10 Ways to keep your feet on the ground

Mohammad Kazim Suleman is a student of Fraser Valley Distant Education School in Canada.

Walk the walk Recall a time when your nose was in the air and you tripped and fell.

Take stock of your life Ask your boss, colleagues and friends for honest advice and follow it through. Well, I hope my lecturer isn't reading this.

Make the ego go on a diet Feed your mind good things only and be humble to everyone around you.

Acknowledge other people's achievements Always remember that you're not the only prince in the castle with a bundle of talents. There's always someone better than you.

Reality check Dig out your class photo from Grade 7 when you had braces, wore geeky glasses and had a zit on your forehead. Need I say more?

Read Pick up the newspapers to see what really matters in life and to the people around you. And if that doesn't help, read the Guinness Book of World Records, it'll be sure to humble you.

Deflate your ego Think of your ego as a large pink balloon that keeps getting bigger and bigger, until BAM! That's because it was so big it was getting in everybody's way and somebody had a pin handy just then.

Perform selfless acts For once, do something for others – and don't talk about it.

Avoid unwanted behaviour Life is like a field, with its share of crops and weeds. To have a truly successful harvest, you must get rid of all the weeds.

Walk down memory lane If you see your attitude offputting for others reflect on the days gone by. Wasn't life so much better when you were not so snobbish and had friends to share your time and troubles with?

– As told to Ruqya Khan, a Sharjah-based freelance writer