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Positive Thinking

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had 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 unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry 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 Jerry and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, 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,” Jerry 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: It’s your choice how you live life.”

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly 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 the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry 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 robbery took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, 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. Jerry continued, “The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room 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 Jerry. “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, ‘Bullets!’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”

Jerry 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.

By Francie Baltazar-Schwartz

Let this really sink in-
then choose how you start your day tomorrow.

{ 265 comments… add one }
  • Winrose March 10, 2015, 12:26 am

    What a nice story, best way to take.

  • Hem January 22, 2015, 11:11 am

    Um what does this state mean?

    ” if i were any better, i would be twins!” ??

  • Maralyn January 2, 2015, 2:59 am

    The story is really amazing…:-)

  • Siya September 4, 2014, 6:02 pm

    I am really inspired by words not man, how amazing is that

  • Diksha July 26, 2014, 7:57 am

    Thanks, it helped me in my school elocution contest.

  • Marcelline kata July 26, 2014, 4:50 am

    It is our attitude that decides our altitude.

  • Navneet July 6, 2014, 5:16 am

    An awesome story. Positive attitude can help us achieve anything. Great…

  • Mae amor a noquera July 2, 2014, 10:39 am

    Very motivated story and I like it, I read it more 3 times I think. Thank you Francie,…

  • Awesomeperson June 29, 2014, 10:53 pm

    AMAZING STORY!!!!! It’s so inspiring and helps me now. I’m trying to be more and more like Jerry every day.

  • Guarav Gupta June 20, 2014, 8:14 am

    Thats Really A Fabulous Lesson For Life.

  • Manoj May 31, 2014, 1:27 am

    This is very nice. Positive thinking can protect from bad condition

  • Naveen May 29, 2014, 7:27 am

    It is a nice story. I would try its moral in my life. If I was a person like jerry I will be the happiest person.

  • Kriitika singh rathor April 24, 2014, 8:26 am

    There was once a boy named Jerry he thinks positive only… we should think only positive like Jerry.. I liked this story very much… now in future I want to be like Jerry.

    Thanks

    Kritika singh rathore 5th E jaipuria school, lucknow u.p. India

  • Himanshu February 27, 2014, 4:29 am

    No words to say, it’s sumthing which change the life and make it more beautiful and full of happiness.

  • Manimegalai February 23, 2014, 1:18 am

    I inspired more in this story such motivational power is inside in it.

  • Shahin fathi December 31, 2013, 6:39 am

    Good story.

  • Sashi November 21, 2013, 5:21 am

    Really I’m impressed. . also I would like to be a Jerry. . thanks for giving this such an amazing story. .

  • pP November 2, 2013, 1:49 pm

    Awesome.. thinking a good way to live a life…!!!

  • Rahm November 1, 2013, 12:51 pm

    Thanks to you. Now when I am confused, I just follow the moral from Jerry. Thank you so much to all, the readers, the comments and the writer.

  • Lucky October 20, 2013, 9:05 am

    Very good story…:)

  • Prem September 24, 2013, 6:14 am

    Very nice

  • Nitesh September 19, 2013, 5:05 am

    It’s a nice story.

  • Neha Sharma September 16, 2013, 5:15 am

    Awesome story.

  • Komal September 15, 2013, 7:23 am

    Nice story but it’s not that easy to be like Jerry… for me at least.. need sometime and maturity 🙂

  • Amrita September 12, 2013, 11:39 pm

    Awesome..:)

  • Saravanan September 3, 2013, 9:49 am

    Good story. I like it very much because you wake my eyes.

  • Tiwari August 24, 2013, 6:30 am

    Very amazing story I ever read. Life is of choices & my choice is moral of this story positive in every situation.

  • Ashish August 4, 2013, 2:18 pm

    This type of story not to be limited but should be spread every where. It’s really positive in every situation.

  • Abhishek July 30, 2013, 12:12 pm

    Really an amazing inspiring story.

  • Nana Serwaa July 26, 2013, 3:26 am

    Great story!

  • Shilpa July 23, 2013, 10:40 pm

    Very nice story and it is truly inspirational….

  • Dr. Sesha Reddy July 21, 2013, 12:14 pm

    Very nice story. I hope and confident that this story will inspire and bring change in the readers.

  • Mahendra July 20, 2013, 12:11 pm

    This is very nice….positive thinking always keep you ahead…

  • Suren July 16, 2013, 12:04 pm

    The story is really stimulated, it’s shows how to think positively in and circumstance and how to make it as habit in day today life situation. Thanks for the story, Love it.

  • Rajesh July 10, 2013, 2:06 am

    Thanks everyone for the positive comments…yup! In our life we really come across many pitfalls… in such time we really needs a positive attitude… Thanks for the story, it is really great.

