Feelings Come From Thoughts

The blind poet, Milton, wrote, "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven. "

Thoughts of two famous people underscore Milton's point:
Napoleon who had power, riches, and glory said, "I have never known six happy days in my life. "
Helen Keller, rendered blind and deaf from childhood meningitis, declared, "I have found life so beautiful. "

Events and acquisitions fail to give us joy. Our thoughts can. Mind-body research, psychoneuroimmunology, proves that negative thoughts produce stress hormones. Optimistic thoughts cause the release of endorphins and other beneficial brain chemicals causing good feelings. What we think determines how we feel.