Leroy Jethro Gibbs is the main character and protagonist of the show NCIS. Gibbs is a hardened Marine with a strong moral code. With the various characters that appear throughout the shows many seasons, all of the characters have learned one way or the other the rules that Gibbs maintains and somewhat indoctrinates the other characters to follow and understand. Being a die-hard NCIS fan, here are the five rules from Gibbs that can be applied to our non-scripted, real lives.

Rule 3: Don’t believe what you’re told. Double check.

First brought up in the very first episode of NCIS, Gibbs explains this rule to Kate Todd, who was a secret service agent at the time. Whenever we are told something, we should never take it at face value. We should be careful to check and double-check that what has been said to us is true before we proceed with any decisions or anything else that we might do.

Rule 3 (again): Never be unreachable.

After trying to reach Timothy McGee many times, Ziva David and Tony DiNizzo bring up what I think is one of the more important rules that Gibbs talks about, always being reachable. There are jobs and responsibilities that we will all get in our lives that will require us to be reachable. The most notable one that I can think of is being a parent. Raising kids is tough work, and you must be in constant communication to be a good parent. The college equivalent would be a Resident Assistant or just being a good friend. You always want to be there for your residents and your friends, so being reachable is a big element of that relationship.

Rule 5: You don’t waste good.

Rule 5 was first introduced in Season 8 when we first get a look at how Gibbs and Tony met many years ago in Baltimore. By far, this is one of my two favorite rules. We are all given special talents when we came into this world, and I believe that it is up to us to bring those talents and powers to the world. If we do not spend time cultivating and growing our talents, then we are wasting them. We are wasting the good that has been given to us.

Rule 8: Never take anything for granted.

Being my other favorite rule, I think we can learn a lot from Rule 8. Rule 8 was first brought up by Abby Sciuto to McGee, after Ziva and Tony both misquote the rule. Living in the United States, we are offered a lot of opportunities and privileges that other people do not get. We should never take these opportunities for granted, and in fact, we should be doing more to help others.

Rule 44: Clean up your messes.

This rule was first mentioned in the season 7 finale when Tony and Ziva have retrieved Gibbs and are coming back to the United States after a rescue mission. Rule 44 is a good rule to follow by, especially when it comes to having to take on more responsibilities and gaining independence. I learned this the hard way, as college is the first time that I have had to care for myself and my things if I screw up.