Did you ever wonder what the characteristics of a mature person are? We hear in our dealings with Others, people say: “you lack maturity! ” Or “when will you become mature? ” Or just ” be a little mature! ” Enough of this kind of talk so much that we question wisely: What is mature? What are the signs of maturity?
Maturity! Certainly, you will always find someone to tell you that you miss it. But concretely, what does it mean? And how to become more “mature”. Beginning of answer in three points.
The “lack of maturity” is the criticism that kills, the unstoppable weapon often unchecked by an elder – teacher, parent, host, boss – to put you down or to nail you. “You are lacking in maturity, that’s all!”
But the murderous sentence can also be launched by your girlfriend and be even harder to cash.
The problem is that this story of maturity seems elusive. OK, I’m not mature, I let myself be overwhelmed by my emotions, I zap all the time, I find it hard to get involved, to work, but what can I do?
I – Characteristics of a Mature Person: To See, Judge and Act.
Three verbs can help to better understand, and especially to progress. To accept the characteristics of a mature person is to see, judge and act.
To be more mature in one’s way of living is to know how to chain these three acts, a little like one inhales and expires to breathe. And this can apply to all areas of our life: leisure, love life, choice, orientation, job, initiative…
1 / See the Real for Me and for Others
The first basic thing is to see. See what? See the needs, the gaps, the situations. Indeed, the top of the top is to be attentive not only to oneself but also to others. Maturity is the fact of being interested in the well-being of oneself and others. It’s paying attention to one’s environment.
In this sense, “see” (here in the sense of maturity), it can also be simple to get information: check the weather before going to the mountains, go to learn about trade, make a phone call to friends to know if they’re fine …
To accept the characteristics of a mature person: if you are particularly dreamy, in the moon, not concrete, not very organized, or a little personal, rather solitary, even shy, it is this point number 1 that needs improvement. Open your antennas a little bigger on reality, and be more attentive to what is going on around you.
2 / Judge to Analyze and Take a Step Back
Step 2: Judge the situation or the fact that you just observed. Be careful, it is not a matter of immediately having an opinion or a peremptory judgment, but of analyzing by taking a step back. This is the meaning of the verb “to judge” in terms of maturity. Maturity in this context is taking time to think seriously before doing anything; it is the act of examining everything before making a decision.
Consider this example: medical student, Lukas finds a colocation offering. She likes the apartment, but the other students are making music. The student weighs the pros and cons: the proximity to college is a plus, but she fears being embarrassed in his work by his roommates.
Taking the time to think is often taking the time, avoiding hasty decisions that make mistakes. Ask for advice too. People who have the characteristics of a mature person understand this word as well: “precipitation takes the impatient”.
To have the characteristics of a mature person is to try to understand everything before committing to it! So you see that maturity is also taking the time to judge, to understand, to analyze, and to check before committing or making a decision.
“[…] It is not enough to have goodwill to help, you have to understand the situations: it avoids bad interpretations”.
Understanding is therefore essential, and not only in the field of work: in friendship, in love, and in all areas of life, it is not forbidden to exercise one’s intelligence, on the contrary!
To mature: Make it a habit to think more about any decision or action, especially if you are quickly carried away by your emotions or desires. Impulsive, passionate people, the emotional ones or the great romantics will be interested in developing this point: “judging” does not detract from their sensitivity, quite the opposite!
3 / Take Action Step by Step
This is the ultimate stage of maturity. Faced with a problem that you have identified (step 1), and analyzed (step 2), you find a suitable answer and you put it into practice. Many dreams or beautiful projects never see the light of day for lack of action!
Act after seeing, thinking, and choosing: this is the method used by all major strategists, business leaders, browsers and it is the one that will allow you for example to build a professional project – or any project of life – motivating and realistic.
Suppose this: Joze wants to become a fighter pilot and pass the selections of the Air Force. His problem: his level of English is insufficient to enable him to succeed. After reflection, he considers several solutions and finally leaves to work one year in England.
The action that is well prepared – or well-matured – generally achieves the goal set. It opens the door to new experiences that will bring you to make even more decisions. Is it not a success at the end of the road? We must see again, judge, and act to bounce back.
To grow in maturity: Do not always put off what you have decided to do after reflection. If you lack willpower, courage, initiative, set small goals for action and move step by step towards the goal but do not stay in square one. Eventually, give yourself small rewards every step of the way. [This article on procrastination could help you, click here].
And rest assured: we are not born mature, but we become gradually by dint of seeing, judging, and acting in the right tempo.
Now would you like to know some characteristics of a mature person? Well, it’s simple! Continue reading this article, the following lines address this angle.
II – Some Signs in General of Maturity
1 – Indulgence.
I think that the more we grow, the more we live experiences, and the more we learn to take a step back, to see the world around us with more kindness and less severity.
Most of what we feel comes from our way of interpreting our reality. If we think that “people are walking too slowly”, we will be constantly frustrated in the street. Whereas if we see these same people like everyone who has his own reason to walk slowly, to take his time or not even to realize it, it makes us smile.
Impatience is often attributed as a trait of youth. Young people want everything now, right now, they want immediate results, they want their parents to be perfect, their friends are there, their partners are at their disposal … etc. This is what usually generates so-called “immature” behaviors. We get excited, we break, we groan, we live constantly in the reproach of “the other”.
We tend to say: All that happens to us is the fault of others. But we grow up and we understand better. In fact, in the absolute, nobody wants me badly. Everyone seeks his own well-being, and some reach it to the detriment of others. When we come to identify the “positive” in all attention, we suddenly see others with less vehemence, less distrust.
That is why we regard indulgence as one of the greatest signs of maturity. When you manage to be indulgent, you are able to smile in front of things that made you angry before, to be able to forgive easily because “you understand” and above all, to be able to be less severe with even, because you know it now: you do your best, with what you know.
2 – “I Am Not the Center of the World”
Another characteristic of a mature person, they accept that they are not the center of the world. In other words, they accept that they are not superior to others regardless of their wealth or social rank. They accept this principle: “Beyond everything … all the same.” They give value to every human being. They focus on the fact that you never finish learning. If higher, by indulgence, maturity approaches wisdom; here maturity is getting closer to humility.
3 – “With Your Head up and Your Eyes Fixed Forward”
While immature people linger over trivialities or become apologetic about their fate, mature people always try to walk with their heads held high. They realize that life is a succession of joys and misfortunes, joys and sorrows, victories and defeats, successes and failures. They understand that they earn more to advance than to retreat or stagnate. For her: “nothing beats life”. And each life deserves to be lived, so the main thing is to keep your head up and your eyes fixed forward.
The experiences of life, the realities of life become assets for mature people to build a strong character, build a strong personality. They make each experience an asset to evolve in life.
Want to know more about maturity? These articles might interest you:
– Spiritual maturity
– Emotional maturity