銆銆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.
銆銆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?"
銆銆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."
銆銆"Yeah, right, it"s not that easy," I protested.
銆銆"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."
銆銆I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant 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.
銆銆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(淇濋櫓鏌?, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off (蹇樿錛岄仐婕?the combination (寮鍚彿鐮侀攣鐨勫彿鐮佺粍鍚?銆?The robbers panicked and shot him.
銆銆Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma (鍒涗激錛屽浼?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.
銆銆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(浼ょ枻)?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
銆銆"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."
銆銆"Weren"t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
銆銆Jerry continued, "The paramedics (鎶ょ悊浜哄憳)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."
銆銆"What did you do?" I asked.
銆銆"Well, there was a big, burly (欖佹ⅶ鐨勶紝緇撳疄鐨?nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry.
銆銆"She asked if I was allergic (榪囨晱鐨?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!"
銆銆Over their laughter, I told them. "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
銆銆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.
銆銆Attitude, after all, is everything.
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