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WITandWISDOM(tm) - July 2, 2002 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. - Oscar Wilde Source: Thought for Today, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thoughtfortoday Subject s: Wealth, Stealing ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Attitude 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 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. "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 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. 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. "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, I 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. From: Attributed to - Chicken Soup for the Soul Source: Life's Adventures, http://www.worldstart.com/lifesadventures.htm Submitte d by Shirley L. Ralf Subjects: Attitude, Optimists ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Memorandum To: Jesus, Son of Joseph. Woodcrafters shop. Nazareth. From: Jordan Management Consultants. Jerusalem. Subject: Staff Aptitude Test. Date :May 22, 30 Thank you for submitting the resumes of the 12 men you picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests, and we have not only run the results through our computer but also have arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational consultant. It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability. Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic depressive scale. One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and has contact in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and innovative. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right hand man. All other profiles are self-explanatory. We wish you every success in your new venture. Source: Colorado Comments, http://coloradocomments.com/ Subjects: Jesus, Disciples, Evaluation ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: At the airport check-in counter, I overheard a woman ask for window seats for her and her husband. The clerk pointed out that this would prevent them from sitting together. "Sweetie," the woman replied, "I just spent ten days of quality time in a compact rental car with this man. I know what I'm requesting." Source: Colorado Comments, http://coloradocomments.com/ Subjects: Airplanes, Marriage ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: According to David J. Lieberman, a leader in the field of human behavior, "Numerous studies conclude that the more you interact with someone, the more he or she will like you." Lieberman, in is new book, Get Anyone to Do Anything, says, "Sometimes we make the mistake of trying to appear mysterious, aloof, or unavailable to someone, but in doing so we diminish our number of interactions. Studies conclude that we become friends with, and tend to like more, those who are physically nearest to us because of this increased level of interaction." By Neil Eskelin in Neil Eskelin's Daily Jump Start(tm), Copyright (c) 2002, http://www.neileskelin.com Subjects: Management, Motivation |