“One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose.”

“Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I'm a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst case scenario. I call it 'the eaten by wolves factor.' If I do something, what's the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist, is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of things I don't worry about, because I have a plan in place if they do.”

“You can always change you plan, but only if you have one.”

“Randy Pausch on time management:Here's what I know:Time must be explicitly managed, like money.You can always change your plan, but only if you have one.Ask yourself: Are you spending your time on the right things?Develop a good filing system.Rethink the telephone.Delegate.Take a time out.Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.”

“If you took one-tenth the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you'd be surprised by how well things can work out... Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier.”

“Time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think.”

“Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”