Danielle (left) and former intern Julia (right).

Danielle is intern Julia’s friend and beauty product guinea pig for Team Rouge 18. This law student, at 25, is far more grown-up than I am and has her sh*t so together, I thought we’d ALL benefit from her advice on being an adult. I’m always asking Julia WWDD, and I’m one hundred percent wondering what she’d do in pretty much every scenario. This brainy babe even graduated a semester early, mmkay? So I asked her to share her Five Rules For Life and here they are, in her own words.

1. Eat for the job you want, not the job you have.

When I was in school, everyone and everything was spouting out the phrase “dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” I hated this mantra. I could dress my style up or tone it down, but I was never going to nail an interview if I wasn’t wearing clothes I loved. However, this advice rings true in a different aspect of my life — nutrition. I used to binge on Reeses during late-night sessions at the office and come home to left-over Chinese cartons for midnight dinners. But then I saw my work suffer. I might as well be washing dishes when I am stuffing my face with carbs and sugar because I function like a zombie. Now I tailor my diet so that if I got asked to do the most difficult task in the world, my brain would be able to tackle it, no questions asked.

2. Slow down.

The lovely Julia of the Rouge18 team once told me that I could get married and divorced three times before I turn 25. I always think of this when I feel like I’m running out of time. Especially in New York where everything moves so fast, I find myself just going through the motions instead of experiencing everything. Always remember to step back and give yourself the extra minute. Take 10 minutes and write a letter to a friend or call your grandma- this time won’t be better spent elsewhere.

3. Everything evens out in the end.

Don’t split a check down to the penny and don’t keep score of who says sorry first when you and your boyfriend are fighting. Treat your friends to coffee because you love them and not because you expect anything in return. They’ll get you back when you’re broke or left your wallet at home.

4. You don’t need an occasion.

I’m horrible at picking out gifts for birthdays and Christmas. So instead, I’ve made it a habit to stop waiting for occasions. If I see something that reminds me of you, or I know you’ll love, I just get it and give it because I don’t need a calendar to tell me when to appreciate having you in my life. Plus it’s way more personal. My mom couldn’t pull my massage giftcard out of her stack when she turned 50; but she always mentions the Hello Kitty Mascara i brought her on a random Tuesday.

5. Act like an owner, not a renter.

This is written on the back of my ID badge at NBC and it has become essential to my life. Own everything. (not literally, even though I do hope to one day own 100 pairs of Manolos.) Own your mistakes, your ideas, your success. You’re not borrowing your life from someone else, so take charge! Unlike your apartment building going CO-OP, no one is going to force you to own up but yourself.

Thanks, Danielle! Stay tuned for more Five Rules.

“Five Rules For Life” is a series on Rouge18 in which I ask others to share their five rules for life about anything and everything. You can learn a lot about a person by reading which five things govern their actions, no?