Try to be knowledgeable rather than simply opinionated. Remember that trust is silent; insecurities are strong. Don't raise your voice, improve your argument. Make it simple, but meaningful. And sometimes you don't have to say anything at all. If you feel you have nothing concrete to offer, refrain from polluting the environment with unnecessary noise coming out of your mouth. Simple things become complicated when you expect too much. Life doesn't have to be hard. Focus on what you want, do what you can to make it happen, and trust the process. Be intentional. Be decisive even if it means you will sometimes get it wrong. The more you love your decisions, the less you need others to love them. Do your best until you know better. Then, when you know better, you will do better. Nothing is a waste of time if you've learned something, and the only definition of failure you need to know is when you can talk yourself out of becoming something amazing. It's not about perfect. It's about effort. But all the effort in the world won't matter if you're not inspired. Your life is a physical manifestation of what goes on in your head. Look beyond your thoughts; don't believe everything you think and be careful how you talk to yourself because you are listening. You don't have to learn to control your thoughts. You just have to stop them from controlling you. And you know the power of your mind: by changing your mind, you change everything. Comparison is the thief of joy. Avoid the “is-should” fallacy: we cannot look at how things are to determine how they should be. Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is perspective, not truth, and what we see depends primarily on what we look for. Don't assume that... middle of paper... you hear what isn't said. Don't answer the question, address the concern behind the question. “Tact” is the ability to make a point without making an enemy. Choose your words carefully. Anything you say can and will be used against you... eleven months later, and perhaps thrown back in your face with vicious sarcasm. Communicate. Even when it's inconvenient or uncomfortable. There is no greater agony than carrying an untold story inside you and what doesn't kill you fucks you up mentally. The biggest communication problem is that we don't listen with the intent to understand; we listen with the intent to respond. And SMS. The worst distance between two people is misunderstanding, and texting is a brilliant way to miscommunicate how you feel and misinterpret what other people mean. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. Do with this information what you will.