生活充滿選擇

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a goodmood and always has something positive to say. When someone would askhim how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I』d betwins!」 He was a natural motivator.
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　　邁克爾是那種你真想恨一恨的傢伙，他總是樂呵呵的，總是說些積極上進的話。如果有人問他近況如何，他會這樣回答：「如果我還能再好，我就成雙胞胎了！」他生來就會讓人積極進取。               
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　　If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling theemployee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing thisstyle really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and askedhim, "I don』 t get it. You can』 t be positive all the time. How do youdo it?"
　　               
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　　如果哪位僱員有天過得很糟糕，邁克爾會告訴他如何看待問題的積極一面。他的這種方式著實讓我好奇，所以有一天我找到邁克爾問：「我真弄不明白。你怎麼能總是那樣積極樂觀？你是如何做到這一點的？」
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$ O7 B- C0 L- j8 e1 X$ |1 p　　Michael replied, each morning I wake up and say to myself 『Mike, youhave two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you canchoose to be in a bad mood.』 I choose to be in a good mood. Each timesomething bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or choose to learnfrom it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to mecomplaining I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point outthe positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
　　                  
　　
, K% U. J* f. c8 z) a0 O. {　　邁克爾回答說，「每天早晨醒來時我對自己說，』邁克，今天你有兩種選擇。你可以選擇心情愉快，你也可以選擇心情惡劣。』我選擇心情愉快。每次什麼不愉快的事情發生時，我可以選擇成為一個犧牲品，也可以選擇從中吸取教訓。我選擇從中吸取教訓。每次有什麼人找我來抱怨，我可以選擇接受他們的抱怨，也可以選擇向他指出生活的積極面。我選擇指出生活的積極面。」
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# `5 Z+ z- X( T7 r; f' [　　"Yeah, right. It isn』t that easy." I protested.                                    
　　   
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　　「是的，不錯。可並不那麼容易呀。」我表示異議。                                    
　　  
　　
' V2 e# \* t- @, V/ i　　"Yes it is, " Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cutaway all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how youreact to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. Youchoose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line is: It』s yourchoice how you live life. " I reflected on what Michael said.
　　
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　　「其實很容易，」邁克爾說。「生活就是選擇。從每一事物剔除一切枝節後剩下的都是一種選擇。你選擇如何應付生活中的種種情形。你選擇他人會怎樣影響你的情緒。你選擇是心情愉快還是心情惡劣。說到底：如何生活是你自己的選擇。」我琢磨著邁克爾的這席話。
　　                                 
　　
　　Soon thereafter, I left the big enterprise that I had worked in foryears to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often though abouthim when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Severalyears later, I heard Michael was involved in a serious accident,falling off 60 feet from a communications tower.
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　　那以後不久，我離開了工作數年的大企業去創建自己的公司。我們失去了聯繫，但當我對生活做出一種選擇而非對它做出反應時，我時常想起邁克爾。幾年之後，我聽說邁克爾遭遇一場惡性事故，從一座通訊大樓的60英尺高處掉了下來。
　　
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$ u8 k/ Z) i( h& s: P3 ?　　After l8 hours ofsurgery, and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from thehospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six monthsafter the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I wereany better, I』d be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see hiswounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accidenttook place.
　　            
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　　在經歷了18個小時的手術和數周的精心護理之後，邁克爾出院了，背部裝有金屬桿。大約事故半年之後，我見到了邁克爾。當我問他怎麼樣時，他回答，「如果我還能再好，我就成雙胞胎了。想看看我的傷疤嗎？」我拒絕看他的傷痕，但的確問了他事故發生時他是怎麼想的。
　　
　　"The first thing that went throughmy mind was the well being of my soon-to-born daughter," Michaelreplied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, remembered I had two choices: Icould choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.""Weren』t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michaelcontinued, "... the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I wasgoing to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the operation room andI saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I gotreally scared. In their eyes, l read 『He』s a dead man.』 I knew I neededto take action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a bigburly nurse shouting questions at me」 said Michael. "She asked me if Iwas allergic to anything. 『Yes,』 I said. The doctors and nurses stoppedworking 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』."
　　            
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* I+ y  S" N: A! X; q- E　　「我首先想到的是我那即將出世的女兒的幸福生活，」邁克爾答道。「當時我躺在地上，我記起我有兩種選擇：我可以選擇活著，也可以選擇死。我選擇了活。」「你難道不害怕嗎？你失去知覺了嗎？」我問。邁克爾接著說，「……那些護理人員棒極了。他們不停地告訴我我會好的。但當他們把我推進手術室，我看到醫生和護士臉上的表情時，我真是嚇壞了。在他們的眼裡，我讀出了』他是個死人。』我知道我應該採取行動。」「你採取了什麼行動？」我問道。「有一位人高馬大的護士大聲衝我問問題，」邁克爾說。「她問我是否對什麼過敏。』是的，』我說。醫生和護士都停下手中的活兒等我回答。我深吸一口氣大聲說出，』萬有引力。』他們的笑聲未了，我告訴他們，』我選擇活著。把我當活人而不是死人來做手術。」『
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2 ~. q! @, X6 h' y& S　　Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because ofhis amazing attitude. I 1eamed from him that every day we have a choiceto live fully. Attitude is everything.
　　
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　　邁克爾活了下來，這要感謝他那些醫生的高明醫術，但也要歸功於他那令人讚歎的態度。我從他那裡學到了我們每天都可以選擇充實地活著. 態度決定一切。