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!”
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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?”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
Francie Baltazar-Schwartz
