As the new semester commences on many college campuses across the country, students are putting their minds to the test by pulling all-nighters to study, drowning themselves in caffeinated beverages as they slave over homework, and draining their brains for all of the knowledge they can manage to absorb during tedious tests. I do agree that some form of education, whether it be simply a high school education, a college degree, or a technical college degree, is very important and valuable in not only giving a person more career opportunities, but in learning life lessons such as work ethic. However, there are many other important lessons that I believe are truly key to leading a happy and successful life that are not learned within the four walls of a classroom.

1. Show that you genuinely care for others.

All of us need to eventually learn how to show compassion for other people. Nowadays, there is significant emphasis being placed on the fact the up-and-coming generations are “me-focused" generations, meaning the people in these generations are self-centered and only care about achieving their own personal goals and satisfying their own wishes. I believe that showing genuine care for other people in our lives is vital to leading a happy life because without it, we are unable to develop true and strong friendships as well as other types of social bonds, such as romantic ones. Everyone desires friends that they can rely on and trust; we all want friends who will defend us in front of our faces as well as behind our backs. Showing that we care for others will allow us to develop these types of bonds with others. If we exude a selfish personality to those around us, it will be greatly difficult to cultivate friendships that are built on more than just a mutual class schedule or a favorite clothing brand.

2. Do things you enjoy just because you enjoy them.

Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly many moments in our lives when we must do things we don’t want to do, but still must do. Even sometimes doing the “right” thing isn’t ideal for us, but we know we need to do it anyway. Conversely, we also all need to learn to do things sometimes simply for the fact that we enjoy doing them. Whether it be in our careers, hobbies, or other aspects of our personal lives. Eventually, it’s important for us to learn that finding things we love to do and then doing them is a key lesson in living a happy life. Finding and doing something you love to do ensures that you will put effort and passion into it, both of which are ingredients in the recipe for success as well as satisfaction.

3. Prioritize your health.

Our bodies are a vessels to lead our entire lives inside; this is an extremely important lesson to learn. Taking care of our minds and bodies by eating foods that nurture our system, recognizing and taking time to rest when we need to, and not putting off a trip to the doctor, dentist, psychologist, or psychiatrist if we feel something is just not right are all of the utmost importance. Without a healthy body to live in, we cannot truly live and enjoy our time here in this life.

4. You cannot control everything.

Growing up in a classroom, we spend our time in a confined space without many different variables of things that could go awry. However, the reality is that the real world in which we all eventually enter is not the same way. There are many variables and possibilities of problems that can occur. Sometimes there will be problems that pop up without any warning and other times we may not even be able to distinguish the sources of certain problems. This, as you can imagine, can be difficult as we many of us have to adjust to not being able to control everything around us. So, with that being said, realizing that we are not able to easily control some parts of our lives and learning how to accept that some things just happen without a specific reason is a great lesson to learn.

5. Don’t wish your days away.

Life moves at a record rate. In the classroom setting, we are taught with a mentality to be efficient and do things in a way that moves us through the educational conveyor belt as fast as possible. This same mentality is mirrored in the world of college, where we are supposed to want to graduate as early as possible. However, doing things in a time-efficient manner — moving as fast as one possibly can through his or her life — has no elaborate “award.” There is no prize for finishing life first. So learning how to be happy with the present and to not always be looking forward to the weekend is a very good lesson we learn outside the classroom. There is no right or wrong time to reach certain milestones and stages in your life.

6. Forgiveness isn’t easy, but it’s necessary to move on.

There are times when it can be immensely hard to forgive someone for doing something that hurt or harmed you or someone you love. It’s important to note that forgiving a person is NOT the same thing as saying what they did was okay or minor, but in fact, it is an act that benefits you more so as the “forgiver.” By showing forgiveness, you are effectively releasing yourself from the chains of negativity and frustration that are binding you from being truly happy and at peace, mentally and emotionally. Forgiveness allows you to drop the load you're carrying and to release the grudge so you can be as light as a feather.

7. Be thankful.

Instead of saying, "I had to wake up this morning,” try saying, “I got to wake up this morning.” Nothing in our lives is a guarantee and each day that we are able to wake up and watch the sunrise, alive and breathing, is truly a gift that you will not forever be given. So in a moment of joy, success, triumph, or pride, remember to be grateful you are able to experience it. It’s cliché of me to say, I know, but try to keep in mind (even in your deepest and darkest hours) that there is always someone out there who has it worse off than you do.

Overall, as the new semester begins, I feel that it’s important for everyone to be reminded that some incredibly beautiful and essential life lessons are not ones easily learned within the four walls of a classroom. Even though getting an education of some sort has a huge impact on our lives, I believe that life does still teach us far more than any teacher or professor I believe ever could.