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This is one of my favorites. My Pastor sent it to me right after I was
diagnosed with MS in 1997. Every time I start feeling like I was dealt a
lousy hand of cards, this e-mail finds it way to me and makes me rethink
over all that I have accomplished having a good Attitude.

Hugs, Cami/Deb
forwarded to me by Koa1a [email protected]
***

Attitude is Everything author unknown

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 would be twins!" He was a natural motivator.

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 a positive person all of the
time. How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say
to myself, 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 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. "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
affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom
line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what Michael said.

Soon thereafter, I left the Tower 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 Michael was involved in a serious accident
falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 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. Want to see my scars?

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his
mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind
was the well-being of my soon-to-be-born-daughter," Michael replied.
"Then, as I lay on the ground, 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. Michael
continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going
to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER 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 Michael.
"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, 'Gravity'. Over their laughter, told them,
'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'.

Michael 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.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own. After all today is the tomorrow you
worried about yesterday.

*****

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