I'm still the same person at 30 as I was at 18... is that normal?

William Hall93 said:I find myself gravitating toward the exact same things. Same hobbies, the same circle of friends, the same political outlook and core beliefs. It’s the same music I listen to, the same movies, books, and games I dive into. I read the same news outlets, visit the same websites, laugh at the same kind of humor, and eat and drink the same stuff...

Physically, I’m basically the same guy I was at 18, just maybe 7 or 8 pounds heavier and perhaps an inch or two taller. My facial hair still hasn't decided to show up, just like back then, and I still deal with the occasional breakout. People actually ask to see my driver's license sometimes because they think I look way younger than I actually am.

I did manage to wrap up my college degree in the meantime, though I don't feel like a single bit smarter for having it.

Right now, I’m pretty content with where I'm at. I figured out what kind of life I wanted to live quite early on, so I guess I’m wondering if it’s normal to stay this consistent, or if I should be shaking things up just for the sake of personal growth...

I’m a little confused by the question—do you even truly grasp what "personal growth" implies?
I mean, you just stated you're satisfied, yet you're questioning if that's "normal" and whether you need to change things for your own benefit...

Man, take the win! You should honestly be celebrating the fact that you've already nailed down your life goals—that's something plenty of people struggle to do in their entire lives. 🙂

William Hall93 said:I'm asking because there’s this whole idea that falling into a repetitive rut or a set routine long-term—though I've no clue what the actual timeframe for that would be—is devastating for your mental state, which eventually wrecks your physical health too... even if that rut is actually "productive," like it is in my case.

That's a fair point; you're right about that.
A steady routine is beneficial, but only until the walls start closing in on you.
Or until the monotony triggers a depressive episode.

It might not happen to you specifically, but there are no guarantees in life.

Best, 🙂

I find myself in the exact same boat regarding this matter.

William Hall93 said:What does any of that have to do with the topic at hand? 🤣
I don't buy into that quasi-astrological psychological nonsense you're peddling.

Well, seeing as you’re just an organic system—one that emerged from yet another organic system—it’s entirely relevant to the subject...
Fetal development matters here; the formation of all those biological building blocks, the aftermath of birth, whether you were an only child or if siblings came out of that same organism before you did... how old was that organism at the time? Was it healthy, or was it already worn down? You have to consider the stress levels during pregnancy, the hormonal fluctuations, and all that other physiological noise...

Now, I’m asking out of pure personal curiosity—frankly, I couldn't care less about the "topic" itself—but it’s deeply connected to what you’re asking. In fact, almost nothing else determines the outcome you're inquiring about, so I'm asking...

Furthermore, this idea that you are "the same"—that's just a baseline assumption. Most people don't actually "grow" in a meaningful sense; they just reach a certain state and then proceed to age...

To actually become different, you would need to be exposed to experiences and circumstances that deviate from what your organism has been conditioned to handle. That is when you undergo change, or adaptation, or whatever one chooses to call being conditioned by the environment...

But what you are specifically asking about is something known to occur based on maternal age or epigenetics rooted in early development—say, the first three years of life, for instance. Honestly, anything falling under the umbrella of early development might actually be more relevant than the topic itself...

Amanda Reed6 said:I guess we're talking about stuff like having a real job, taking care of my own business, cooking my own meals, paying the electric bill, all that good stuff. You know, actual responsibilities. It's not like being 30 and still living off your parents like some kid who hasn't a clue what's going on. If someone's still obsessed with the same music or hobbies they had at 18, I don't see the big deal—as long as they've actually grown up in every other way that matters.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

I honestly don't think anyone can truly claim to be a fully formed, finished product by the age of 18—not in this day and age, anyway, when everything seems to be moving so much faster than it used to. And let's be real, you aren't exactly evolving or growing if you're just stuck in a loop, doing the exact same things over and over again without any change. So, in my book, no, it's just not normal

Maybe they'll end up upgrading later on... Or maybe they just haven't pushed themselves enough to branch out into other interests. It could also be that they're stuck in an environment that's just too set in its ways to allow for any real change...

nimbleridge5 said:I honestly don't think anyone can truly claim to be a fully formed, finished product by the age of 18—not in this day and age, anyway, when everything seems to be moving so much faster than it used to. And let's be real, you aren't exactly evolving or growing if you're just stuck in a loop, doing the exact same things over and over again without any change. So, in my book, no, it's just not normal

Look, I never claimed to be some fully formed individual, nor did I say I was looking to "upgrade" myself. All I said was that my core self and my character remain the same...

Richard Wells said:That's exactly what I was thinking.

I don't have a job right now, but I'll be starting one soon—it's a fixed term for at least a year. What happens after that depends on the company (and me, too), but mostly on how the firm operates.
In my field, you tend to wait a bit longer for an opening compared to people who land something within two months of graduation...

