Being a college student is an interesting experience, to say the least. You’re constantly under pressure to be better, do better. As a junior in college, I’ve learned some rules to help keep my head above water – I call them the rules of life. These rules, of course, do not apply to everyone, but if you feel aimless or helpless, this list might be useful.

Kindness

Maya Angelou famously said, “People won’t remember what you said but how you made them feel.” Being kind to people usually works in your favor. People are more inclined to help those who are good to them and remember them whenever an opportunity arises. Also, when you do good, you feel good.

Discipline

Everyone talks about being motivated, but really what you need is discipline. Motivation is fickle, and though it’s important to have, it doesn’t trump discipline. Discipline is going to force you to go to the gym when you don’t want to. Discipline is going to make you outline your essay, even though you want to go to a party. Motivation says, “I’m going to do this because…” while discipline says, “this is a habit.” Sometimes it’s hard to find motivation, so having discipline is helpful.

Vision

You have to see yourself somewhere eventually. Pick a point and aim, but don’t be afraid to change the target. Feel free to see yourself as a doctor in April, and then when April comes, feel free to see yourself as a chef. You just have to see it to believe it and set a plan to achieve it. Success falls in no one's lap.

Balance

If you live in a stressful environment or have a stressful job situation, you have to learn how to balance out that stress. Anxiety and depression are very common disorders in the U.S. For instance, my anxiety stemmed from not having an outlet or a person to talk to when I grew frustrated with my classes, roommates or job. Find what alleviates you. For me, it was running and writing.

Love

Love unconditionally and fearlessly. Hold on to people who inspire you and add to your life, and left go of the ones who subtract from it. Embrace all the types of love the universe introduces to you, whether platonic or romantic.

Flexibility

Don’t be afraid to rewrite the story. We are humans, not machines; we have the ability to start over or to change our schedules to fit what we what. Yesterday, I was supposed to sleep in, but I made a delicious mug cake.

Openness

Engaging with different perspectives will only make you more prepared, well-rounded and an even better human being. Never be afraid to change or to stay exactly who you are, as long as you took the time to understand a new way of thinking.

Patience

It was the tortoise that won the race, not the hare. American culture is known for being fast-paced and ruthless. Our stores are open 24 hours and 20-year-olds are having breakdowns because they don’t know what they want to do with their lives. In this case, patience is a great trait to have. It stops you from allowing the world’s limited view and expectations to consume you and allows you to pace yourself according to what you need.
 

Forgiveness

Grudge holding is terrible. You can't swallow poison and expect it to hurt your enemies. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you forget the foul, you just forget to be foul.

Knowledge

Learn about the world you live in, so you can protect it, challenge it or nurture it. Knowledge helps us learn who we are. Read a book. I recommend “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Foer or “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. We grow when we’re introduced to new ways of thinking.

Know when to abandon rules: Like saying there are 10 rules to life and making 11. I am in no way saying to ignore the rules listed above, but I am saying to pick and choose what speaks to you without forgetting the others. Moreover, life can't be summed up with 10 words of wisdom. There are several words that could have been used. At the end of the day, be good to yourself.