1. Before you say anything to anyone, ask yourself three questions: a) is it true? b) is it kind? c) is it necessary'

2. Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully.

3. Never miss an opportunity to compliment or say something encouraging.

4. Refuse to talk negatively about others and don’t listen when others do.

5. Have a forgiving view of people. Believe that most people are doing the best they can.

6. Keep an open mind; discuss, don’t argue.

7. Forget about counting to 10. Count to 1,000 before saying or doing anything that could make matters worse.

8. Let your virtues speak for themselves.

9. If someone criticizes you, see if there is any truth to what he is saying; if so, make changes.

10. Cultivate your sense of humor.

11. “Do not seek so much to be consoled, as to console; do not seek so much to be understood as to understand; do not seek so much to be loved as to love.”

Hope Healthletter, Vol. 46, No. 1, quoted in Men’s Life Lifeline (newsletter), (Grand Rapids, Fall, 1995)