Determine whether you are coming from a place of altruism. Think about whether you want to help the person you have a desire to offer unsolicited advice. Although your motivation may be well intentioned, you should know that even advice coming from an altruistic place usually backfires. If you offer unsolicited advice for altruistic reasons, people may become defensive in order to maintain their personal freedom and life choices.

• For example, you may be worried about the health of a friend who smokes cigarettes. If you start offering them unsolicited advice about how to stop smoking, they may get defensive of their lifestyle. It won’t help that your advice is coming from a good place, since you are failing to respect their lifestyle and personal choices.