Life is full of unknowns and many of the situations we face may be unexpected and challenging. This BBC article is a good overview of decades of research by the Harvard Grant Foundation which has been working on properly (i.e. scientifically) establishing which strategies are more successful for humans to get through the challenges they face. The study is very in-depth because it set out to find out about what ordinary people do in everyday situations that present difficult tasks. This included all types of activity from the physical to the mental and emotional. Key results included focusing on outcomes and their place in the bigger picture. Task enrichment was bottom - so you can tell your teenager to turn off their music when revising and you have the evidence to prove it!
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.