It’s 2017. The 90s babies like me are turning into the ages of maturity. The fact that I just had my birthday made me feel even older.
This reminds me of an article in Chinese that I came across exactly a year ago, titled “25 Signs that you are mature”. Here it is:
1. Able to finish something yourself.
2. Do not simply show the vulnerable side of yourself.
3. Start appreciating the people around you.
4. Never simply rely on others (wait, isn’t this a ditto from point 1?)
5. Self-confidence.
6. Emphasize personalities over appearances.
7. Be practical.
8. Honour your promises.
9. Remain strong and tough despite losing someone in life.
10. Be considerate.
11. Stay strong (in facing challenges and adversities).
12. Enjoy and cherish life (that is, take a break from your routine and have some leisure time!)
13. Be intellectually curious and realize the importance of knowledge.
14. Be sincere.
15. Stop dwelling about the past.
16. Persevere.
17. Be yourself.
18. Have your dignity–avoid slavishly agreeing with others!
19. Work hard.
20. Stop complaining about difficulties (in life or tasks).
21. Take care of your health.
22. Don’t crave for excessive freedom.
23. Chase for your dream!
24. Relax and unwind yourself as necessary.
25. Be dauntless and adventurous!
I am in no position to judge myself on maturity, but the main attribute that shows my improvement can be seen as I scrolled through the Facebook posts I made several years ago (thanks to the “See Your Memories” features), and the email I written (for IMO purposes) during that period. Sometimes I couldn’t help but to ask “why on earth did I even post this?!” It has also came to a point where I stopped (though not completely yet) comparing my marks with my classmates (as I did in my high school), and grimaced if I lose to them (reminds me of an essay on “kiasu” that I submitted as a writing supplement for Princeton). I’m pretty sure that I pissed off many classmates because of this (sorry guys).
In retrospect, maturity didn’t really come until I got into Sunway College: back then my mum kept nagging to me “your cousin brothers and sisters won’t behave like this!” I have to acknowledge that my journey in IMO and Toastmasters played a big role in molding who I am right now.
Any comments? Feel free to write below.
anzoteh96 