“Thinking is an ability rather than a reality,” writes Richard Carlson in his book You Can Be Happy No Matter What. “Thought is not something that happens to us, but something that we do. It comes from inside of us, not from the outside. What we think determines what we see — even though it often seems the other way around.”
How many times have you experienced a negative situation simply because you thought incorrectly about the intent of another? Or have you felt joy simply because you chose to see it and tell yourself a positive story about an event? External events don’t color how we experience our lives, rather the internal thoughts that assign behaviors meaning.
Think of the power that lies within as you retain the ability to shape your thinking and thus influence your perceived reality. Think some happy thoughts and create that kind of day.
Source: You Can Be Happy No Matter What, 15th Anniversary Edition, by Richard Carlson, 2006.
