Maturity

When I was a kid, I assumed maturity came with growing up. As an adult, I’ve realized it’s not that simple.

My idea of maturity was that it was something that inherently happened. I thought that maturity would naturally change how you felt.

Maturity is not a disappearance of your feelings, maturity is deliberate self-control.

You have to choose how you conduct yourself. How will you react when someone speaks condescendingly to you? How will you react when a financially foolish but fun opportunity presents itself? How will you react when you encounter someone with opposing views to you?

You do not have to compromise who you are to still choose the wise way to conduct yourself. You can speak up for yourself in a professional way. You can save your money to create the longterm life you value. You can disagree without being disrespectful.

Maturity does not mean discarding who you are. It isn’t depriving you of good, rather, it is recognizing the value in delayed gratification. It sees the need for humility in how you act. It finds joy in contentedness.

Self-control is not an involuntary response. Being an adult doesn’t suddenly make you a wise individual. You have to choose what you value and what kind of person you are going to be.