ATTITUDE is EVERYTHING

Hello All! I hope everyone is having a GREAT weekend!

I've always enjoyed this story. Its helps me to remember that no matter what happens in my life, no matter what challenges or stressing times come my way, that I have a choice in how I can react to it. I spent so much of my life living in a "re-actionary" way to events, rather than in a "proactive" way.

I find that it now helps me to keep a postive attitude about my new lifestyle of living on NS, and helps me to stay positive despite setbacks, issues with the food, and other obstacles to my continuing my journey to my goal.
I hope you enjoy it as well. Best wishes to all.

Craig
385/349/220 SonoTok

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Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it. You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim, or I can choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckly, Jerry was found relative quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Didn't you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Jerry continued, "...The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked me if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter I told them 'I am choosing to live. Operated on me as if I am alive, not dead.'"

Jerry lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

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New RE: ATTITUDE is EVERYTHING Reply
0 Replies Posted by: ChristiJo on 01/07/05 at 10:22 PM
WOW. thanks for the inspiration. I always look forward to your posts because I know that they will be meaningful. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate what you add to this board.

Chris

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0 Replies Posted by: k8tdid2 on 01/07/05 at 10:27 PM
I have read that story before, but t takes on new meaning during this particular journey. Thanks for the shot in the arm...

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0 Replies Posted by: LineDancinGrandma on 01/07/05 at 10:43 PM
Thank you for sharing, this is how I try to live my life and have tried to teach my children along the way as they have grown into adults. We cannot live our lives reacting to everyday situations. Acting to them does give us choices. Wonderful story.

Hugs,
Mary Jane

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0 Replies Posted by: MaxsMommy on 01/07/05 at 10:54 PM
What a fabulous story! I'll have to remind myself of it when I don't want to get out of bed at 5 am to work out!

Cheers - and thanks for sharing!

Heather aka MaxsMommy

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0 Replies Posted by: Oregon45 on 01/08/05 at 12:51 AM
that's a lot of fun to read. thanks

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0 Replies Posted by: Mom to four on 01/08/05 at 09:33 AM
Thank you for sharing this! What a great piece! I need to work on that positive attitude thing myself and this really helped me a lot! Thanks againg!
lea.

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0 Replies Posted by: SandraWB on 01/08/05 at 12:13 PM
I did see this long time ago Craig...and I'm living with that...from Jerry's attitude...and I did have somepeople on my road...from my days past..and told me...the same "yeah right...." specially negative people..they can't believed we have this two choices......

I'm so glad you post this over here and I hope people start thinking and getting more inside their souls and see they can be positive...they can do the same...Jerry's attitud is one of the best I ever read and I do the same he does everyday..look at the mirrorw and said to my self...Sandra do you will have a bad day or a good day?? and even it's not easy...I DO MY BEST TO HAVE A GOOD DAY!

(((((((((((((((((CRAIG))))))))))))))))

You are a great person over here...don't ever change your attitud!

hugs!

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0 Replies Posted by: lose-ah on 01/08/05 at 01:15 PM
You Rock Craig! Great story, yup - just what the "Dr." ordered, a reality check. Thanks for sharing.

Penny