Trust that people can make their own choices about stuff.

If you take off your socks and enjoy the carpet, they'll join you if they want to. And they won't, if they don't want to. This is just an example. The idea behind it applies to a lot of situation beyond socks.

I personally like to communicate directly, because Ive misread situations and social cues more than once. So Im likely to just ask someone, "Is this something you would like encouragement for/about or would you like me to drop it?"

I'm not a mind reader. And most other folks probably arent either. So, I don't like to pretend that I am or that my friends are. My friends are used to me being direct. And increasingly, they are becoming more direct too. It's a relief, honestly. It feels good to not have to guess.