IN THE WORDS OF ROCKY BALBOA
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Sylvester Stallone is one of the most famous American Movie stars. With characters like Rocky and Rambo he is a household name in the hearts of millions.
During birth, a wrong gynecological procedure caused Stallone to have one sided paralysis. At school, his middle class being and his facial paralysis became a thing for others to make fun of.
He started body-building because he wanted to frighten those who bullied him. Slowly he started thinking of a career in movies.
Around 1974, he had a pregnant wife, a dog that he loved, a lot of bills to pay and no success in his movie career.
What he still had was a belief in his dream that he will make it big.
Soon a time came when he went broke. He was heavily under debt.
Restless, anxious, stressed and still loaded with hope that he WILL make it big.
Things got so bad that he had to sell his wife’s jewelry and ended up homeless. Sleeping at the New York Bus station for days.
The cold American winter forced him to choose between electricity and his dog. He stood outside a local store and sold his dog for $25.
Two weeks later, on TV he watched a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner. That match was like a flash of divine inspiration… For the next 20 hours he sat and wrote the script of what today is a cult movie, ROCKY.
In the words of Stallone, “After nearly 1500 rejections”, he got a production house to offer $125,000 for the script.
Despite the poverty, pains, pregnant wife and lost dog… His dream was to STAR in the movie as the MAIN LEAD.
In an era when heroes were super handsome men and spoke fluently, a body builder with a facial paralysis that made him stammer while speaking, made Stallone the wrong choice for any role.
The studio bluntly rejected his offer… And Stallone went back home with another failure.
A few weeks later,the studio offered him $250,000 for just the script, and not him.
He refused.
Soon they offered $350,000 for the script but not him.
At that time everyone was pushing him to accept. It would be MAD not to do so. He was making a fortune.
He still refused.
Someone in the studio really loved his script, and as fortune favors the brave. They finally accepted to give $35,000 for the script and have him as the lead star.
The rest as they say is history!
The movie was made for $1 million and went to make around $200 million.
It won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Film Editing.
Stallone was a “bankable” hero for the next 20yrs, till the late 90s… with his movies making billions of dollars.
And what did he do with the first $35,000?
He stood outside the liquor store, where he sold his dog, for 3 days. Identified the man who had bought it, and finally got him back for $15,000.
AND IN THE WORDS OF ROCKY BALBOA –
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
― Sylvester Stallone, Rocky
https://www.facebook.com/SusuSwamy/photos/a.143...
https://www.facebook.com/SusuSwamy/photos/a.143...
@DAN wrote:
Lol
All such irrelevant posts are expected in his threads
@dhruv_yv wrote:
Anything relevant to this thread?? relevant to Rocky??
@B@R_0_0_D wrote:
Psychology facts :
⭕⭕⭕
Couples who spend at least 10 minutes a day laughing together are more likely to have a stronger relationship.
⭕⭕⭕
Any friendship that exceeds the 7 yr mark is more likely to last an entire lifetime.
⭕⭕⭕
You can judge a lot about a person’s character by what they laugh at.
⭕⭕⭕
A lot of problems in the world would disappear if we talk to each other instead of talking about each other.
⭕⭕⭕
Kids who play video games tend to have better hand-eye coordination, a better memory, and better problem solving skills.
⭕⭕⭕
A person is more likely to use " K " in a text message when they have no interest in talking to you.
⭕⭕⭕
75% of women ask questions in which they already know the answer. This is why it’s best to simply tell her the truth.
⭕⭕⭕
Everyone has a song in their playlist which they always skip, but never delete.
⭕⭕⭕
People who talk to themselves are more likely to have a high I.Q.
⭕⭕⭕
If you chew gum when you study a subject and then chew the same flavor when you the take the test it can help you remember.
⭕⭕⭕
Your body is actually designed to get 4 hours of sleep twice per day instead of 8 hours once!
⭕⭕⭕
Over thinking can cause physical and mental fatigue, it may also lead to chronic depression.
⭕⭕⭕
Ironically, sometimes the people who don’t talk to you are the one’s who really want to.
⭕⭕⭕
Psychology says, the best things in life are usually found when you are not looking for them.
⭕⭕⭕
According to old myths, the inability to fall asleep at night means you’re awake in someone’s dream
⭕⭕⭕
Smiles have been proven to be more attractive on a woman’s face than makeup.
⭕⭕⭕
Lack of sleep makes it difficult to control emotions which is why people are more likely to cry or laugh uncontrollably at night.
⭕⭕⭕
You were smiling while reading this.
Keep smiling it suits you😃😃
Inspiring story.. A Beautiful Message??
