Learn as much as you can about your new environment in advance. Familiarize yourself with the stated values and language of the organization.

Decide what three qualities you want to be known for. This is a basic rule of “personal branding.” Being certain of your three top qualities will allow you to establish a strong platform early on.

Be polite to everyone. The person you push past may turn out to be the person who sits in next to you. The receptionist you ignore now may someday be your boss. Courtesy will pay you back with rich rewards.

Listen for opportunities to connect and then share relevant information about yourself. Don’t wait to be asked about yourself. It’s your job to establish rapport.

Try to speak at the same volume as those in your new environment. Studies show that people respond best to others who speak at the same volume as themselves. Your vocal volume is something you can control, so pay attention to it.

If the transition involves a move to a new city, state, or country, get out and explore. The more you know your way around, the more comfortable you will feel.

Transitions are stressful, so make sure you take care of yourself. Get plenty of rest, eat well and exercise. Now is not the time to crash in the middle of the day from too much sugar or not enough sleep. You want to be alert, refreshed and ready to go.

Just because your environment changes does not mean every aspect of your life has to change with it.

Focusing on this familiarity will still give you that connection to your former situation while transitioning and adapting to a new environment.

Think of it like a security blanket that gives you that safe and calm feeling while you go through something new.

TAKE WHAT IS FAMILIAR AND FIND A WAY TO INCORPORATE IT INTO YOUR NEW ROUTINE OR ENVIRONMENT

If you do not notice any similarities in your new environment, choose something that you truly loved and find a way to add it into your new routine.

Just because your environment or routine changes does not mean you cannot include some old habits—as long as they are good for you, of course.

DEVELOP A NEW ROUTINE AND KEEP AT IT LONG ENOUGH SO IT BECOMES SECOND NATURE AND FAMILIAR

One of the best ways to adapt to a new environment is to start a routine and keep at it for a few weeks until it becomes your new norm.

Instead of always trying a new café every morning for your cup of coffee or going different routes every time you come home from work, stick with the same thing.

Just having one or two things that are consistently regular in your daily life will make you feel a lot more grounded and comfortable in your new surroundings.

DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM TACKLING NEW GROUND AND FORMING NEW ROUTINES. You need to accept the fact that your life is going to include some major changes.

Sometimes settling into a new routine gives you an opportunity to restart your life in a new, and hopefully better direction. Do not be shy to try different things, go to different places and be open minded when it comes to something that you are unsure about. Remember—nothing ventured, nothing gained.

EMBRACE THE UNKNOWN. If you truly want to settle into a new environment, you need to embrace the unknown as if it is an adventure that you have no idea where it will lead you, but it is worth every minute spent on the ride there.

Sometimes one of the best ways to adapt to a new environment is to have a goal that keeps your focus and attention that your life is going through some big changes. Having something to reach for will redirect your attention and keep you from worrying and stressing about these changes.

Try doing something that is completely enjoyable and relaxing, whether it is yoga, photography, sewing or joining a local book club. Time spent doing something you truly enjoy means less time stressing about everything else.

Adapting to a new environment is more about a positive attitude than anything. If it’s your decision for change, see it as your next great adventure.

If it’s your decision for change, see it as your next great adventure. If the change has been forced upon you, make it easier to settle in by accepting that the change is going to happen so you might as well do everything you can to make it easier to deal with.

Concentrate on the positive aspects of your new environment. Big life changes are never easy and making a few mistakes comes with the territory. Relax, take things one day at a time and give yourself time to adjust. Before too long your new environment might just begin to feel a lot like home. 

The common liberal orthodoxy that living close to the land leads to eco-awareness is historically naive, considering that Mesopotamia, northern Africa, and the Mayan civilization were ruined by people who had lived there quite a long while.

Something can happen in your life, and you might want and need something different from your spouse. Most people forget that you have to create relationships. The allure of the first years settles down, and at that moment, you better start creating it; otherwise, you're going to lose out.

When I started Sosa & Associates, there were only 3 million Latinos in the U.S. and only four Hispanic-specialized marketing agencies.I had one little goal for our small San Antonio-based agency: to be the largest Hispanic-specialized agency in the United States. We planned for our success and achieved our goal.

All your scholarship would be in vain if at the same time you do not build your character and attain mastery over your thoughts and your actions.

We've worked with President Yeltsin. He is the President of the country. He's been a reformer. We've been able to accomplish a number of things together.

My music must reflect whatever's going on in my mind, and my life needs to evolve for me to discover who it is I'm becoming.

Quid pro quo

Anxiety is one little tree in your forest. Step back and look at the whole forest.

Fly without wings dream with open eyes.

All pursuits are pointless and fruitless unless and until love and compassion are found and then are the foundation and destination of all you do

How can we teach our children to be responsible beyond themselves and care for other human beings' welfare and for the welfare of the planet and all that it contains? It's a difficult lesson to convey, when, more than 20 years after the Exxon Valdez disaster, Prince William Sound is still experiencing the damaging effects.

From my youngest days, I always felt certain affinities with the idea of being a preacher.

The economy is not an abstraction. The economy consists of people, and it will only grow if people feel secure and are reasonably free.

Trophies and medals have never meant much to me. I've had amazing experiences, which let you feel like you've accomplished something.

When, President Obama, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end to that unbridled audacity of yours swaggering about as it does now?

I totally let myself indulge, but I make little deals with myself. If I have an extra cupcake, I'll run a couple of extra miles. I think it's all about balance and not getting into extremes with dieting and exercising. Having a healthy attitude is important, too!

If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.

I wrote 'Mud' for Matthew McConaughey and had never met him.

Poetry is that art which selects and arranges the symbols of thought in such a manner as to excite the imagination the most powerfully and delightfully.

There is always something particularly delightful about exceptions to a rule.

But I think the possibility of a black and white society feeding each other's expertises, living harmoniously, will probably go along in fits and starts now but at least it has a great constitution now to back it up.

No longer is the female destined solely for the home and the rearing of the family and only the male for the marketplace and the world of ideas.

Something in us is telling us we're moving too fast, at a pace dictated by machines rather than by anything human, and that unless we take conscious measures, we'll permanently be out of breath.

Every action needs to be prompted by a motive. To know and to will are two operations of the human mind. Discerning, judging, deliberating are acts of the human mind.