书城外语双语学习丛书-人生之道
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第12章 Attitude Is Everything态度决定一切

The bottom line is: Its your choice how you live life.

Attitude Is Everything

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, Id be twins!” He was a natural motivator motivator n.激起行为(或行动)的人(或事物),促进因素, 激发因素 .

归根到底:如何生活是你自己作出的选择。

态度决定一切

迈克尔是那种令人无法不喜欢的家伙,他总是笑口常开,总说些积极进取的话。倘若有人问他近况怎么样,他就回答:“假如我还可以再好,那我就成双胞胎了!”他天生就会催人上进。

If an employee employee n.职工, 雇员, 店员 was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive positive adj.肯定的, 实际的, 积极的, 绝对的, 确实的 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?”

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 victim n.受害人, 牺牲者, 牺牲品 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.”

如果哪位员工某天过得不开心,迈克尔会告诉他如何找到问题积极的一面。

他的这种性格实在让我好奇,所以有一天我在迈克尔面前问他:“我真搞不懂,你每时每刻都这样积极乐观,你是怎样做到的?”

迈克尔回答:“每天早晨醒来时我就告诉自己,‘迈克,今天你有两种选择。你可以选择心情愉悦,你也可以选择心情恶劣。’我选择了心情愉悦。每当有什么不愉快的事情发生时,我可以选择是成为一个牺牲品,还是选择从中吸取教训,我选择了从中吸取教训。每当有人来向我抱怨,我可以选择接受他们的抱怨,也可以选择向他指明生活中积极的一面。我选择了指明生活的积极面。”

“Yeah, right. It isnt that easy.” I protestedprotest v.主张, 断言抗议, 拒付 .

“Yes,it is. ” Michael said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk junk n.垃圾, 舢板 , 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: Its your choice how you live life.” I reflected on what Michael said.

Soon thereafter thereafter adv.其后, 从那时以后 , I left the big enterpriseenterprise n.企业, 事业, 计划, 事业心, 进取心, 干事业 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.

“是的,不错。可那并不容易。”我提出异议。

“其实很容易,”迈克尔说,“生活中充满了选择。从每一事物中剔除所有枝蔓后余下的都是一种选择。你选择如何应付生活中的种种情形。你选择他人会如何影响你的情绪。你选择是心情愉悦还是恶劣。归根到底:如何生活是你自己作出的选择。”我思考起了迈克尔的这几句话。

不久之后,我离开工作多年的大企业,创办了自己的公司。我们之间也失去了联系,但每当我在生活中做出一种选择而不是对它做出反应时,我常常会想到迈克尔。几年过后,我听说迈克尔遭遇一场横祸,他从一座通讯发射塔的60英尺高处掉了下来。

After 18 hours of surgery, and weeks of intensive care intensive care n.重病特别护理 , Michael was releasedrelease vt.释放, 解放, 放弃, 让与, 免除, 发表 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, Id be twins. Wanna see my scarsscar n.伤痕,疤痕 ?” 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 soontoborn 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.”

“Werent you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.

迈克尔在经历了18个小时的手术和数周精心护理后,终于出院了,他的背部装上了金属杆。

我见到迈克尔大约是在事故发生半年以后。当我问感觉如何时,他回答:“假如我还可以再好,那我就成双胞胎了。你想看看我的伤疤吗?”我拒绝了,但的确问了他事故发生时他是如何想的。

“我首先想到的是我那就要出世的女儿的幸福前景,”迈克尔答道,“当时我躺在地上,我记得我有两种选择:我可以选择活下去,也可以选择死去。我选择了活下去。”

“难道你不害怕吗?你失去知觉了吗?”我问。

Michael continued, “… the paramedics paramedic n.伞兵军医, 护理人员 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 ‘Hes a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big burly burly adj.魁伟的, 结实的 nurse shouting questions at me,” said Michael. “She asked me if I was allergic allergic adj.[医]过敏的, 患过敏症的 to anything. ‘Yes,’ I said. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled yell vi.大叫, 忍不住笑, 呼喊 ”, ‘Gravity’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘Im choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’”

迈克尔接着说:“……那些护理人员太好了。他们不停地告诉我我会好的。但当他们将我推进手术室,我看见医生和护士脸上的表情时,我的确吓坏了。从他们的眼中,我读出了‘他是个死人。’我知道我应该采取点儿行动了。”

“你当时做了什么?”我问道。

“有一位高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。医生和护士都停下了手中的工作等我回答。我深吸口气大声说:‘万有引力。’他们的笑声过后,我告诉他们:‘我选择活下去。把我当作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,这要感激那些医术高明的医生,但也应归功于他那令人敬佩的态度。我从他那儿学到了我们每一天都应选择充实地活着,态度决定一切。

我们选择什么态度去生活,我们的人生就会是什么样子的。一个人的态度不仅仅会影响这个人的一生,还会带给你不同结局。生活在我们自己手里,我们有选择的权利,我们不能做命运的奴隶、接受命运的安排,让命运主宰我们的生命尺度和宽度。不要在精神上打败自己,不要让自己的坚强在一次次困境面前被摧毁,它可以让一个人强大起来,相信人是创造奇迹的伟大使者。乐观的态度是每一个热爱生活和追求成功的人所必须具备的,时刻在心理为自己加油为自己鼓劲,不放弃本该属于自己的东西,生命会是永恒的光芒。