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.
迈克尔是一个非常讨人喜欢的家伙，他总是心情好好，说些积极向上的话。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！”他生来就是个积极向上的人。
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?"
如果哪位雇员有一天不怎么顺心，迈克尔会告诉他如何从积极的一面看待眼前的形势。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，你也可以选择心情糟糕。’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，也可以选择向他们指出生活中积极的一面。我选择指出生活中积极的一面。”
Yeah, right. It isn"t that easy. I protested.
“是的，没错。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，励志，”迈克尔说。“生活充满选择。当你剔除一切枝节后，每一种情形都是一种选择。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。你选择有个好心情或是有个坏心情。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 thought 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.
自那以后不久，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 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 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重症特别护理之后，迈克尔出院了，背部装有金属杆。事故发生大约半年之后，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, I 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, 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 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。我选择了活着。”“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。’等他们笑完后，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 learned 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可以选择充实地活着。态度决定一切。
