Once we turn eighteen we are considered adults by the United States of America. We are then given more responsibility at twenty-one when we are legally allowed to drink. But when are we really mature? Have you ever heard someone say “I’m forty but I still feel like I’m fifteen.” Sadly, most of the people that say they still feel like they’re fifteen still act like they’re fifteen.
Which begs the questions: when are we supposed to grow up? How do we grow up? And when do we know that we are grown up?
Living in Los Angeles, almost everyone I know has Peter Pan syndrome. This makes it exponentially harder to grow up when all of your cohorts are striving to do just the opposite. So here’s how I think you grow up and gain emotional maturity:
– You march to the beat of your own drum. Even if your friends are still partying like it’s 1999, you refuse to let your FOMO get the best of you and you get your beauty sleep.
– You learn from your mistakes. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. But those who don’t learn from their own histories are just, well, stupid. Instead of repeating your past mistakes you make a conscious effort to make different choices.
– You just say no to instant satisfaction. Sure one more cocktail might seem like a good idea in the moment. But if you also have to get up mega early for a meeting in the morning, just say no!
– You prioritize and keep all of your responsibilities. They are called responsibilities instead of fun for a reason. Even though you would much rather be doing one hundred other things you still know how important it is to take care of business.
While it takes everyone a different amount of time to get there by the time you’re thirty you should really have all of these changes under your belt. No one wants to look back and realize that they were the Van Wilder or Ferris Bueller of life.
