When faced with life's hardships, Dr. Robin says you have a choice in deciding whether you focus on the problem or on the solution. If, for example, your health is failing or you've been laid off from work, know that you have a choice to dwell in pity or possibility, she says. "It's your choice what you do with the cards you've been dealt," Dr. Robin says.

Even if you are the direct cause of your own misfortune, Dr. Robin says you can choose to make things right. Acknowledge your mistakes, and then choose a new direction. "You own it, you claim it, you name it, and then you can choose to learn the lesson and move on," she says.