Emotional growth

I used to think that being too bright for my age was a compliment until I realised that it wasn't; we have different perspectives on the world and have associated age with distinct qualifications and successes.

I recall hearing stories about our grandparents marrying at the age of 20 and how all a man had to do was choose a trade. His family would find them a wife or two, and in retrospect, I realised that at the age of 20, I didn't have a defined path in life. And even now, in my mid-twenties, I still feel like I'm winging it.

When someone compliments us on our brightness and talents, they refer to our emotional intelligence (also known as emotional quotient or EQ), which is the ability to recognise, use, and manage our own emotions in a constructive manner.

Self-awareness, drive, empathy, social skills, and self-control are all characteristics of emotional intelligence. We are seen as wiser for our age when those are more developed, and perhaps all we did was listen intently, reconsider our attitude, and maintain our composure.

In an ideal world, society would place higher importance on emotional development. But, unfortunately, we probably didn't learn about it in our early years, and now that we're adults, it's catching up with us. In a society that views emotional instability as a sign of maturity, we're compelled to deal with it.

How? I'm am still learning too.