Now I will be the first to agree that this may be the most “easier said than done” statement of all time but the truth still stands – we have a lot more control of our happiness than we would like to admit. We cannot control what is going to happen to us in this life, but we can control how we respond to what happens to us. You can choose to let your knee-jerk reaction be your norm or you can start looking at unexpected challenges as a certainty and choose to respond positively.

One thing I like to do is think of the most even-keel person in my life and start looking at myself more like them. I tell myself “I have his poise, I have his maturity, I have his demeanor, and I have his love for others.” There are negative aspects of comparing yourself to others, but not when you are coaching yourself to be more like a role model or positive influence in your life.  If that person can have those desirable traits, why can’t you?  There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to model yourself after someone successful and confident.

Lastly, try to plan that bad things are going to happen every now and then. There is a fine line between cynicism and planning your response when something goes wrong. Expect great things to happen but expect yourself to respond maturely when they don’t.