Life is all about choices
生活充满选择
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’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 really made me curious， so one day I went up to Michael and asked him， "I don" t get it. You can" t be positive all 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 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 big enterprise that I had worked in for years to start my own business. We lost touch， but I often though about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later， I heard Michael was involved in a serious accident， falling off 60 feet from a communications tower.
After l8 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-born daughter，" Michael replied. "Then， as I lay on the ground， remembered 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 operation room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses， I got really scared. In their eyes， l 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 me if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes，’ I said. 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"m 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 1eamed from him that every day we have a choice to live fully. Attitude is everything.
迈克尔是那种你真想恨一恨的家伙，他总是乐呵呵的，总是说些积极上进的话。如果有人问他近况如何，他会这样回答：“如果我还能再好，我就成双胞胎了！”他生来就会让人积极进取。
如果哪位雇员哪一天过得很糟糕，迈克尔会告诉他如何看待问题的积极一面。他的这种方式着实让我好奇，所以有一天我找到迈克尔问：“我真弄不明白。你怎么能总是那样积极乐观？你是如何做到这一点的？”
迈克尔回答说，“每天早晨醒来时我对自己说，‘迈克，今天你有两种选择。你可以选择心情愉快，你也可以选择心情恶劣。’我选择心情愉快。每次什么不愉快的事情发生时，我可以选择成为一个牺牲品，也可以选择从中吸取教训。我选择从中吸取教训。每次有什么人找我来抱怨，我可以选择接受他们的抱怨，也可以选择向他指出生活的积极面。我选择指出生活的积极面。”
“是的，不错。可并不那么容易呀。”我表示异议。
“其实很容易，”迈克尔说。“生活就是选择。从每一事物剔除一切枝节后剩下的都是一种选择。你选择如何应付生活中的种种情形。你选择他人会怎样影响你的情绪。你选择是心情愉快还是心情恶劣。说到底：如何生活是你自己的选择。”我琢磨着迈克尔的这席话。
那以后不久，我离开了工作数年的大企业去创建自己的公司。我们失去了联系，但当我对生活做出一种选择而非对它做出反应时，我时常想起迈克尔。几年之后，我听说迈克尔遭遇一场恶性事故，从一座通讯大楼的60英尺高处掉了下来。
在经历了18个小时的手术和数周的精心护理之后，迈克尔出院了，背部装有金属杆。大约事故半年之后，我见到了迈克尔。当我问他怎么样时，他回答，“如果我还能再好，我就成双胞胎了。想看看我的伤疤吗？”我拒绝看他的伤痕，但的确问了他事故发生时他是怎么想的。
“我首先想到的是我那即将出世的女儿的幸福生活，”迈克尔答道。“当时我躺在地上，我记起我有两种选择：我可以选择活着，也可以选择死。我选择了活。”“你难道不害怕吗？你失去知觉了吗？”我问。迈克尔接着说，“……那些护理人员棒极了。他们不停地告诉我我会好的。但当他们把我推进手术室，我看到医生和护士脸上的表情时，我真是吓坏了。在他们的眼里，我读出了‘他是个死人。’我知道我应该采取行动。”“你采取了什么行动？”我问道。“有一位人高马大的护士大声冲我问问题，”迈克尔说。“她问我是否对什么过敏。‘是的，’我说。医生和护士都停下手中的活儿等我回答。我深吸一口气大声说出，‘万有引力。’他们的笑声未了，我告诉他们，‘我选择活着。把我当活人而不是死人来做手术。”’
迈克尔活了下来，这要感谢他那些医生的高明医术，但也要归功于他那令人赞叹的态度。我从他那里学到了我们每天都有机会充实地活着，关键是态度。
The Praying Hands
祈祷之手
The true story behind a well-known piece of art：
Back in the fifteenth century， in a tiny village near Nuremberg， lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen！ In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob， the father and head of the household， a goldsmith by profession， worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition， two of Albrecht Durer the Elder"s children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art， but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed， the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and， with his earnings， support his brother while he attended the academy. Then， when that brother who won the toss completed his studies， in four years， he would support the other brother at the academy， either with sales of his artwork or， if necessary， also by laboring the mines.
They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and， for the next four years， financed his brother， whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht"s etchings， his woodcuts， and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors， and by the time he graduated， he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.
