We go into college not only striving to get a degree but to also gain insight and go through personal growth. Recently, I was involved in a situation which got me to think, what really makes a person mature? How do we really know we’ve matured and have left behind our childish selves? To tell you the truth I have learned that it reaches every one at a different stage of life. What you may find to be mature, another person may define as childish or vice versa. Everyone goes through different trials and tribulations throughout their lifetime, which leads to shaping the type of person they are today.
One of most common signs of maturity is to accept the fact that you do not know everything. This may be a tough one for all you prideful people (myself included) but sometimes you must accept the fact that you may be wrong and that it may help to be open to other ideas. With that, comes my other tip, always listen to people and what they have to say. Don’t close yourself off to something you may not agree with, show flexibility and be reasonable with people, sometimes that’s what sets you apart from being labeled as childish.
Although, it is always nice to have people help you, another stepping stone into adulthood and maturity is to always know how to help yourself and not depend on others to make you feel better. Don’t expect help from others and feel entitled to it. One must understand that there are more people in this life than just them, selflessness is a big step towards maturity. That means always being considerate for the people around you, even though it is easy to forget sometimes. It happens to all of us at one point and its nothing to be ashamed of, it’s human nature. Eventually every person comes to terms that it’s not all about them.
And while it is also human nature to say whatever your thinking, another sign of maturity is to control what you have to say and to think before you speak. Instead of snapping on someone that has upset you (we have all been there), try to breathe and discuss things in a calmly manner. We are going to meet a vast amount of people throughout our lifetime. Whether it be at school, work or just running everyday errands, we are sometimes not going to like these people but it is important to always be the best version of ourselves and create a good lasting impression on anyone you meet. Whenever there comes a time in which you are not sure how to handle yourself, just remember these pointers.
Best of luck,
K.
thumbnail photo courtesy of: http://work.cocorrina.com/Hand-Lettering