Michael is the kind of guy that many people would 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'd 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 made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "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, '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 chose 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," Michael responded. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how to react to those situations. You choose how people 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 your life."
I left the company soon after and lost touch with him, but several years later I heard he was involved in a serious accident, falling about 60 feet from a communication tower. After 18 hours of surgery weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about 6 months later.
When I asked him how he was, he said, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?"
I declined to see his scars, but asked him what went 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.
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 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.
-Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.- Matt 6:34 (interesting phrase considering the preceding verse.)