I honestly think things are going to shift pretty soon once all those life changes start hitting. When your lifestyle flips, your habits, interests, and what you actually care about tend to follow suit. It’s just how it works.

Once you actually land a job, money starts carrying way more weight than when it was just handed to you on a silver platter. You get a routine, too—you finally have a decent sleep schedule and set meal times. It's a hell of a lot better than being unemployed, where one day you're up at 7 AM and the next you're staring at a screen or gaming until 3 in the morning and sleeping until noon. Simple as that. When you have less free time, you're forced to reprioritize how you spend it. And look, once you move out of your parents' place, a huge chunk of that "free" time gets swallowed up by stuff they used to handle—cleaning the house, cooking, grocery shopping, keeping up with the bills, all that. It’s pretty unrealistic to expect your life to stay exactly the same when you've changed every single variable. As for whether you still love the same music, movies, or games? That's minor. It doesn't really matter if those tastes stay the same or change at the end of the day.

Even though I’m currently between jobs, I’ve already got my sleep schedule dialed in perfectly.
I also take full responsibility for looking after myself when it comes to everything else—cooking, cleaning, keeping things organized... that's just common sense to me. I handle all the housework and yard work without being asked, and honestly, I actually find it kind of relaxing 😁

William Hall93 said:Even though I’m currently between jobs, I’ve already got my sleep schedule dialed in perfectly.
I also take full responsibility for looking after myself when it comes to everything else—cooking, cleaning, keeping things organized... that's just common sense to me. I handle all the housework and yard work without being asked, and honestly, I actually find it kind of relaxing 😁

Good for you if you had that figured out by 17 or 18. 😁I definitely didn't have my act together like that back then.🙂

Amanda Reed6 said:I honestly think things are going to shift pretty soon once all those life changes start hitting. When your lifestyle flips, your habits, interests, and what you actually care about tend to follow suit. It’s just how it works.

Once you actually land a job, money starts carrying way more weight than when it was just handed to you on a silver platter. You get a routine, too—you finally have a decent sleep schedule and set meal times. It's a hell of a lot better than being unemployed, where one day you're up at 7 AM and the next you're staring at a screen or gaming until 3 in the morning and sleeping until noon. Simple as that. When you have less free time, you're forced to reprioritize how you spend it. And look, once you move out of your parents' place, a huge chunk of that "free" time gets swallowed up by stuff they used to handle—cleaning the house, cooking, grocery shopping, keeping up with the bills, all that. It’s pretty unrealistic to expect your life to stay exactly the same when you've changed every single variable. As for whether you still love the same music, movies, or games? That's minor. It doesn't really matter if those tastes stay the same or change at the end of the day.

Not even close, unless you're completely disorganized or just incapable of functioning.
I honestly don't see the point in dwelling on these kinds of vague hypotheticals.

Amanda Reed6 said:Good for you if you had that figured out by 17 or 18. 😁I definitely didn't have my act together like that back then.🙂

Yeah, I did, except for cooking. I didn't actually start learning how to cook until I was 22, once it finally clicked that I’d eventually be living on my own and would actually need the skill 🙂

Maybe you just feel stuck—honestly, you probably haven't even realized how much ground you've actually covered. You're always picking up something new, even on those days when you feel like you aren't doing anything at all.

Get a handle on the different ways people look at nothingness...

placidwolf27 said:Well, seeing as you’re just an organic system—one that emerged from yet another organic system—it’s entirely relevant to the subject...
Fetal development matters here; the formation of all those biological building blocks, the aftermath of birth, whether you were an only child or if siblings came out of that same organism before you did... how old was that organism at the time? Was it healthy, or was it already worn down? You have to consider the stress levels during pregnancy, the hormonal fluctuations, and all that other physiological noise...

Now, I’m asking out of pure personal curiosity—frankly, I couldn't care less about the "topic" itself—but it’s deeply connected to what you’re asking. In fact, almost nothing else determines the outcome you're inquiring about, so I'm asking...

Furthermore, this idea that you are "the same"—that's just a baseline assumption. Most people don't actually "grow" in a meaningful sense; they just reach a certain state and then proceed to age...

To actually become different, you would need to be exposed to experiences and circumstances that deviate from what your organism has been conditioned to handle. That is when you undergo change, or adaptation, or whatever one chooses to call being conditioned by the environment...

But what you are specifically asking about is something known to occur based on maternal age or epigenetics rooted in early development—say, the first three years of life, for instance. Honestly, anything falling under the umbrella of early development might actually be more relevant than the topic itself...

Honestly, you sound like you're describing a faulty dishwasher. You forgot to mention the limescale buildup! 😁