Prepare for situations that make you nervous.

If you’re anxious about making a presentation, keep practicing it until you know it forwards and backwards. Trying enlist a spouse or trusted friend as a “live” audience. If you’re nervous about a blind date, arm yourself with ways to make small talk – and go into the date intending to have a good time whether sparks fly or not. Pilots spend hour after hour in simulators practicing not only emergency procedures, but how to avoid the emergency in the first place. Remember, achieving your goals in life is about being prepared.

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