Arthur Ashe, The Legendary Wimbledon Player was dying of AIDS
which he got due to Infected Blood he received during a Heart Surgery in 1983!
He received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:
“Why did God have to select you for such a bad disease??”
To this Arthur Ashe replied:
50 Million children started playing Tennis,
5 Million learnt to play Tennis,
500 000 learnt Professional Tennis,
50 Thousand came to Circuit,
5 Thousand reached Grandslam,
50 reached Wimbledon,
4 reached the Semifinals,
2 reached the Finals and
when I was holding the cup in my hand,
I never asked God
“Why Me?”
So now that I’m in pain how can I ask God “Why Me?”
Happiness keeps you Sweet!!
Trials keeps you Strong!!
Sorrows keeps you Human!!
Failure keeps you Humble!!
Success keeps you Glowing!!
But only,
Faith keeps you Going.
Sometimes you are
unsatisfied with your life,
while many people in
this world are dreaming
of living your life..
A child on a farm sees
a plane fly overhead &
dreams of flying.
But,
A pilot on the plane sees
the farmhouse & dreams
of returning home.
That’s life!!
Enjoy yours…
JAI HO !!!…………….
gone to the Dogs
Mary Ray at CRUFTS
Crufts is an umbrella term for an international canine event held annually in the UK. Crufts is centred on a championship conformation show for dogs but also includes a large trade show of mainly dog-related goods and services and competitions in dog agility, obedience, flyball and heelwork to music.
A very inspiring article worth reading:
Once there was a man who did not make it to university. So, his mother got him a wife. After the marriage, he worked as a teacher in a primary school. Due to the lack of experience, he was squashed by the students in less than a week.
When he returned home, his wife dried his tears. She comforted him with these words. ‘When one is too full, he could either pour it out what’s in him or he just could not pour it out at all. You should not be too sad about it. Probably there is a more suitable job waiting for you out there.’
Later on, he found another job and not for so long, he was fired due to his slowness. This time, the wife commented. ‘There are always people who are skilful and non skilful. Some have experience from their years of work. As for you, you were in school all this while. So, how could you acquire these needed skills?’
He went for a number of jobs but never stayed long in those jobs. Each time, he would return home with a dejected spirit. His wife would always comfort him and never for once, she was disappointed or resentful.
He was in his thirties when he aquired a flair in languages. He became a counselor in a school for the deaf and mute. Later on, he opened a school for the disabled. A few years later, he set up chain stores in different cities and provinces selling apparatus & equipment for the disabled. He became a multi-millionaire. He was John Doe!
One day he asked his wife. ‘When I was looking bleak at my own future, what’s the reason that you have so much faith in me?’
His wife gave him a very simple reply. She said, ‘When a piece of land is not suitable for planting wheat, we could try planting beans. If the beans are not growing well, we could try planting fruits or gourds. If the vegetation is not economical, we can instead scatter buckwheat seeds. These seeds will one day bloom into flowers. On this land itself, there will be one seed that will germinate and grow.’
After having listened to the wife’s explanation, he cried. His wife’s faith, love, patience, and persistence in him is liken to the one seed in the land. This is the seed that persists and creates the miracle on this piece of land.
“In this world, there’s no one person who is useless. It is just that they have not positioned themselves firmly in right place.
A Lesson from 1979 that is as Important today
‘A Leader Should Know How to Manage Failure’
(Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at Wharton India Economic forum , Philadelphia , March 22,2008)
Question: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure?
Kalam’s reply: Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of India ’s satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India ’s “Rohini” satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources — but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.
By 1979 — I think the month was August — we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts — I had four or five of them with me — told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal . It was a big failure.
That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am, and the press conference — where journalists from around the world were present — was at 7:45 am at ISRO’s satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India ]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure — he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.
The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite — and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, “You conduct the press conference today.”
I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team.
The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from this experience..!!!
