A Positive Life is A Choice

I was surfing around the internet today, and I found a story on Upbeat.net that captures the essence of living a happy and positive life. Choices.

Whenever something bad happens to us in life, we have a CHOICE of how we'll react. Will we get mad or depressed and lash out, or will we decide to learn from the situation and keep a positive attitude?

Check out this story from Upbeat.net and see how one man chooses to see the bright side of a bad situation.

Video: When You've Gotta Dance, You've Gotta Dance - Guy Breaks Out Into Dance At Boston Celtics Game

Watch as this kid at a Celtics game breaks out into a pretty detailed dance routine. And, as a fan of 80's hair bands, I applaud his choice of music!

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Video: Sleeping On Strangers On The Subway

The following video was inspired by a photo of a man sleeping on the shoulder of stranger on the subway for over 30 minutes.

See what happens when a man decides to recreate the photo on a New York subway.

A Public Letter Thanking First Responders

The following letter was published in the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper.  It's a public letter from a gentleman thanking the first responders who saved his life.  One of the first responders happens to be my cousin's husband.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank some people who were instrumental in saving my life.

On Oct. 2, I began bleeding profusely as a result of some previous surgery. Fortunately, my wife was close by and called 911. 

The Prattville FireMedics arrived very quickly and went to work immediately. This team, consisting of FireMedics Sgt. Brandon Scott and Nick Bolton, along with firefighters Sgt. Roy Dickerson, Eric Evans, Dusty Barrett and Andrew McCullers, did not waste a moment and, I am convinced, saved my life. 

I do not have words to adequately thank them.

I want to also remind all of us to be alert for the sight and sound of emergency vehicles when we’re on the road. Failure to yield the right-of-way to one of these vehicles could possibly cost someone their life. 

Again, thanks to all first responders, especially the ones named here. 

Sam Smith 
Prattville

Well done Brandon...

Video: Ashton Kutcher's Interview On Ellen About His Teen Choice Awards Speech

Ashton Kutcher was on Ellen last week talking with her about his Teen Choice Awards speech where he used the opportunity to talk to kids about what life is really about.

It was certainly an eye-opening speech from an unlikely source, and it's definitely not something you hear very often from a celebrity. Watch the interview below, and if you missed his speech on the Teen Choice Awards, you can watch it below as well. Make it a great day!



P.S. I'm now on Twitter, so you can follow along at @PositivePelham if you'd like as well.

60 Minutes Segment on Nick Saban's Quest for Perfection

As a graduate of the University of Alabama, I'm obviously a huge fan of Nick Saban, but like a lot of fans, I've never known exactly what goes on in his daily life. And, I never knew what was behind his pursuit of perfection. Saban tells us in this segment from last week's 60 Minutes. It's a fascinating look behind-the-scenes of one of the greatest college football coaches and programs of all time. Make it a great day!

Video: Police Officer's Final Act Of Kindness Caught On Camera

A police officer's random act of kindness was caught on tape just minutes before he lost his life.

Ranger Surprises His Dog Upon Return From Iraq

Here's an awesome video of a Ranger home from Iraq. He surprises his dog after his father throws the ball for him to fetch, and then the soldier greets him upon his return with the ball. Very cool...

Who Is The Real Phil Mickelson?

Back in 2007, I featured the article below after Phil Mickelson won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. After Phil's win yesterday at The Masters, I think it's fitting to re-publish this article.

With all the attention that Tiger's negative lifestyle has garnered over the last six months, I think it's time to celebrate someone like Phil who has always put his wife and family first. If you watched The Masters yesterday, and saw Phil and Amy's hug after the tournament, you know what I'm talking about. It was an awesome sight to see...

--Re-Published from February 12, 2007--

First, I want to congratulate Phil for winning the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Phil blew away the field shooting a final round 66 to win the tournament by five shots. This is Phil's 30th career victory, which puts him in select company as he now has more career wins at age 36 than Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller and Ben Crenshaw had in their entire careers.

