When something bad happens, don’t tell yourself that you’ve been unfairly singled out. Tell yourself you’ve been spared. What?! This is an essential lesson from the Stoics. Reminding ourselves that fate only gives you the trials it believes you can stand. As Churchill put it, “One must never forget when misfortunes come that it is quite possible they are saving one from something worse.”

So today if anything bad happens, don’t think, “I wish this hadn’t happened.” Think: “I’m so glad something much worse didn’t happen.” Because this thing is something you can survive (and if you can’t, well, that’s the end of that). Something much worse? Can’t say for sure.