Is Maturity Less Common than Common Sense?

I read a story in Fortune Magazine about the changes brought on by the Gen Y workforce. What I read made me want to puke!

The story was about a graduate of a prestigious US university who had accepted a job with the leading accountancy firm. And he brought his mommy to the 1^st day of work. I screamed at the magazine hoping he’d hear me, “GROW UP!”

You see, my father always taught me that common sense wasn’t actually common. And he also made me experience a whole host of endeavors that made sure I learned common sense, the way most people do, through trial and error. I learned from my mistakes. I learned common sense. I pride myself on my ‘common sense’ ability and being able to use it in a variety of creative ways.

So how is maturity learned? A professional speaker in Australia told me (and a room full of other people) that:

Maturity = self discipline + self confidence + the ability to connect with others

What made me so mad about the kid who took his mommy to work was that he failed the last two of these points. He didn’t have enough confidence to show up on his own and he didn’t have a strong enough ability to connect with others because surely, during the interview process, he met someone that he could turn to if his confidence starting waning. NO! He brought his mommy. Whatever.

So again, how does maturity (self confidence, self discipline, & the ability to connect with others) get learned?

The same way my father taught me. You learn it by trial & error. You practice being disciplined and see where it leads you. You practice being confident and see what that gets you. You have to practice connecting with others. Your mommy can’t do it for you.

I lack self-confidence – sometimes.

I lack self-discipline – sometimes.

I lack connecting to others – sometimes.

What I do, however, is practice taking action, celebrating my achievements, learning from others as well as my mistakes and above all else, I do it with like-minded friends old and new. And I do this MOST of the time.

How mature are you? How’s your self-confidence, self-discipline, and ability to connect with others? Grade yourself on a 10 point scale in each of these areas and see what you get. Then ask yourself, “What would I be doing differently to move 1 point up that scale?” Start practicing those things today.