These are 8 ideas I’ve picked up along my travels through life. 

I’ve learned these lessons/principles the hard way because I’ve broken every one of them at different times.

I now know these are true for me and I stand for their fulfillment each day:

1. Gossip. People often say to others that which they don’t have the courage to say to the target of the gossip. Gossip is futile.

2. Nervousness. If you’re scared to have a conversation with someone, you’re probably not willing to tell the entire truth. Dishonesty causes nervousness.

3. Truth. Telling the truth to yourself can cause new power. Telling the truth to another can cause a new future.

4. Dreams. The fulfillment of a dream is always preceded with a declaration. Having evidence for a declaration is nice to have, but is not a pre-requisite.

5. Equality. Don’t ever look at someone as better than you. If you do, you might get treated like a fan. Know yourself and you’ll know another.

6. Gratification. One of the biggest assaults on our happiness is selling out in the moment for something that will cause anxst in the future. When you do this you actually lose in the moment and in the future.

7. Belief. We aren’t born “believing in ourselves.” It’s a learned skill. If you missed this lesson (like many of us do), devote to re-learning it. Belief is only a conversation in our minds.

8. Simplicity. Our lives are simple. We are the ones who complicate it. The key sometimes to living a great life isn’t always about what you can add, but often about what you can take away.

Go and achieve.

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Andrew Schiestel is the Chief of WOW! Projects at tbk Creative, a web design & social marketing agency that instigates and accelerates consumer action around brands. To contact Andrew about speaking at your upcoming marketing & communications event, click here. Andrew can be followed on Twitter here.