How do I give advice?

The last thing I ever thought would happen is for me to be asked for advice by others. It denotes a measure of trust and respect that must be earned. However, my friends tell me that my open and real nature helps me to build that respect. Whenever I give advice, I first listen to the problem at hand. It may be big or small, but I have yet to encounter a stupid problem. I then think in terms of the general principles I have been taught and apply them. The biggest of these principles is honesty with self and others, moderation and balance, and virtuousness. More often than not, there is no specific answer to the question, and so I will share my thoughts about how to decide. These include advice like "Be honest with them". I list the pros and cons of the options maybe. I usually tell them to weigh the options and decide on their own, because they know more about it. During all of this, I try to be encouraging. Indeed, sometimes they already know the answer and need someone to reason it out to, so that they are assured that their thoughts are not as stupid as they fear. Keep all of this in mind, and you'll probably do well.