1. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, or issues of the past, negative thoughts, or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment and things you can do something about.

2. Realize that life is an ongoing school. You are here to learn. Problems you encounter are simply part of the curriculum. These challenges you face will appear and then fade away like the topics in your grade school science class. Yet the lessons you learn will reside in your memory and last you a lifetime.

3. Think well of your health. Do things every day to take care of your mental and physical being. By taking care of yourself you’ll have more energy and enthusiasm for situations you will encounter. When eating for energy and health learn from the farmers. Eat breakfast like a king—lunch like a prince—and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

4. Smile and laugh more. Even if no one is around—keep a relaxed pleasant expression on your face. Your brain knows that “look” means you are feeling good. It is a signal to the brain to keep positive feelings going. It’s a fast way to break the cycle of feeling the blahs or blues. And you just might make others you encounter feel better too.

5. Know that things won’t always go the way you’d hoped—but that’s not the end of the world. Bad things will happen—and you can choose to not let them ruin everything else in your life. The way you get treated by others may not be fair—but you can still succeed because you don’t give up, and keep taking action.