Realizing You Need to Grow Up

There comes a point in life where you look around and think to yourself, “what am I doing?” It’s not a question of whether you’re doing something wrong in your everyday life or whether or not you should be out when you’re staying in. It’s a question regarding who you are as an adult.

For a long period of time, I was comfortable how I was. I was kind of brash. Said things without always thinking. But always made sure that I wasn’t turning anyone against me.

Then something changed. Well, a lot of things changed, but one thing in particular flipped. I realized that for as often as I told myself “I’m mature”, I was anything but. I realized quickly that if I wanted to make new friends, keep the ones I had, and ultimately make peace with myself over moments in my past, I would have to truly, mature.

So I did. I took it upon myself to grow up. To start acting like the 23 year old I was and soon to be 24 year old I am now. I stopped speaking out just to speak out. I started to consider what I wanted more in life and what I wanted to stand for, what I wanted and what I believe in.

Continuing to be the perception of yourself that you’ve created is irritating. To yourself and to those around you. Being someone whose only goal is to be “better” than someone else isn’t a life worth living. Not because you’re life is ultimately going to push people away, but because you’re never going to be “better” than someone else. You’ll think you’ve achieved your goal, but then you’ll realize that there are a million more people who you’ll want to be “better” than. Leaving you in a constant loop of unnattainable enjoyment.

It’s not until you decide to grow up. To believe in things that are worth believing in, to make your own decisions — not ones that you grew up thinking you had to believe in — and by just being a genuinely good person, that you will have truly grown up.

At least that’s what I believe.