时间：2022-10-22 09:47:25
朋友圈里有一位“乐天派”不失为人生中的一大幸事。杰瑞就是这样的人，他凡事总往好的方面想，不仅自己生活得快乐无忧，也总能感染身边的人。杰瑞用他的亲身经历告诉我们，乐观的心态究竟蕴含着多么巨大的能量――在危急关头，甚至能够救你一命！
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 severai 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."【译文】
杰瑞是那种让你又爱又恨的家伙。他总是心情上佳，言谈积极。碰到有人问起近况，他总会这般答道：“如果我能选择更好的生活，我还是会这样选择！”
杰瑞是个独特的餐厅经理，因为总有几个服务生围着他转。他们都是被其乐观向上的态度所吸引。杰瑞是个天生的激励者。如果有员工遇到倒霉事，他总会在一边开导他们往问题积极的一面看。
这一现象令我好奇不已。于是有一天，我走上前问道：“我搞不懂，你总不能一直保持乐观吧？你是如何做到的呢？”杰瑞回答我：“每天早晨醒来，我都会对自己说：‘杰瑞，今天你有两个选择。你可以选择一个好心情，也可以选择一个坏心情。’我选择前者。每次遇到问题，我可以选择成为受害者，也可以选择从中吸取经验教训。遇到有人前来抱怨，我可以选择默默倾听，也可以指出生活积极的一面。而我选择后者。”
"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： Its 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 bul-lets 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， l'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， 'l 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.
“是的，你说得没错，可是做起来并没那么容易吧。”我提出异议。
“的确不容易，”杰瑞说道，“人生就是一个接一个的选择。当你揭开事物表面，你会发现每一件事都是一道选择题。你决定自己的应对之道，你决定自己的心情是否受别人影响，你决定自己的心情好坏。底线就是：是你的选择决定了你如何生活。”
我仔细思索着他的话。之后不久，我便离开了餐饮业，开办了自己的企业，和杰瑞也失去了联系。但是每当我做出自己的选择而非疲于应对时，我总会想到他。几年后，我听说杰瑞犯了餐饮业的大忌：有天早上他忘了关上后门，被三个持枪劫匪挟持了。在开保险箱时，他的双手出于紧张颤抖得厉害，不小心输错了密码。劫匪慌了，朝他开了枪。万幸的是，杰瑞很快被发现并立刻送往当地的急救中心。在长达18小时的手术和数周的重病特别护理后，杰瑞出院了，但他体内还残留着子弹的碎片。大约在事故发生六个月后，我见到了杰瑞。问起他怎么样，他还是那句老话，“如果我能选择更好的生活，我还是会选择现在这样！想看看我的伤疤吗？”
我拒绝了这一提议，但仍然询问了他抢劫案发生时的想法。“我脑中闪过的第一个念头是我本应该把后门锁上，”杰瑞说，“之后当我跌躺在地板上时，我想着我有两个选择：一是活着，一是死去，我选择活着。”
“你难道不怕吗？有没有失去意识呢？”我接着问。杰瑞继续说，“护理人员太棒了，不停告诉我很快就会没事的。但当他们把我推进急诊室，医生和护士的表情着实让我害怕了。从他们的眼神，我看出他们认为我不行了。我知道自己是时候采取行动了。”
“你采取了什么行动呢？”我问道。
“嗯，一个膀大腰圆的护士大声问我是否对什么过敏，”杰瑞说，“我回答‘有’。医生和护士都停下来等我的回答，我深吸了一口气，大声喊，‘子弹！’他们大笑了起来，然后，我对他们说，‘我选择活下去，给我做手术吧，当我是一匹活马医，而不是一匹死马。”’
杰瑞活了下来，不仅是因为医生的精湛医术，也得益于他乐观积极的人生态度。从他身上，我学到了一点：我们每天都可以选择过得充实。毕竟，态度决定一切。