The word of the day is defensive pessimism. It may sound strange, but it really works. Think of the worst case scenario and find out how to avoid it. For example, if there was a test coming up, would you say oh, I'm going to ace it and not study hard, worry you were going to fail and thus study really hard or put panties on your head and race around the dorm? Well,...I think the second one is best, because you are in touch with reality. It may be cute to say you can change your reality, but getting something done often requires close contact with reality.