By BETSY LOWERY / Guest Columnist

In the first installment of this series, I listed the Top 10 business leadership principles that make a positive impact not only in the workplace but also in family life and everyday encounters.

To follow that up, consider another list: simple, practical strategies for overall better living. I started this list while reviewing books in a favorite fiction series that had a huge impact on my childhood-the Trixie Belden mystery/detective series.

Remember that line of Meg Ryan’s in “You’ve Got Mail”?

“When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.”

And evidently I’m not the only retro-reader still interested in these particular books, because Random House began issuing an updated set in 2003.

I noticed certain coping methods Trixie employed during her moments of high peril. I also noticed other admirable behaviors such as number 15 on the list; in book nine, floodwaters claim a borrowed car and boat. Compared to the lives that might have been lost, the vehicles-though treasured by their owner-were acknowledged as replaceable.

From this and other reading, and from observation and personal experience, I offer the following list of wise habits that will help ward off crisis and encourage success in everyday situations and relationships:

-Pray.

-Ask for help and advice.

-Take time to think and reflect.

-Scrutinize your surroundings for all available resources.

-Stay educated and informed.

-Give your very best effort, all the time.

-Have courage in new and difficult situations.

-Leave past regrets in the past.

-Recognize another’s call for help.

-Believe the best of others.

-Find comfort in the nearness of a friend.

-Keep others informed of your whereabouts.

-Stick together.

-Avoid unnecessary risks.

-Keep your perspective when things are broken, lost, stolen or destroyed.

-Return found items to their rightful owners if you possibly can.

Betsy Lowery works as a ministry assistant at First Baptist Church of Pelham and is the author of “Pause: Everyday Prayers for Everyday Women.