Meta comment: I wish more older people would write things like this. Based on how much more I know now compared to 10 years ago, it’s hard to imagine how much wisdom a 70 year old must have about the way the world works. It’s so valuable.
I try to accept people as they are, without trying to change them
I try to treat people with respect
When debugging, I try to fix the problem I can see then deal with what's left
I try to treat someone's hurtful comment as more likely the result of a bad day or thoughtlessness, rather than malice
I try hard to avoid giving advice, and instead try to ask questions: 'have you thought about doing X?'. And I will try _really_ hard to avoid 'you should do ... ' or 'you ought to ...'
I believe that in almost all cases (I haven't yet found a counter) a decision is either easy or it doesn't matter