The serenity prayer is used in the self-help circuit as a mantra for how to deal with life issues, and it's popular among groups dealing with substance abuse issues. I believe it should be repeated daily by stock investors as well (even those that are atheists). It goes roughly like this: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

You can't change recessions, but you can change the investments you choose to prepare yourself for one. In the end, that mindset can help you live more comfortably with the inevitable ups and downs of the economy.

The most important thing to understand about economics is probably that the big picture is made up of all the small, daily things that we all do each and every day. You know full well how irrational people can be, and that ultimately aggregates up to economic trends. No matter how rational you think you are, there's no way for you to control everyone else or the big picture. 

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Source Fool.com