If you can walk away from these 9 situations, you’re more mature than 98% of people

We tend to celebrate people who stick things out no matter what. But sometimes, walking away is the real power move.

It’s not weakness. It’s not avoidance. It’s maturity.

The kind of maturity that comes from deep self-awareness and knowing what you’re no longer willing to tolerate.

Here are nine situations that, if you can walk away from them, put you in a rare category of people who are operating with real emotional intelligence.

1. When you can’t control the outcome

There was a time in my life when I fought everything. I clung to things, people, and plans that were clearly slipping away—trying to force the outcome I thought I needed. All it did was drain me.

It took me a while to learn what Viktor Frankl meant when he said, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”.

You don’t have to like the situation. You just have to know when your energy is better spent accepting and adapting than trying to fix something that isn’t yours to fix.

2. Toxic relationships, no matter how deep the history

It could be an old friend, an ex, a parent. Just because someone has been in your life for a long time doesn’t mean they should stay.

Maturity is being able to love someone and still choose to protect your peace. It means you’re no longer addicted to potential. You’re tuned into reality.

The phrase I come back to here is something I picked up from Rudá Iandê’s new book, Laughing in the Face of Chaos

“Being human means inevitably disappointing and hurting others, and the sooner you accept this reality, the easier it becomes to navigate life’s challenges.”

The book inspired me to stop making guilt the reason I stay connected. If the relationship constantly undermines your well-being, maturity is choosing space.

3. The need to be liked

This one hits especially hard for the people-pleasers out there (I see you).

Walking away from your desire to be liked by everyone is one of the most freeing things you can do. It doesn’t mean you become rude or indifferent. It just means you stop bending yourself into a thousand shapes for validation.

You realize that not being liked is not a moral failing. It’s just a part of being a real, honest human.

4. Your own comfort zone

Susan David said it best: “Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life”.

Most people avoid discomfort like the plague. But when you walk away from comfort for the sake of growth—that’s maturity.

Whether it’s leaving a secure job to pursue something more aligned, ending a relationship that’s become stagnant, or putting yourself in situations where you might fail—this is how you stretch.

And the more you stretch, the more you realize your capacity is much greater than you thought.

5. Superficial success

The world rewards you for chasing status, titles, money, likes. And for a while, I did too.

But the deeper I got into mindfulness and Eastern philosophy, the more I started questioning: Is this really it? Or am I just checking boxes because that’s what I was taught to do?

Walking away from external measures of success to pursue purpose, peace, and presence isn’t something everyone understands.

But if you can do it, you’re playing a very different game.

6. The urge to win every argument

I used to think that being right meant I had more value. That I was smarter, more worthy. But as I’ve grown, I’ve realized that needing to win is often just your ego trying to prove something.

Mature people know when to stop arguing. Not because they’re wrong. But because they understand that peace matters more than proving a point.

Let people misunderstand you. Let them walk away thinking they won. Real self-confidence doesn’t need to be loud.

7. Environments that don’t reflect your values

I’ve walked away from jobs, business partnerships, and communities that didn’t align with my values. It was never easy. But it was necessary.

Sometimes, we stay in misaligned environments because we’re scared to start over. But maturity is recognizing that your integrity is more valuable than your resume or your LinkedIn network.

And that fear of starting over? It usually fades fast once you remember who you really are.

8. The pressure to explain yourself to everyone

Not everyone gets your decisions. They don’t have to.

There comes a point where you stop needing to justify your life choices. You stop over-explaining, over-sharing, and trying to convince people to see your perspective.

Warren Buffett once said, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything”.

You don’t need permission to say no. You need clarity, boundaries, and trust in yourself.

9. Guilt over choosing yourself

This is a big one.

Choosing yourself can feel selfish, especially if you were raised to put others first. But the truth is, self-sacrifice isn’t always noble. Sometimes, it’s just self-abandonment with good PR.

Choosing yourself means taking responsibility for your needs, your dreams, your mental health. It means accepting that others might not like it—and doing it anyway.

Because their happiness? It’s their responsibility, not yours. I know I’ve quoted Rudá Iandê before, but this one deserves repeating: “Their happiness is their responsibility, not yours.”

Final words

Most people stay stuck because it’s easier than facing the unknown. But real growth happens the moment you decide you’re no longer available for situations that drain, distract, or diminish you.

It takes guts to walk away.

But when you do, something incredible happens. You create space. For better relationships. For peace. For joy. For the version of you that you were always meant to become.

And if that makes you part of the 2%?

So be it.