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.

邁克爾是那種你真想恨一恨的家伙，他總是樂呵呵的，總是說些積極上進的話。如果有人問他近況如何，他會這樣回答：“如果我還能再好，我就成雙胞胎了!”他生來就會讓人積極進取。

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?"

如果哪位雇員有天過得很糟糕，邁克爾會告訴他如何看待問題的積極一面。他的這種方式著實讓我好奇，所以有一天我找到邁克爾問：“我真弄不明白。你怎么能總是那樣積極樂觀?你是如何做到這一點的?”

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."

邁克爾回答說，“每天早晨醒來時我對自己說，‘邁克，今天你有兩種選擇。你可以選擇心情愉快，你也可以選擇心情惡劣。’我選擇心情愉快。每次什么不愉快的事情發生時，我可以選擇成為一個犧牲品，也可以選擇從中吸取教訓。我選擇從中吸取教訓。每次有什么人找我來抱怨，我可以選擇接受他們的抱怨，也可以選擇向他指出生活的積極面。我選擇指出生活的積極面。”

"Yeah, right. It isn’t that easy." I protested.

“是的，不錯。可并不那么容易呀。”我表示異議。

"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.

“其實很容易，”邁克爾說。“生活就是選擇。從每一事物剔除一切枝節后剩下的都是一種選擇。你選擇如何應付生活中的種種情形。你選擇他人會怎樣影響你的情緒。你選擇是心情愉快還是心情惡劣。說到底：如何生活是你自己的選擇。”我琢磨著邁克爾的這席話。

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.

那以后不久，我離開了工作數年的大企業去創建自己的公司。我們失去了聯系，但當我對生活做出一種選擇而非對它做出反應時，我時常想起邁克爾。幾年之后，我聽說邁克爾遭遇一場惡性事故，從一座通訊大樓的60英尺高處掉了下來。

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.

在經歷了18個小時的手術和數周的精心護理之后，邁克爾出院了，背部裝有金屬桿。大約事故半年之后，我見到了邁克爾。當我問他怎么樣時，他回答，“如果我還能再好，我就成雙胞胎了。想看看我的傷疤嗎?”我拒絕看他的傷痕，但的確問了他事故發生時他是怎么想的。

"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’."

“我首先想到的是我那即將出世的女兒的幸福生活，”邁克爾答道。“當時我躺在地上，我記起我有兩種選擇：我可以選擇活著，也可以選擇死。我選擇了活。”“你難道不害怕嗎?你失去知覺了嗎?”我問。邁克爾接著說，“……那些護理人員棒極了。他們不停地告訴我我會好的。但當他們把我推進手術室，我看到醫生和護士臉上的表情時，我真是嚇壞了。在他們的眼里，我讀出了‘他是個死人。’我知道我應該采取行動。”“你采取了什么行動?”我問道。“有一位人高馬大的護士大聲沖我問問題，”邁克爾說。“她問我是否對什么過敏。‘是的，’我說。醫生和護士都停下手中的活兒等我回答。我深吸一口氣大聲說出，‘萬有引力。’他們的笑聲未了，我告訴他們，‘我選擇活著。把我當活人而不是死人來做手術。”’

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.

邁克爾活了下來，這要感謝他那些醫生的高明醫術，但也要歸功于他那令人贊嘆的態度。我從他那里學到了我們每天都有機會充實地活著，關鍵是態度。