March 14, 2013
Alexia Isaak
I bet you think you're smart. I'll be honest. I think I'm smart. I think I'm bright and whitty and write meaningful blog posts. No matter how smart I am, I do stupid stuff.
I make mistakes, say the wrong things, and act out of frustration or impatience. I may score straight A's all though school and university, but am I fully developed in the emotional spectrum? I can demonstrate book smarts all day long, but every now and then, I show either eximplary or pitiful emotional maturity.
A friend of mine recently pointed out to me the obvious difference between intellectual maturity and emotional maturity. An intellectually mature person can write papers, churn out work, and score aces on tests. This same person may have no maturity at all to make decisions out of love and caring. An intellectually mature person may appreciate the technicality of a piece of classical music, but may not understand the emotion and passion behind it.
Emotional maturity knows how to turn away from negativity to choose love and happiness. An emotionally mature person can get over disappointments in a relationship and move on to better things. Emotional maturity demonstrates listening and compramise. It gives you the ability to put yourself in another person's shoes. An emotionally mature person can accept responsibility in a conflict and decide to forgive.
Intellectual maturity can only take you so far. Emotional maturity alone will only help you out a little, but if you can develop both areas, you will be a powerful force to be reckoned with. You can learn tons of tips about emotional and intellectual maturity among other things through my mentor, Rhonda Shasteen, in my book Views from the 13th Floor: Conversations with My Mentor. I encourage you to keep growing up intellectually and emotionally because you can!