Today is a friend's birthday. We had Lemon Cake, his favorite. I asked what wisdom he had on his 50th birthday to share with us. He said PAP: Perception, Adaption, Persistence. This makes sense.
Half of intelligence is perception - knowing what is in your environment. This is why it's so important to know how to think critically and not get drawn into faulty thinking about reality. we need to know reality and know how we're prone to misread it, especially if we intend to do anything with it.
Adaption is easy. I could get used to anything. No sweat, just making the best of things. Of course, bringing perception along is vital.
As to Persistence: this.