1.Experiences are more important than things. I’d choose a trip over a new cell phone without even blinking. Or a ticket to a show over new clothes. Unless I really need them, like new winter shoes, things can always wait.

2. I am not the center of the universe. I think of how many people exist, have existed before me and will exist after I’m gone, and my worries and fears seem completely insignificant. Not in a depressing, discouraging way but in a liberating and calming one.

3. Maintain...