YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES
It is a matter of choice
Jerry is the kind of guy you’d say is quite amazing. He is always in a good mood and always has
something positive to say. When someone would like to ask him how he was doing, he would
reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”
H e was a restaurant manager – and a unique
one because he had several waiters who had
followed him around from a restaurant to
restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was
because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If
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 bullets
an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there still in his body.
telling the employee how to look on the positive side I saw Jerry about six months after he was, he replied,
of the situation. “If I were any better, I’d be twins! Wanna see my
Seeing this style really made me curious so one day I scars? “I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask
went up to jerry and asked him. “I don’t get it! You him what had gone thought his mind as the robbery
can’t be positive person all the time. How do you do took place. “The first thing that went through my
it? Jerry, you have two choices today. You can mind was that I should have locked the back door,”
choose to be in good mood or you can choose to be in Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I
a bad mood, I choose to be in good mood. Each time remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to
something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim live or I could choose to die. I choose to live.”
or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn “Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I
from it. Every time someone comes to me asked. Jerry continued, ‘the paramedics were great.
complaining, I can choose to accept their They keep telling me I was going to be fine. But
complaining or I can point out the positive side of when they wheeled me to the Emergency Room and I
life. I choose the positive side of life.” saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and
nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a
“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy. “I protested. Yes, it dead man’, I knew I needed to take action” what did
is,” Jerry said. “Life is all about choices. When you you do? I asked. “Well, there was a big burly nurse
cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You shouting questions at me, said Jerry. “she asked if I
choose how people will affect your mood. You was allergic to anything. ‘Yes’ I replied. The doctors
choose to be in good mood or bad mood. The bottom and nurses stopped working as they waited for my
line IT’S YOUR CHOICE how you live life.’ reply; I took a deep breath and yelled. ‘Bullets!’
I reflected on what jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to
the restaurant industry to start my own business. We live Pleased operate me as if I am alive, not dead.’
lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made Jerry live thanks to skill of his doctors, but also
a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him
years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are that every day we have the choice to live fully.
never supposed to do in a restaurant business; he left Attitude, after all, is everything.
the back door open one morning and was held up at
gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to NOW IT’S YOUR CHOICE
open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness,
slipped of the combination. The robbers panicked and
shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly