When you are young spend at least 6 months to one year living as poor as you can， owning as little as you possibly can， eating beans and rice in a tiny room or tent， to experience what your “worst” lifestyle might be. That way any time you have to risk something in the future you won’t be afraid of the worst case scenario.
If you can't understand why someone is doing something, look at the consequences of their actions, whatever they might be, and then infer the motivations from their consequences.
