do in the 8 x) K, d4 y9 O/ y
restaurant business: left the back door of his , b7 P$ Q6 o9 Z
restaurant open one morning and was robbed by three 4 \5 ?% |: t( y0 _% A: `
armed men. While trying to open the safe, his hand,
) u! }- Z( [* c: R c' H! M# Lshaking from nervousness slipped off the
. A* h- u& n. acombination. The robbers panicked and shot him. - v/ h/ F, I! g
0 s- q9 f$ R1 T; Y& W [: @. q! {. H7 O
Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the / ]6 c6 F$ v+ s! `
hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of * s3 D4 c2 j, {5 s( _
intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital
2 @4 |0 I# d" W+ K9 wwith fragments of the bullets still in his body.
' d/ h: P% C- s1 x- G! W( x
8 L7 g1 j' P, n6 Y6 uI saw Jerry about six months after the accident.
! y. p& T( D+ sWhen I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were
- q# e9 x3 m1 D4 N, Gany better, I'd be twins. 4 D c9 K( m0 M2 L# g* p. G" ]9 C
2 R6 G; y) I; B! rWant to see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, 3 r3 l# m% N% Z9 D( V4 A4 _ T/ _
but did ask him what had gone through his mind as
8 B" e# I6 D7 C. z5 a4 q4 O/ Fthe robbery took place. % m5 M, s" c+ B
4 d4 t @; r; }/ V% G1 [1 E- u
"The first thing that went through my mind was that
0 F i @7 f! E' H& ZI should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. 6 V; s5 M2 u9 h5 [; N! T( X
"Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I
$ k5 Q$ p2 F. J$ `3 e! x& Rremembered that I had two choices: I could choose to
1 g8 K9 K3 \: m; Plive or choose to die. I chose to live." 6 u0 E+ I" D1 N/ W* J% V0 m! q6 t- S
: b1 u2 ^$ t s: _; ?"Weren't you scared?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The
$ U) L1 c6 d3 E% Dparamedics were great. They kept telling me. I was
7 u5 X$ y' O+ Rgoing to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the & l- n6 ~$ ?3 u/ |2 ^
Emergency Room and I saw the expressions on the 2 z% V: r ?" i. G) |
faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really
7 M$ w/ Y. N9 v7 {( K5 Lscared. In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.' I
# k) ~# e1 c' X# Rknew I needed to take action."
/ J5 J/ ^/ m1 { g, q"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big 2 j9 j* f9 B4 } y/ ]
nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She ) c3 d! z$ P* {0 d! Z, h! F
asked if I was allergic to anything." 9 }+ y( v0 Y# _& l: S+ I u) p
8 N, X2 ` y* X7 m& }6 t( A/ T1 d2 N% A) b( x
'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped
% Z5 c. f" f/ r# H, b! H, Pworking as they waited for my reply. I took a deep 6 i6 `2 x3 C" b8 u3 e
breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I
[% b4 D' T/ D1 I( v' v5 V9 C. ^8 c4 N1 x5 q; b8 G
told them, 'I am choosing to live. Please operate on ' u, i& F0 V- Y$ D) i" Y& a
me as if I am alive, not dead'." / ]% c5 i; h/ Z% x2 U* |1 o
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but
% s" i. @9 x8 y' o* [& Falso because of his amazing attitude. I learned from 3 m5 i1 ~2 ^9 _
him that every day you have the choice to either
5 \) ]9 G6 {9 X% j) ^+ C% Henjoy your life or to hate it.
o/ w( x) T: v1 e6 ]( r- y7 BThe only thing that is truly yours that no one can
/ w* M4 b7 }: U9 U& Wcontrol or take from you-is your attitude, so if you & f9 U0 h2 y3 h0 G/ q3 e$ \0 u0 o
can take care of that, everything else in life
3 [; z+ I; h; E6 e! x% Abecomes much easier. 6 M7 z( H' s1 F V7 F/ @: u
; B( T: k! j4 }, b- ONow you have two choices to make:
2 W' l! A3 C% f5 ^1. You can just close the browser now OR $ s% T, Q- q5 E0 R% g" i7 }4 i% m
0 [: s; |! F2 ]7 |2. You can forward it to someone you care about.
6 K+ y5 g$ M" S; @! V% _I hope you will choose #2. I did.' q% b' ?4 F% W$ J4 O# J: N! k" _+ h
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