Have you ever wondered how things would be different if you had known then what you know now? What would you have changed? But, of course, that’s impossible. We were so young, and we thought we knew everything!
Sometimes, when a piece of advice finally lands or a familiar face in the mirror reminds us of someone who guided us along the way, we realize, “Oh, now I get it”. These moments or maturity shift how we see our work, our relationships, and the people who helped shape us.
When I was young, I thought my father was a fool.
When I grew older, I wondered how he had
learned so much in so short a time.
— Mark Twain
Watch "Maturity Moments" on the Educators Among Us Podcast
Do you remember that time when your parents, teachers, or others suddenly became a whole lot smarter and wiser? Aha moments like this are important.
They likely weren't even around when we powerfully connected those dots.
It may come when we remember and realize that annoying lecture or contrary decision was actually an effort to save us from the pain they had experienced. That's when we understand the wisdom of people who were once just old fools.
We are all apprentices in a craft
where no one ever becomes a master.
— Ernest Hemingway
Everyone has built-in limitations, especially when it comes to perspective, so those maturity moments stimulate an attitude adjustment for greater mastery.
No one sees people and things as they really are—we only see them as we are.
One special gift of a healthy and humble mindset is to reflect on the miracles and the people who enabled us to become who, what, and where we are today. Someone was behind everyone's success, and educators are vital contributors.
Continue in what you have learned and
have become convinced of, because you
know those from whom you learned it.
― 2 Timothy 3:14
At the start we resemble our parents, but in the end we resemble our decisions.
Painful regrets are always rooted in decisions that reject what is right and true.
As we become more enamored with what’s beyond—with all that's much bigger than ourselves—the ability to see the marvelous exceeds our prior boundaries.
Life moves with intensity that easily causes us to bypass those reflective pauses, but then we risk losing our real meaning, our real future, and our real identity.
Embrace those maturity moments. Looking for them and changing your perspective accordingly gives you the power to decide to be the incredible person you were created to be.
Listen to "Maturity Moments" on the Educators Among Us Podcast