अगर प्रेरणा के स्रोत वास्तव में कोई है तो ये हैं हरीश चन्द्र श्रीमान्
ये उन लोगो में से हैं जो हमे ज़ीने की
कुछ करने की अदभुत शक्ति देते हैं
प्रेरणा गाथा…
हरीश चंदर : झुग्गी नं. 208 से निकला
आईएएस
दिल्ली की झुग्गी
झोपड़ी में रहने वाले दिहाड़ी मजदूर के
बेटे हरीश चंदर ने पहले प्रयास में तय किया
आईएएस का सफर।
यह कहानी है एक जिद की, यह
दास्तां है एक जुनून की, यह कोशिश है सपने देखने
और उन्हें पूरा करने की। यह मिसाल है उस जज्बे
की, जिसमें झुग्गी बस्ती में
रहते हुए एक दिहाड़ी मजदूर का बेटा आईएएस
अफसर बन गया है। पिता एक दिहाड़ी मजदूर, मां
दूसरों के घर-घर जाकर काम करने वाली बाई। कोई और
होता तो शायद कभी का बिखर गया होता, लेकिन
दिल्ली के 21 वर्षीय हरीश
चंदर ने इन्हीं हालात में रहकर वह करिश्मा कर
दिखाया, जो संघर्षशील युवाओं के लिए मिसाल बन गया।
दिल्ली के ओट्रम लेन, किंग्सवे कैंप की
झुग्गी नंबर 208 में रहने वाले हरीश ने
पहले ही प्रयास में आईएएस परीक्षा
में 309वीं रैंक हासिल की है। संघर्ष
की सफलता की कहानी,
हरीश चंदर की जुबानी।
मेरा बचपन: चने खाकर गुजारी रातें
मैंने संघर्ष की ऐसी काली
कोठरी में जन्म लिया, जहां हर चीज के
लिए जद्दोजहद करनी पड़ती
थी। जब से मैंने होश संभाला खुद को
किसी न किसी लाइन में ही
पाया। कभी पीने के पानी
की लाइन में तो कभी राशन की
लाइन में। यहां तक कि शौच जाने के लिए भी लाइन में
लगना पड़ता था। झुग्गी में माहौल ऎसा होता था कि
पढ़ाई कि बात तो दूर सुबह-शाम का खाना मिल जाए, तो मुकद्दर
की बात मानी जाती
थी। बाबा (पापा) दिहाड़ी मजूदर थे।
कभी कोई काम मिल जाए तो रोटी
नसीब हो जाती थी,
नहीं तो घर पर रखे चने खाकर सोने की
हमें सभी को आदत थी।
झुग्गी में जहां पीने को पानी
मयस्सर नहीं होता वहां लाइट की सोचना
भी बेमानी है। झोपड़ी
की हालत ऐसी थी कि
गर्मी में सूरज, बरसात में पानी और
सर्दी में ठंड का सीधा सामना हुआ करता
था।
मेरी हिम्मत: मां और बाबा
मेरे मां-बाबा पूरी तरह निरक्षर हैं, लेकिन उन्होंने
मुझे और मेरे तीन भाई-बहनों को पढ़ाने
की हर संभव कोशिश की। लेकिन जिस घर
में दो जून का खाना जुटाने के लिए भी मशक्कत
होती हो, वहां पढ़ाई कहां तक चल
पाती। घर के हालात देख मैं एक किराने की
दुकान पर काम करने लगा। लेकिन इसका असर मेरी
पढ़ाई पर पड़ा। दसवीं में मैं फेल होते-होते बचा। उस
दौरान एक बार तो मैंने हमेशा के लिए पढ़ाई छोड़ने की
सोच ली। लेकिन मेरी मां, जिन्हें खुद
अक्षरों का ज्ञान नहीं था, वो जानती
थीं के ये अक्षर ही उसके बेटे का भाग्य
बदल सकते हैं। मां ने मुझे पढ़ाने के लिए दुकान से हटाया और
खुद दूसरों के घरों में झाडू-पोंछा करने लगी। उनके
कमाए पैसों को पढ़ाई में खर्च करने में भी मुझे एक
अजीब सा जोश आता था। मैं एक-एक मिनट को
भी इस्तेमाल करता था। मेरा मानना है कि आपको अगर
किसी काम में पूरी तरह सफल होना है
तो आपको उसके लिए पूरी तरह समर्पित होना पड़ेगा।
एक प्रतिशत लापरवाही आपकी
पूरी जिंदगी के लिए नुकसानदायक साबित हो
सकती है।
मेरे प्रेरक : मां, गोविंद और धर्मेंद्र सर
यूं तो मां मेरी सबसे बडी प्रेरणा
रही है, लेकिन मैं जिस एक शख्स से सबसे ज्यादा
प्रभावित हूं और जिसने मुझे झकझोर कर रख दिया, वह है
गोविंद जायसवाल। वही गोविंद जिसके पिता रिक्शा चलाते
थे और वह 2007 में आईएएस बना। एक अखबार में गोविंद का
इंटरव्यू पढ़ने के बाद मुझे लगा कि अगर वह आईएएस बन सकता
है तो मैं क्यूं नहीं मैं बारहवीं तक यह
