So if a certain activity really matters to you – a creative project, say, though it could just as easily be nurturing a relationship, or activism in … - Oliver Burkeman

The point is certainly not that it's better not to have money, say, than it is to have it. But it's surely undeniable that if you don't have it, it's much harder to overinvest emotionally in it. The same goes for prestigious jobs, material possessions, or impressive educational qualifications: when you have little chance of obtaining them, you won't be misled into thinking they bring more happiness than they do.

the more that you remain aware of life's finitude, the more you will cherish it, and the less likely you will be to fritter it away on distractions.

Confronting the worst-case scenario saps it of much of its anxiety-inducing power. Happiness reached via positive thinking can be fleeting and brittle, negative visualization generates a vastly more dependable calm.