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By Felix | July 10, 2008
Michael 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, Michael 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 Michael and asked him, I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it? Michael replied, each morning I wake up and say to myself, Mike, 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 isn’t that easy, I protested. Yes, it is, Michael 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 bad mood.
The bottom line is: It’s your choice how you live life.
I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, 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 Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
I saw Michael 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 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, Michael 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? Michael 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 face 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 Michael. 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.’
Michael 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.… author unknown
“Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life. You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself.”
– Robert F. Bennett
You have two choices now:
1. Act like this is just one of those motivational write ups you’ve read before, Or
2. Forward it to the people you care about and see if it will change their attitude towards life.
I hope you will choose 2, i did … i guess thats why you have read the story… 
All you have to do is click the share this post with a friend button at the base of the post.
Topics: choice, life lessons, motivation |
Comments
July 11th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
A very motivating piece of work u got here.If only everyone will listen two Micheal,especially me.Life will be alot more easier than it is now.
July 12th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Nice post sweetie, and very true, So many times i dont want to be here due to hurt but this too does and will pass with positive thoughts and always remembering things happen for reasons and those reasons become clear eventually. I have had my fair share of disappointments and im sure i will deal with many more before i go home but in the meantime i will try to always look at the brighter side things…post came at a good time love .. hope your weekend is going good..chat soon xxxx
July 12th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Yeap…that’s the sum total of the choices we make. It’s always two sided…Permit me to post this on my blog. That is the choice i’m making
July 14th, 2008 at 2:18 am
That’s Mike having a positive mental attitude.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Its choice- not chance- that determines ur destiny.
some choices we live not only once, but a thousand times over, remembering them for the rest of our lives, lets all make a wise choice because it determines our tomorrow.
July 19th, 2008 at 8:36 am
@ chidinma
We choose things in life cuz that is what we want or need at that point in time, whether a good or right choice for us will determen the lesson we learn from it and in the end gain wisdom, if we were all to make the right choices in life from start…how are we ever to learn n gain wisdom ?
July 20th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
CHOICE its not an easy thing to make because you may regret the choice that you make today forever if it is not the right one and how do we know the right choice to make when making one? no other way than asking for God’s intervention
July 21st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
@susan… thanks, glad it was able to make a difference.
@debra… happy to know it came in when you needed it.
@jesusfreak… youcan post it on your blog.
@Eyo… and you can be like mike!
@chidinma… its choice not chance, couldnt agree with you more.
@loveth … we know our left from our right, lets start from there, the rest will belearnt thur other peoples experiences or in other cases our experiences.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
lets all just keep praying to always make the right choices for ourselves and loved once if need be. Cos learning form a bad choice is even more painful.