Suppose a dream project of ours fails irrecoverably. Having no other alternatives, we may grit our teeth and struggle to let go of it, by reminding ourselves of sayings such as: “What can’t be cured has to be endured.”

These sayings help by intellectually reminding us of our powerlessness. Yet such resigning ourselves to the unchangeable doesn’t seem positive or purposeful. Can we see our predicament more affirmatively?...