  • Nivisri July 7, 2013, 10:36 am

    Awesome guys. Really inovating thought.

  • Sama July 7, 2013, 7:19 am

    Superb;)

  • Jiji Thomas July 6, 2013, 2:29 pm

    Awesome 🙂 Positive attitude is the most important thing in ones life 🙂

  • Jeannara July 5, 2013, 9:24 am

    What a nice story .. it helps me in my study .. now I can study hard with positive side .. 🙂

  • Sathyanarayana B July 2, 2013, 6:18 am

    Good story…….Very nice attitude………With my attitude I lost everything in my life….I have only one chance I want to gain everything in my life with my positive attitude.

  • Sushmitha June 26, 2013, 9:48 am

    Superb story.

  • Gagan June 25, 2013, 12:38 pm

    I learnt alot from it…it is really a nice story.

  • Nasrine June 21, 2013, 12:20 pm

    Superb story… I like it.

  • Murugesh G June 16, 2013, 7:20 pm

    It’s truly inspiring..

  • Pratap June 15, 2013, 8:32 am

    Thanks for posting this. I will chnage my attitude towards life.

  • Samir June 14, 2013, 9:31 am

    Wow! This is very nice, I really liked it a lot… I truly have a decision now.

  • Krishna June 11, 2013, 2:16 pm

    Very nice. I like it. I’ll help me to live a life away from depression.

  • Natalie June 8, 2013, 5:15 pm

    Made me cry…

  • Pritha Singh May 27, 2013, 9:52 am

    Very Inspirational, Very Motivating and Very True. Our attitude really determines our altitude. Don’t Worry – Be Happy. Live every day as if its your last.

  • Sandy May 22, 2013, 2:45 pm

    I think this story gonna teach me something very important.

  • Anjana May 21, 2013, 6:13 am

    Its truly inspiring..

  • Venkatesh May 16, 2013, 8:34 am

    Really worth reading and important is to follow. I will follow the two ways of handling any situation (to be on the positive note)

    Really Motivating story.

  • Julian Ceaser Dominguez May 7, 2013, 4:08 am

    Great motivator

  • Niruban May 3, 2013, 7:48 am

    I feel good after reeding this story.

  • Ravi Jogai May 3, 2013, 4:52 am

    Keep it up….

  • Michael Escudero April 25, 2013, 7:02 pm

    Jerry is wise guy!! 🙂 He’s an optimistic person!

  • Rahul kumar April 20, 2013, 1:59 pm

    Nice story…. I was really motivated by this story. I think that positive attitude is the solution of all the problems we face in our daily life.

  • Rajsingh April 17, 2013, 12:32 pm

    This is a very nice story, I read it, it gave to me motivation now I am very happy.

  • Polluthakur April 15, 2013, 10:32 am

    Vary nice and inspiring story….

  • Neha sharma April 4, 2013, 10:13 am

    Wow. Very nice story. I m feeling very good. Great story!!

  • Mel March 23, 2013, 10:05 am

    A beautiful piece, to give peace 🙂

  • Sucharita March 15, 2013, 6:15 am

    It’s a very nice story. It teaches me a good lesson indeed so I think it’s fantastic excellent ….

  • Bipin March 13, 2013, 9:25 am

    Really it made me happy after I read this lesson. It is a great story for everyone.

  • Selvakumar March 4, 2013, 10:08 am

    Positive thought habit makes your heart courage 😉

  • Venkatesh March 1, 2013, 8:14 am

    It’s too nice to read… wonderful thanks dude…

  • Dodo95 March 1, 2013, 6:37 am

    Yeah!

  • YourFather March 1, 2013, 6:30 am

    It’s a really good story!
    It has helped me change the way to see the things and become more positive!

  • Jonas February 28, 2013, 10:29 am

    Such an inspiring story I must say… !!!

  • Sheila February 28, 2013, 10:14 am

    There should be inspiring upbeat stories like this in the press each day!

  • Karunakar Todupunuri February 26, 2013, 3:25 am

    Story was awsome, I learned from the story that every day we have the choice to live fully. Just leave the Junk and be positive, success will be on the way.

  • Shiv kumar yadav. February 23, 2013, 1:42 am

    I relly like this story very much and I want to make my attitude same ..

  • Mohit Chauhan February 17, 2013, 2:33 am

    Very good story…….I really inspired from this story.

  • Sweety Singhal February 13, 2013, 7:15 am

    Superb!

    I hope it will be a very good change in my life.

  • Nirupa February 11, 2013, 1:29 pm

    Touched..really a great inspiring story. 🙂 🙂

  • j.AYYAPPAN February 8, 2013, 5:11 am

    Excellent story on Positive Attitude

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