W
hen I was a child, I spoke like a child; I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when
I became a woman, I put away childish things.”
Regina Nunnally
Life Lessons from a Defense Attorney: Immaturity
A
s a felony trial attorney, I’ve handled
hundreds of cases. I’ve represented
young and old. One of the denominators
I’ve seen in my twelve years of practicing law is: the lack of maturity. Maturity
is a choice. Maturity is not age related.
Maturity has nothing to do with experiences. “When I was a child, I spoke like
a child; I understood as a child, I thought
as a child; but when I became a woman, I
put away childish things.” It’s time to put
down the toys.
Toy #1 Entitlement - I am supposed
to get everything I want. In other words,
“you are greedy.” It’s all about me.
Sometime parents spoil their children.
However, in life and especially as an
adult, you don’t get everything you want.
You have to work for everything you get.
Sometime you have to wait and still may
not get what you want. A sign of immaturity is a person who believes that “no”
is not an option. “No” is a dirty word. If
a child never learns the value of waiting
then as an adult they will be demanding,
won’t appreciate anything and use tactics
to get what they want.
Toy #2 Accountability - It’s always
somebody else’s fault. It’s difficult to admit when you are wrong and admitting it
is a sign of failure, weakness, incompetence or vulnerability. Actually, it’s a sign
of humility. We must take charge of our
actions and when we choose to do the
wrong thing, “fess up when you mess
up”. We try to escape the inevitable by
deflecting on others. Lies start flying and
manipulation begins to run rampant in order to get out of trouble.
How often do I hear: “I made a mistake”.
A mistake is not a purposeful act, not
planned. A mistake is an accident, unintentional. If you smoke marijuana while
on probation, it’s not a mistake! It takes
courage to admit you are wrong. Accountabilit 䁥́