生活充满选择

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.

迈克尔是那种你真想恨一恨的家伙，他总是乐呵呵的，总是说些积极上进的话。如果有人问他近况如何，他会这样回答：“如果我还能再好，我就成双胞胎了！”他生来就会让人积极进取。

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?"


如果哪位雇员有天过得很糟糕，迈克尔会告诉他如何看待问题的积极一面。他的这种方式着实让我好奇，所以有一天我找到迈克尔问：“我真弄不明白。你怎么能总是那样积极乐观？你是如何做到这一点的？”

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."

迈克尔回答说，“每天早晨醒来时我对自己说，‘迈克，今天你有两种选择。你可以选择心情愉快，你也可以选择心情恶劣。’我选择心情愉快。每次什么不愉快的事情发生时，我可以选择成为一个牺牲品，也可以选择从中吸取教训。我选择从中吸取教训。每次有什么人找我来抱怨，我可以选择接受他们的抱怨，也可以选择向他指出生活的积极面。我选择指出生活的积极面。”


"yeah, right. it isn't that easy." i protested.

“是的，不错。可并不那么容易呀。”我表示异议。
"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.

“其实很容易，”迈克尔说。“生活就是选择。从每一事物剔除一切枝节后剩下的都是一种选择。你选择如何应付生活中的种种情形。你选择他人会怎样影响你的情绪。你选择是心情愉快还是心情恶劣。说到底：如何生活是你自己的选择。”我琢磨着迈克尔的这席话。


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，我离开了工作数年的大企业去创建自己的公司。我们失去了联系，但当我对生活做出一种选择而非对它做出反应时，我时常想起迈克尔。几年之后，我听说迈克尔遭遇一场恶性事故，从一座通讯大楼的60英尺高处掉了下来。

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.


在经历了18个小时的手术和数周的精心护理之后，迈克尔出院了，背部装有金属杆。大约事故半年之后，我见到了迈克尔。当我问他怎么样时，他回答，“如果我还能再好，我就成双胞胎了。想看看我的伤疤吗？”我拒绝看他的伤痕，但的确问了他事故发生时他是怎么想的。
"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将出世的女儿的幸福生活，”迈克尔答道。“当时我躺在地上，我记起我有两种选择：我可以选择活着，也可以选择死。我选择了活。”“你难道不害怕吗？你失去知觉了吗？”我问。迈克尔接着说，“……那些护理人员棒极了。他们不停地告诉我我会好的。但当他们把我推进手术室，我看到医生和护士脸上的表情时，我真是吓坏了。在他们的眼里，我读出了‘他是个死人。’我知道我应该采取行动。”“你采取了什么行动？”我问道。“有一位人高马大的护士大声冲我问问题，”迈克尔说。“她问我是否对什么过敏。‘是的，’我说。医生和护士都停下手中的活儿等我回答。我深吸一口气大声说出，‘万有引力。’他们的笑声未了，我告诉他们，‘我选择活着。把我当活人而不是死人来做手术。”’

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.


迈克尔活了下来，这要感谢他那些医生的高明医术，但也要归功于他那令人赞叹的态度。我从他那里学到了我们每天都有机会充实地活着，关键是态度。