भी नहीं जानता था कि आईएएस होते
क्या हैं लेकिन हिंदू कॉलेज से बीए करने के दौरान
मित्रों के जरिए जब मुझे इस सेवा के बारे में पता चला,
उसी दौरान मैंने आईएएस बनने का मानस बना लिया था।
परीक्षा के दौरान राजनीतिक विज्ञान और
दर्शन शास्त्र मेरे मुख्य विषय थे। विषय चयन के बाद
दिल्ली स्थित पतंजली संस्थान के धर्मेंद्र
सर ने मेरा मार्गदर्शन किया। उनकी दर्शन शास्त्र पर
जबरदस्त पकड़ है। उनका पढ़ाने का तरीका
ही कुछ ऐसा है कि सारे कॉन्सेप्ट खुद ब खुद
क्लीयर होते चले जाते हैं। उनका मार्गदर्शन मुझे
नहीं मिला होता तो शायद मैं यहां तक
नहीं पहुंच पाता।
मेरा जुनून : हार की सोच भी दिमाग में न
आए
मैंने जिंदगी के हर मोड़ पर संघर्ष देखा है, लेकिन
कभी परिस्थितियों से हार स्वीकार
नहीं की। जब मां ने किराने की
दुकान से हटा दिया, उसके बाद कई सालों तक मैंने बच्चों को ट्यूशन
पढ़ाया और खुद भी पढ़ता रहा। इस दौरान न जाने
कितने लोगों की उपेक्षा झेली और
कितनी ही मुसीबतों का सामना
किया। लोग मुझे पास बिठाना भी पसंद नहीं
करते थे, क्योंकि मैं झुग्गी से था। लोग यह मानते हैं
कि झुग्गियों से केवल अपराधी ही निकलते
हैं। मेरी कोशिश ने यह साबित कर दिया कि
झुग्गी से अफसर भी निकलते हैं। लोगों ने
भले ही मुझे कमजोर माना लेकिन मैं खुद को बेस्ट
मानता था। मेरा मानना है कि जब भी खुद पर संदेह
हो तो अपने से नीचे वालों को देख लो, हिम्मत खुद ब
खुद आ जाएगी। सही बात यह
भी है कि यह मेरा पहला ही
नहीं आखिरी प्रयास था। अगर मैं इस
प्रयास में असफल हो जाता तो मेरे मां-बाबा के पास इतना पैसा
नहीं था कि वे मुझे दोबारा तैयारी करवाते।
मेरी खुशी : बाबूजी का सम्मान
मेरी जिंदगी में सबसे बड़ा खुशी
का पल वह था, जब हर दिन की तरह बाबा
मजदूरी करके घर लौटे और उन्हें पता चला कि उनका
बेटा आईएएस परीक्षा में पास हो गया है। मुझे फख्र
है कि मुझे ऐसे मां-बाप मिले, जिन्होंने हमें कामयाबी
दिलाने के लिया अपना सब कुछ होम कर दिया। मुझे आज यह
बताते हुए फख्र हो रहा है कि मेरा पता ओट्रम लेन, किंग्सवे
कैंप, झुग्गी नंबर 208 है। उस दिन जब
टीवी चैनल वाले, पत्रकार बाबा
की बाइट ले रहे थे तो उनकी आंसू
भरी मुस्कुराहट के सामने मानों मेरी
सारी तकलीफें और मेहनत बहुत
बौनी हो गई थीं।
मेरा संदेश : विल पावर को कमजोर मत होने दो
मेरा मानना है कि एक कामयाब और एक निराश व्यक्ति में ज्ञान का
फर्क नहीं होता, फर्क होता है तो सिर्फ इच्छा
शक्ति का। हालात कितने ही बुरे हों, घनघोर
गरीबी हो। बावजूद इसके
आपकी विल पावर मजबूत हो, आप पर हर हाल में
कामयाब होने की सनक सवार हो, तो दुनिया
की कोई ताकत आपको सफल होने से रोक
नहीं सकती। वैसे भी जब
हम कठिन कार्यों को चुनौती के रूप में
स्वीकार करते हैं और उन्हें खुशी और
उत्साह से करते हैं तो चमत्कार होते हैं। यूं तो हताशा-निराशा
कभी मुझपर हावी नहीं
हुई, लेकिन फिर भी कभी परेशान होता था
तो नीरज की वो पंक्तियां मुझे हौसला
देती हैं, ’मैं तूफानों में चलने का आदी
हूं.. ’
Our little guy finally had his Last Chemotherapy last night. He is now cancer free.
Some things never change. The way we feel about our children, the smile we get when first we smell the earthly aroma after the rain. These feelings rarely change, nor do some core principles of what it means to be human and to be alive. Here are 19 things we should never forget, because they have always been true.
“Never give up, champ.”
