Attitude is Everything……..By Francie Baltazar- Schwartz

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 restaurant 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 to 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 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 I 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 moths 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 life fully.

Attitude, after all, Is Everything.

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I found the above posted on a forum I moderate and thought it was worth posting here

Love and Gratitude
Alan

Alan, thanks for posting that. I've seen it before, but it's one that is worthy of reading often!

I got a "Note from the Universe" today, which really spoke to me in a similar way:

And then a PS:

If anyone hasn't yet discovered TUTs Adventurers Club: Explore the power of thought & creative visualization to manifest dreams!, you might enjoy checking it out!

Alan, thanks for this thread!

Love,
Joy

I got the same note today, Joy, and it resonated with me just as deeply as it did with you. Alan, what a great story, and what a great message! My own attitude and overall outlook on life has changed so dramatically since starting on PATHS that I can scarcely believe that I am the same person. Thank you for posting!

Alan, thank you for posting that....it is a great story, and a wonderful way to look at life!!

Alan,

Thanks for that message. Always good to be reminded of that. I've seen similar ones (the elderly lady who went back to college and inspired her classmates is another great one, I have it filed away somewhere, I'll try to dig it out...).

Joy, Rin,

So how long you two been having this personal relationship with the Universe? I got an email from my congresswoman once... TUTS looks like a great site, I'm goibg to explore this weekend.

Attitude is everything. We just had a family member who has breast cancer. After a couple rounds of chemo, she she 'no more of that ****' and looked for alternatives. She found the Gerson Institute (The Gerson Institute - Alternative Cancer Treatment) and is doing absolutely fabulous. (BTW there is a great movie in the form of video clips on the site, sad, informative and inspiring all at the same time). Anyhoo, the moral is that she is extremely positive all the time, she tries to watch funny movies and stays away from depressing people to keep her spirits high and she has continued to work at her part time job.

You never know exactly what the Universe will dish up for you in this life if you aren't careful.

Keep smiling and spread the cheer!

Glenn

Thanks you guys, you have all and each just made my day!!!!

ummmm how do you get notes from the Universe? I want them too!!!!

love & hugs

Chans

Here you go: Notes From the Universe Enjoy!

I LOVE it! Thanks, Rin!!!! love the "I Dare" "I'm not worthy" buttons after the pledge

muah!

Chansy

Alan,

What a great story!!! I might start using that line myself about the twins. It's fantastic! Made me laugh out loud.

Joy & Rin,

You guys are fantastic!!!! What an inspired move to post the Universe message website on here! I also get those every day and love them, but didn't even think to spread the love. Great job!!!!