A friend sent me this e-mail.
LET IT REALLY SINK IN - THEN CHOOSE .
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 my job 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."
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 my job 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.
You have two choices now:
1. Delete this
2. Share it with the people you care about.
You know the choice I made.
I feel this way myself. One of my favorite sayings, and one I live by is, "You are just about as healthy as you choose to be."
Many people really seem to like to be ill. They emphasize it constantly and talk about their various illnesses incessantly. I despise being ill and therefore, I seldom am. I find the more I emphasize how well I am and what good health I have, the better I feel. I am really blessed with good genes. I am nearly 73 years old and take no meds. I feel about as good as I did at 35.
I went to see the eye doctor Thursday and he said, "You are one of the few people I know your age who does not take meds." I said, "You know what is even more amazing? Bob is 78 and takes no meds. If he didn't have an occasional skin cancer, he would be in perfect health."
I am a big believer in the power of the mind over the body.
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.
You have two choices now:
1. Delete this
2. Share it with the people you care about.
You know the choice I made.
I feel this way myself. One of my favorite sayings, and one I live by is, "You are just about as healthy as you choose to be."
Many people really seem to like to be ill. They emphasize it constantly and talk about their various illnesses incessantly. I despise being ill and therefore, I seldom am. I find the more I emphasize how well I am and what good health I have, the better I feel. I am really blessed with good genes. I am nearly 73 years old and take no meds. I feel about as good as I did at 35.
I went to see the eye doctor Thursday and he said, "You are one of the few people I know your age who does not take meds." I said, "You know what is even more amazing? Bob is 78 and takes no meds. If he didn't have an occasional skin cancer, he would be in perfect health."
I am a big believer in the power of the mind over the body.
4 comments:
My daughter's husband is in the Air Force, so they have moved every three years or so for years. I asked her if she had ever just hated any of the places. She said, "I decided a long time ago that I can't rely on people or places to make me happy. It's up to me, so I find things to like, then I'm happy."
Sometimes our children teach us important lessons.
Congratulations on being med free! It's a constant battle with doctors who insist on trying to force you to take the easy way out - for them - by having you pop pills!
My Mom lived to 95 and the only med she took was an occasional pain killer for neuropathy. I'm trying to match her - but it's those doctors! Some of them actually scold you when you resist! Second childhood my foot!
I understand. I changed doctors a couple of years ago when mine retired. The new doctor couldn't believe that at my age I had no health problems so she ordered a bunch of tests at the hospital. I humored her because it is true I only see a doctor when I's sick. She spent $7500 of my Medicare and supplement money only to learn that, sure enough, I had no health problems.
I love this post. I totally think life is made up of choices and you can choose to be happy or not be happy. My children often ask me what they should do about something they think is some crisis in their life. I usually say, "You have 2 choices, either this way or that way". It seems to surprise them that they have not thought of it as two choices! The only medicine I take is prilosec and I would not have to take it if I had not taken a pill the doctor put me on for osteopenia and had side affects from it. Great post.
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