I have been a fan of Phil Mickelson's for a very long time. He's one of those golfers that I've pulled for for years and have always assumed he was a a nice guy considering how polite and nice he seems on television. Back in 2004, I was at the Masters on Sunday when he won his first Masters title. My wife and I were positioned to the left of the tee on #10, and after Phil teed off, he walked down the left side of the fairway passing directly by us. We both smiled and gave him a "Go Phil", and he did something that many professional athletes don't do, he smiled, tipped his hat and said, "Thank you and thanks for coming out." That may not sound like much, but try that same scenario with many other professional athletes while they're in the heat of the battle, and you're more likely to get ignored, glared at, or at best, a quick nod.

But, one nice "thank you" does not necessarily mean that the real Phil Mickelson is a nice guy. It means he's polite and respects the fact that the fans are as much a part of a golf tournament as he is.

What does make him a nice guy is a story I just read in this week's Golf World. The title of the article is, "Conrad Dobler's Favorite Golfer." Unless you are a die-hard historian of professional football, you probably have never heard of Dobler... Neither had I until I read this article. Conrad was once called the "dirtiest player in the NFL".

Because NFL players of the distant past did not make that much money, and the NFL's disability plan doesn't amount to much, Conrad lives a nice, but not too extravagant lifestyle considering he's had numerous surgeries on both knees. But, Conrad's entire life changed back on July 4, 2001. He and his wife Joy and their six children were relaxing while waiting for friends to come over for the holiday. His wife Joy was in their hammock and accidentally fell out of the hammock and couldn't feel anything. She's been a quadriplegic ever since. After numerous surgeries, doctor visits, etc., Conrad has had to downsize and sell almost all of his assets to keep the family afloat while paying for Joy's rehabilitation.

Enter Phil Mickelson. Phil's lawyer, Glenn Cohen, called Conrad up one day and told him that Phil had become aware of his situation and wanted to pay for his daughter Holli's college education. Conrad couldn't believe it because he had never met Phil and still hasn't to this day. Conrad asked Cohen why Phil was doing this, and his response was, "Because he can."

Phil does stay in touch with Holli who is now a sophomore at Miami of Ohio. She waits tables and has a heavy load of classes and currently has a 3.8 GPA. The first year, Phil sent $20,000, and he has promised cost of living increases every year promising $22,000 and then $24,000.

This random act of kindness by Phil has changed the lives of more than just Holli. It has made Conrad a better person, and it's given Joy the will to walk again. She's already made great strides and hopes to one day get out of the wheelchair for good. Phil has invited the entire family to the Memorial Tournament in May, and the family can't wait to meet him in person. As Joy says, "If there's anything he's missing in his life, it's a set of wings. He's an angel. And if I can when I see him for the first time, I'm going to go up and give him a big hug."

BECAUSE HE CAN! That is the real Phil Mickelson.

To me, this story embodies what it means to be successful. Being successful means having the ability to help others "because you can." There are so many people who could help others, but they choose not to. I'd like to challenge you to look for areas in your everyday life where you can perform a random act of kindness. You'll be surprised how many situations come up where you can help....

If you'd like to share your random acts of kindness with our readers, drop us a note on the comments page.

Good luck today and make it a great one!

Sgt. John Gebhardt Comforting An Injured Iraqi Baby - A True American Soldier

I received the following story via email the other day, and I verified it's authenticity via Snopes.com.

Got a tough, but heartwarming story and a picture of John Gebhardt in Iraq. For those that did not know John, he was our former Med Group Chief, Dave Nordel replaced him. Anyway, his wife talked with mine last evening and sent this picture. Mindy related that this little girl's entire family was executed.

They intended to execute her also and shot her in the head but they failed to kill her. She was cared for by John's hospital and healing up, but has been crying and moaning. The nurses said John is the only one she seems to calm down with, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both sleep in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.

He is a real Star of the war and is representative of what America is trying to do.

For more about Sgt. Gebhardt and the background on this photo, go to this page on Snopes.com.

Make it a great day!