"Your thoughts, not your circumstances, determine how you feel."

Unfortunately, all of us have experienced this kind of situation many times. We forget that we are only thinking. We fill our heads with false information, which we then interpret as "reality" instead of "thought." If only we could remember that we are the thinker. If we really could understand that as we think about something, we feel the effects of our thoughts. During this episode at the restaurant, we might have been able to recognize that it was our own thoughts, not another person, upsetting us.

To understand the principle of thought and how it applies throughout the human experience is a valuable gift. We need not constantly be in conflict with our environment and with those around us. We can maintain a positive feeling of happiness, because we no longer feel compelled to seriously follow every train of thought that comes into our heads. 

You may have no control whatsoever over what another person does, but you can be immune to the adverse effects of your thinking about him, once you understand that you think "thoughts," not "reality." Your thoughts, not your circumstances, determine how you feel. An absence of negative thought brings forth a positive feeling.

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