“Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” ~William Shakespeare
Research indicates lottery winners are no happier than people who didn’t win, and in many cases, become depressed in the years following their win.
Scientists have surmised that we all have a baseline level of happiness—a range of joy we’ll stay within regardless of our external circumstances. The greatest factor in determining this joy is our mental attitude.
If you’d like to alter your baseline, instead of trying to change your circumstances, change the way you interpret them.
It sounds much easier said than done because it is. If you’ve always seen the glass as half-empty, you likely won’t transform into a positive thinker overnight. But you can take one simple step toward more positive thinking.
Pay special attention today to the way you react to things that happen to you. Acknowledge negative situations, and then realize you don’t have to respond negatively. You may even be able to see it as a blessing in disguise.
If you daughter gets into a minor accident in your car, you have an opportunity to teach her how to rebound from errors. If your coworker gets the promotion you wanted, you have an extra incentive to show your boss what you can do, which may help you more in the long run.
We can’t always control what happens to us. We can control how we respond, which ultimately dictates how we feel.
About Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, c-PTSD, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others to do the same. You can find her books, including Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal and Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, here and learn more about her eCourse, Recreate Your Life Story, if you’re ready to transform your life and become the person you want to be.
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Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 
[…] and perceptions; we do. We decide how to translate the information we receive. It’s like today’s Do Happy tip explains: We can’t always control the outside world. But we can control how we interpret […]
I don`t think that we can control how we respond on something. In reaction on a funny video scene you`ll surely start to laughing and not whining. It`s clearly the WYSIWYG factor in your life. You emotionally react to things driven by hormones in your body. It`s a plain chemical reaction driven by hormones in your body and not something you can control. If you start to control it you`ll explode in other situations. If you`re baseline is mostly negative or mostly positive is controlled by your hormone composition given at birth. Any other is esoterism.
I think we can't control our instinctive emotional response–but we can control our thoughts after that. If you think negative thoughts for an hour, you'll likely feel far worse than you did originally. If you reframe the situation, focus on the positive, etc, you'll most likely start feeling better. That's my experience, anyways!
[…] Do Happy: Interpret Differently « tinybuddha.com […]
Is there was any substance to this comment, a little bloodwork and hormone treatment would be all that's required to identify and treat depression.
My own 'emotional baseline' has changed many times over the course of my life – as a direct result of my thought patterns, values and perspective shifting, not my hormones.
It's all between your ears, people– happiness, sadness, elation, misery, heaven and hell. Manage that space and you rule your universe.
Feed that space with silly nothings @@ http://www.thelintscreen.com
Yum.
oh my goodness, I love the picture. It reminds me of myself the other day when I got a B+ on my essay and I was so upset because I'm a good writer. You're right, from now on, I'm going to determine things as a blessing in disguise 🙂 thanks tiny buddha!
I think you're absolutely right.The initial response isn't something we can really control, seeing as it is a base reaction and doesn't involve much considered thought. But we can most certainly monitor and decide how we're going to see things after that first reaction.
[…] Sometimes to change your world you have to start by changing your interpretation of it. […]
I think you're absolutely right.The initial response isn't something we can really control, seeing as it is a base reaction and doesn't involve much considered thought. But we can most certainly monitor and decide how we're going to see things after that first reaction.
I fully accept your view regarding if we focus on the positive side we will feeling most likely better
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[…] Do Happy: Interpret Differently | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes …If you interpret a situation differently, it may not seem as negative or troubling as you … Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In … […]
“We can’t always control what happens to us. We can control how we respond—which ultimately dictates how we feel.” – i like these last sentences and they are so true. It just sometimes i find it hard to switch on a positive side. I need more encouraging words. thanks to this
You’re most welcome. =)
Cool article. Just what I needed at the moment.
I’m glad you found it helpful!