As I suit up I often find my mind wandering to the existential: will this be the last time I walk down these stairs? What would life be like in a wheelchair? Would my wife be okay without me?
I end up riding pretty conservatively in part because of this inner monologue; ATGATT, head on a swivel, SMIDSY weaves, no tailgating, looking far ahead, anticipating bad situations before they form, covering the brakes, looking for outs etc etc. I maintain my bikes in peak form. I eat well, exercise and maintain a decent level of fitness and strength (which would help in avoiding accidents but also make one more resilient and quick to heal afterwards...) I'm aware of my limits and respect them. Learn from mistakes etc etc. I'll probably take some form of advanced rider course in the spring as a form of continuing education.
Of course, none of this means you're not going to get clocked by a rock thrown from an overpass or that circumstances beyond your control will see you embedded in the grill of a Peterbilt. Sometimes **** just happens, to cagers, to pedestrians, to motorcyclists etc. By riding sensibly, with situational awareness, with skill and respect you can reduce the risk of something bad happening. But for motorcycles the residual risk will pretty much always be higher than for those that choose alternative means (e.g. a car or bus) of getting around. This is the "personal risk tolerance" threshold MSC instructors often talk about to newer riders: Only you know what that threshold is for you. If the residual risk -- i.e. the risk remaining after you've taken into account ATGATT, weaves, awareness etc -- is still higher than your personal threshold then riding may not be for you.