I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but it's happening. I was easily one of the first people to mature out of my class. A lot of people have told me, "You're mature beyond your years" — which is cool and all, but it isn't always that glamorous.

I couldn't engage in good conversation with most of the people I tried to talk to.

I felt like the subject matter was always boring, not enough to intrigue me, or I felt like I had already had the same conversation over and over. I hated small talk, and that's all anyone my age could muster. I wanted a full-on, intellectual conversation, yet I felt that I could never get that.

So, then I realized that I bonded better with adults.

This was odd for someone my age, just carrying on a casual conversation with someone much older. It was so easy though. And I was having real conversations. I craved that. For years, I just wanted to be able to chat with a person and not have it get awkward because the other person couldn't hold an in-person conversation or think of topics to talk about.

I felt out of place, like I should have grown up in a different year or something.

It wasn't easy for me to hang around everyone my age. I just felt like I was on a different level than them, and it made me feel out of place. I wanted to have grown up in another decade, or at least have had more friends who matured as much as me. But, no matter what time you are born in or where you grow up, you can't change how fast you mature. So, then I just tried to make the best out of my situation.

There's nothing wrong with maturing faster than others.

Although I felt frustrated several times, it also made me feel good because I gained more confidence. I began to pride myself on the fact that I had matured and was on my way to being an adult. Then, after that, I just kept my head up!