The caliber of a person is not how well
he prepares for everything to go right,
But, How he stands up and moves on
after everything has gone wrong.
One day a professor entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They waited anxiously at their desks for the test to begin. The professor handed out the question paper, with the text facing down as usual. Once he handed them all out, he asked his students to turn the page and begin. To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions….just a black dot in the
center of the page. The professor seeing the expression on
everyone’s face, told them the
following:
“I want you to write what you see there.”
The students confused, got started on the inexplicable task.
At the end of the class, the professor took all the answer papers and started reading each one of them aloud in front of all the students. All of them with no exceptions, described the black dot, trying to explain its position in the middle of the sheet, etc. etc. etc. After all had been read, the classroom silent, the professor began to explain:
“I am not going to grade on you this, I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot – and the same happens in our lives. We have a white paper to observe and enjoy, but we always focus on the dark spots. Our life is a gift given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate – nature renewing itself everyday, our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see everyday…….
However we insist on focusing only on the dark spots – the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend, a.s.o.
The dark spots are very small compared to everything we have in our lives, but they are the ones that pollute our minds.
Take your eyes away from the black spots in your life. Enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment that life gives you. Be happy and live a life filled with LOVE," .
A beautiful question. What is the meaning of life?
A beautiful answer to it: When a person is born, he has breath but no name and when he dies, he has name but no breath. The gap between this breath and name is life!….
👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
Must Read Everyone
@B@R_0_0_D- thanks bhai/didi.. first time someone tagged me on dd:-)
PS- awesum story. really liked it:-)
i also wanna share a story but i have the story in pics:-(
@B@R_0_0_D wrote:
One day a professor entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They waited anxiously at their desks for the test to begin. The professor handed out the question paper, with the text facing down as usual. Once he handed them all out, he asked his students to turn the page and begin. To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions….just a black dot in the
center of the page. The professor seeing the expression on
everyone’s face, told them the
following:
“I want you to write what you see there.”
The students confused, got started on the inexplicable task.
At the end of the class, the professor took all the answer papers and started reading each one of them aloud in front of all the students. All of them with no exceptions, described the black dot, trying to explain its position in the middle of the sheet, etc. etc. etc. After all had been read, the classroom silent, the professor began to explain:
“I am not going to grade on you this, I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot – and the same happens in our lives. We have a white paper to observe and enjoy, but we always focus on the dark spots. Our life is a gift given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate – nature renewing itself everyday, our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see everyday…….
However we insist on focusing only on the dark spots – the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend, a.s.o.
The dark spots are very small compared to everything we have in our lives, but they are the ones that pollute our minds.
Take your eyes away from the black spots in your life. Enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment that life gives you. Be happy and live a life filled with LOVE," .
A beautiful question. What is the meaning of life?
A beautiful answer to it: When a person is born, he has breath but no name and when he dies, he has name but no breath. The gap between this breath and name is life!….
👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
Must Read Everyone
@opium
@mr.lonely
@Aarya
@Magus
@riya95
@prinkle
@thrifty_indian
Inspiring . . . .
Upar Dan bhaisab ka post dekh kar sochta hoon…abhi jab Khujliwal ne apna rang dikhana suru kar diya hai to unke muh se ab motiyo jagah kya niklega AAP ke liye?
@prinkle wrote:
@B@R_0_0_D- thanks bhai/didi.. first time someone tagged me on dd:-)
PS- awesum story. really liked it:-)
i also wanna share a story but i have the story in pics:-(
wat story
Hmm nice , food for thought.
Jerry is a manager of a restaurant. He is always in a good mood. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”
Many of the waiters at his restaurant used to quit their jobs when Jerry changed jobs, so that they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant.
Why?
Because Jerry was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always 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! No one can be a positive person all the time. How do you do it?”
Jerry replied,
“Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood. I always choose to be in a good mood.
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always 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 always choose the positive side of life.”
“But it’s not always that easy,” I 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 a bad mood.
It’s your choice how you live your life.”
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something that you are never expected to do in a restaurant business. He left the back door of his restaurant open. And then?
In the morning, he was robbed by three armed men. They forced Jerry to open the safe box. While Jerry was trying to open it, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped of the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.
Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital.
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 would be twins! Want to see my scars?”
I declined to see his wounds but did ask him what was going 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 after they shot me, 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?” I asked.
Jerry continued, “The paramedics were great. They kept telling me that 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.’ And I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked me 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’m choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I’m alive, and not dead’.”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.
I learned from him that:
Everyday you have a choice to either enjoy your day or to hate it.
The only thing that is truly yours- that no one can control or take from you- is your attitude. So if you can take care of that, everything in life becomes much easier.