Have you ever felt like you stood apart from a majority of the people in your age group? Like you just didn't belong with them, and no matter how hard you try, or how much you want to fit in, you just don't? The partying and reckless activities surrounding others around you just don't seem to spark your interest like they do everyone else's. If you feel like this often, you might be ahead of your time.
It's sort of an odd thought, to feel a different age than you are. The "you" you know inside doesn't match the way you look outside. For me, going through life is like being a 42 year old stuck in a 21 year old's body. My idea of a fun time is drawing, painting, hiking, spending quality, low key, time with people I truly enjoy. I'd rather stay in on a Friday night, and, truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of drinking (Great for most, not for me). But, as much as I accept that that's who I am, I can't help but feel left out and alone most of the time.
Most of the people my age are largely concerned about their problems. Rightfully so, everyone has things going on with them. But, when you don't think like that, and you put others first, you get really tired of being trampled over and left in the dust when they finally succeed and move forward, without you. It gets, well, lonely.
Common sense is just a fact of life for you. You often think before you act and it generally works out for you. But, being surrounding by others who tend to act before they think is usually just a thump on the head and a self muttered, "Why did they think that was a good idea?" This quality means you can generally put two and two together earlier than most, and this tends to put you ahead of your years with a bit of wisdom.
You generally get along better with adults. Adults can hold a conversation with you that builds ideas and thoughts, and usually, doesn't involve talking to the top of someone's head while they text someone else. Adults also generally appreciate your common, sensible nature.
You understand that you don't know everything, you still have a lot to learn, and you respect those ahead of you for the lessons they can teach. The realization that you can learn anything from anyone, and that even the most unlikely have something to teach you, is one a few years ahead of 20, and generally comes with experience and the act of going through life itself. Reflection on these experience is beautiful to you.
Responsibility for your actions. Knowing what went wrong, that you may have been to cause of the result, and admitting to it in addition to working towards a solution and apologizing to those affected.
Not getting sucked up in the drama all around you. You generally tend to shrug it off and move on, or look for a reason behind it. If it gets to be out of hand, you're the kind of person who goes directly to the source to figure out why it's happening, and work with them toward some sort of resolution.
Being able to work with anyone on any task that faces you is one of your strong suits. Putting differences aside in order to accomplish a common goal is something you generally learn early on and tends to tie back to that common sense thing I mentioned above (if we work together we can get this done in a more timely fashion and divide the work equally, where it plays to our strong suits). Recognizing that you might not like everyone in the whole wide world, but being able to figure out how you both can work on something together is a little ahead of its time. Not exactly the most common thing you see when you walk into a college classroom.
Knowing who you are. Some people never figure that one out. But, understanding yourself and accepting yourself sets you apart in a place where most people are still trying to find themselves. You aren't better than anyone else. But you are you, and you like that.
The twenties are for experimentation some say. A time to try new things and try out different personalities. A time to find yourself. So, what do you do when you already have at 21 when your classmates are still at the point in their lives they should be, and you're so far ahead? Keep on keepin' on, they'll catch up.
