Hope for the best. Expect the worst. Always envision the best case scenario, and plan for everything to fall to shit. Be strong. Resilient. Be ready to improvise, to think out of the box, to try new things.
Let reality and pain be teachers. They are relentless phenomena. Unforgiving. Always there, dangling over you. Don't let them get you down. It's just the way of the world. Try to navigate with intelligence, grace, and compassion. These are the best tools available to us.