As people age, their perspective changes.

As we age, many of the pressures and expectations that we have about our lives and ourselves can sometimes begin to fade away. We start to realize that they don't matter anymore, and for highly intelligent individuals, this shift means letting go of things that drain their energy. It's about them being able to recognize that not everything deserves their attention and time, even if at one point, it was something that consumed their every waking thought. It's because, as we age, our perspectives on many things naturally change, and before we know it, we've realized that things don't have to matter unless we give them the space to do so.

Highly intelligent people sometimes see that most of the things they were worrying about earlier in their lives have no substance to them. It takes more time for them to actually care about these things than anything else, and once they stop blindly following these expectations, they realize how much freer they are. Leaving behind the things that no longer serve them allows them to make space for things they truly care about and genuinely want to devote their energy to because now they're free from all that extra, unnecessary baggage.

1. Impressing everyone
Highly intelligent individuals, at one point, may have been deeply concerned about how their character comes across to others. They always want to make a good first impression, but they also want people to be impressed by them in general. However, with time, these individuals often come to realize that trying to impress everyone is both exhausting and ultimately impossible.

2. Winning every argument
When people are younger, they sometimes lack the self-awareness that not every disagreement or argument needs to have a winner. It can sometimes defeat the entire purpose of having conflict with someone, especially if it's someone you care about, when all you're worried about is there being a clear loser and winner. As highly intelligent people age, they begin to realize that there's nothing beneficial about trying to win every argument.

3. What strangers think
For many, the weight of what strangers think about them truly determines how they feel about themselves. It's sometimes easy to measure your self-worth against how other people view you, especially when you're younger. But highly intelligent people realize that it takes a massive amount of energy to care what strangers think because no matter what, you can't change someone's opinion about you when they don't even know anything about you to begin with.

4. Chasing perfection
Highly intelligent people are constantly striving for excellence in every area of their lives. At a younger age, they may have tried to strive for perfection, and while it drove them to their ambitions, it can also be their detriment. As they get older, highly intelligent people realize that perfection is not only impossible, but they'll burn themselves out trying to achieve it.

5. Always being busy
Being busy is sometimes worn as a badge of honor. The more packed your schedule is, the more successful you're expected to be. At a young age, highly intelligent people may have been obsessed with filling their calendars with everything and anything to further their careers and personal lives, but as they've grown older, they've realized that nothing is fulfilling about feeling overwhelmed all the time.

6. Over-apologizing
It's easy to fall into the trap of always saying "sorry," especially if you're someone who's overly empathetic and worries about hurting others' feelings. Highly intelligent individuals have often felt the need to over-apologize as a way to demonstrate their politeness and to convey that they genuinely regret their actions that may have hurt someone else.

7. Feeling guilty for saying 'no'
Many people spend a significant portion of their younger years struggling to establish a clear boundary of knowing when to say 'no' to things. Whether it's because they have FOMO and need to be there or because they struggle with people-pleasing tendencies, it can be challenging to avoid disappointing others and possibly even damaging relationships if they don't take it well.
However, for highly intelligent individuals, as they age, they realize that always saying 'yes' does them a disservice. At the expense of their energy and time, sometimes saying 'no' is better, especially when you don't feel like doing something. It shows that you have enough self-respect to have boundaries with the people in your life and that you're protecting your peace by sometimes spending time alone.

8. Being ashamed of their passions
Whether it's a nerdy obsession or an unconventional hobby, highly intelligent people learn not to be ashamed of their passions, regardless of how they may appear to those who don't understand them. From a young age, they have been a bit insecure about what others would think about their nerdy habits because they didn't want to be judged or teased for not "fitting in," but as they've gotten older, they've learned to embrace their quirks.

They begin to realize that their passions make them unique above all else, and that's what's most interesting about them. By embracing their passions, they allow their authentic selves to shine through, and others can see that. The right people won't make you feel small for the things you love.