Shared on Thought Catalog:

So, listen up.

Fail fast, and fail often. 

Some Most lessons should be learned the hard way. Failure makes you hungry and desperate, so you strive for more.  Failure makes you wiser, so you make better decisions in the future.  Failure brings you to rock bottom and when you're down, there really is no other way but up.

Be deliberate

Be deliberate in choosing who you spend most of your time with. Don't discriminate. Everyone has goodness in them. But, choose who you hang out with more often. Like it or not, your friends' qualities rub off on you. Jim Rohn said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with". That includes their income and their personalities. Choosing who you spend time with is the same as choosing the person you want to become.

Be kind and considerate

But don't forget to stand your ground. Try to be patient and considerate. Problem is, most people are abusive. If you let them, they will take advantage of your kindness and cross the line because they assume you will be considerate with them anyway. Sad, but most people are like parasites who feed on your goodness.

Have the balls to face the consequences of your actions. 

Own up to your mistakes. Don’t go around blaming others for the decisions you make. There’s nothing more impressive than someone who is mature enough to admit they’re wrong. There’s nothing more appalling than someone who keeps on making up excuses for their mistakes, and has the gall to put the blame on other people and circumstances for their mess.