Inputs & Outcomes

Two things have arisen from an email I get weekly.  One I have believed for ages and it is good to see it elsewhere, and the other I have heard about, but something occurred to me as a result of what I read. “Its not the outcomes, it’s the inputs.”  I have worded it “Inputs determine outcomes.”
I know that is not revolutionary or a new thought.  It has been known and said for centuries.  But it has highlighted to me afresh how what I think determines the health of my brain and the outcomes I can expect.
If I am thinking revenge, or woe is me, or what I don’t have all the time, is it any wonder that the outcome I experience is along those lines.  If on the other hand I consider forgiveness, or good thoughts regarding myself and others, the default outcome tends to be I get what I expect.
I do not for a moment think that to experience good stuff I just need to declare it.  Sometimes life throws a curve ball.  Yet I feel that if I am in the habit of thinking the best, I am way more likely to have a positive outlook in the midst of what may be my hurt.  To me that is healthy.
As I regularly declare, the choice is mine.  I may not be able to choose my circumstance, but I can always choose my response.   
I remember a disabled person being asked if they had a chair in the shower.  Their response to me was a classic.  They said “why wouldn’t you?”  To me the way I think is a bit the same.  I can choose to think the worst or choose to dwell on the positive.  I choose to dwell on the positives.  After all, “why wouldn’t I?”
To me, life is too short for living in negativity and resentment.  It is not only unhealthy but dangerous to myself and potentially others.  I go around here once, and my life is mine.   I feel excuses are a waste of time and as sure as night follows day, I will pay a price for them now and later. So I choose good inputs.