John 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 natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John 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 and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 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. I 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," he 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 affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life." I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower 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 he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, 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? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. He 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 John. "She asked 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, 'Gravity'." Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead." He 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. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34. After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
A first-grade teacher,
Ms. Brooks, was having
trouble with one of her
students. The teacher
asked, "Harry,
what's your
problem?" Harry
answered, "I'm
too smart for the 1st
grade. My sister is in
the 3rd grade and I'm
smarter...
Just in case you need a
laugh:Remember it takes a
college degree to fly a
plane, but only a high
school diploma to fix
one. Reassurance
for those of us who fly
routinely in our
jobs.After every flight,
Qantas pilots fill out a
form, called a &qu...
It was October and the
Indians on a remote
reservation asked their
new Chief if the coming
winter was going to be
cold or mild. Since he
was a Chief in a modern
society he had never been
taught the old secrets.
When he looked at the sky
he couldn'...
SEOUL, South Korea --
Navy ships of the two
Koreas exchanged fire
Tuesday along their
disputed western sea
border, South Korean
military officers said.
DENVER -- Tyrone Carter
intercepted a Kyle Orton
pass and raced 48 yards
for the score, giving the
Pittsburgh Steelers a 7-3
lead over the Denver
Broncos at halftime
Monday night.
WASHINGTON -- Abortion
opponents in the Senate
are seeking tough
restrictions in the
health care overhaul
bill, a move that could
roil a shaky Democratic
effort to pass President
Barack Obama's signature
issue by year's end.
SAN FRANCISCO -- An
accident-plagued stretch
of the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay
Bridge saw its first
fatality Monday when the
driver of a speeding big
rig lost control and the
truck plummeted 200 feet
from the span,
authorities said.
Message: Church Mom on the Mend by Selaine D.
(0 comments
|
discussions
)
—
Church Mom in recovery
8-Aug-09
The name Church Mom has
been given to this
homeless girl because she
spends most of her time
around the courtyard in
front of
Panajachel’s
Catholic church.
She has always been one
of our favorite stree... more
Message: petition;?:(? by John S.
(0 comments
|
discussions
)
— I’d make a petition
but know not whom to
address or what to ask
for in the petition?:(?In
any case their reply in
silence or boilerplate
like politicians
indicative of
indifference tells me
more than their actual
activity financed by me,
you, al... more
Message: daily Bible verse by Ingrid F.
(0 comments
|
discussions
)
— But it is the spirit in a
man, the breath of the
Almighty, that gives him
understanding.Job 32:8 more
Message: ORDER COOKIES TO HELP SAVE THE BISON! by Vicky a.
(0 comments
|
discussions
)
—
To take advantage of the
20% back to Buffalo Field
Campaign visit
www.ChristieCookies.com
and enter your Special
Offer Keycode on our
homepage now. The
Christie Cookie Company |
1205 Third Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37208 |
800-458-2447
orders@christ... more
Nov 8
Message: Sammie needs you today by Its Meow or Nev A.
(0 comments
|
0 discussions
)
— Sammie was born feral and
we've done a lot to make
sure she's adoptable. She
is still very shy but
very gentle, like her
mama, Kira. Because she
has spent most of her
young life running away
from people, her first
instinct is to hide from
you, but onc... more
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.