The top 17 signs you are wise beyond your years

“There is a beautiful thing inside you that is thousands of years old. Too old to be captured in poems. Too old to be loved by everyone. But loved so very deeply by a chosen few.”

– Nikita Gill

It’s common these days to hear about old souls and people who are “wise beyond their years.”

But what does this really mean?

And are you one of them?

1) You know true love is rare

We live in a society which treats love in a strange way.

It either pretends that true love always comes at the right time and works out, or it craps on the idea of true love and says it doesn’t exist.

I disagree with both stereotypes.

I think true love exists and that there are only a few people in each lifetime who have the potential to make us truly happy.

At the same time I think that true love is difficult and often imperfect.

It’s not always meant to work out or possible, but it’s definitely real.

That’s why breakups with someone you really loved hurt so much and why relationships with someone you don’t really love are such a relief to be out of.

One of the strongest signs you are wise beyond your years is that you know true love doesn’t come along often.

Yet you still believe it’s real and worth caring about.

2) You aren’t a materialist

Another of the top signs you are wise beyond your years is that you aren’t a materialist.

While you may care about material things and want to have a solid career and financial life, it’s not your focus.

As Lachlan Brown says, one of the biggest signs you’re wise beyond your years is that material things don’t mean quite as much for you.

That’s because you’re wise enough to know that life is short and that everything physical is only temporary.

Even the most beautiful villa won’t last forever, and the amazing sports car or body you have today isn’t going to be there in 100 years.

At least not in the same condition.

Old souls don’t obsess about the physical; they appreciate the spiritual too.

They know that we’re spiritual beings on a human journey.

They tend to focus on the core and essential parts of life, like relationships, experiences and spiritual truth.

3) You know how to let go

One of the hardest things to do in life is to learn to let go of the things you can’t control.

This can be accepting that someone you love doesn’t love you, or that you aren’t in charge of when you die.

There are very primal things which we simply can’t control.

Learning to let go doesn’t mean that we no longer care.

It means that everything from our respiratory system to our conscious mind learns to stop obsessing about controlling all those parts of life that aren’t in our power to control.

If you’ve learned how to do this it is one of the primary signs you are wise beyond your years.

Because the truth is that there are many people who go to their deathbed without ever truly learning or accepting this.

Learning to let go is an incredible skill and ability that will eliminate a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering in your life.

4) You value quality over quantity

Another one of the clearest signs you are wise beyond your years

Czaroma Roman writes about this, noting that people who are wise beyond their years tend to value deep and meaningful connections more than outer popularity.

This can sometimes make you seem like a loner or stand-offish.

But it’s really not that at all.

It’s that you value depth over surface area.

From friendships to romantic relationships and work collaborations, you’re not looking for fast hookups or sudden fads, you’re looking for something long-term and real.

You want something real and lasting, rather than the frizzy glitz that populates the surface of our shallow society.

You’re not chasing the likes and digital heroin, you’re sitting in a cafe at 11:30 p.m. reading Kierkegaard.

There’s no mystery why you’re still single, but there’s also no doubt that once you meet someone you can truly connect with the sky’s the limit…

5) You don’t only care about physical appearances

Even old souls care about beauty. We all react well to someone we find pleasing to our eye and whose energy and presence excites us.

But one of the top signs you are wise beyond your years is that you see beyond physical appearance.

One day in the future those of us blessed to live to old age are going to be a bag of bones.

Take a look at your grandparents in their 20s if you want a reality check on the burden of time and aging.

But the fact of the matter is that true love and bonds last the test of time far longer and deeper than any outer look.

Like Bruce Springsteen sings in Terry’s Song:

“Love is a power greater than death

Just like the songs and stories told

And when she built you, brother

She broke the mold.”

Those who are wise beyond their years know that real love doesn’t age with the body and true beauty isn’t only on the outside.

Yes, physical beauty matters, but it’s not everything…

Far too many people find that out too late after one Botox surgeries too many, but those who are wise beyond their years already know it from a very early age.

6) You know what real power is

One of the biggest signs you are wise beyond your years is that you know what real power is.

In a world of paper-chasing and titles, you have found a way to unlock the power inside you and express your creative potential.

So what can you do to find real power?

Start by recognizing the incredible power within you.

You see, all of us have the potential to find wisdom and power that’s actually meaningful, but most of us don’t realize how easily we can achieve what we want.

I learned this from the shaman Rudá Iandê. He’s dedicated his life to helping people restore balance to their lives and live life with passion at the heart of everything they do.

But that’s not all…

Rudá isn’t just an average shaman. He uses an incredibly effective approach that combines ancient shamanic techniques with a modern-day twist. He knows how to tap into his pool of potential and power, and now he wants to share these life-changing methods with you.

In his excellent free video, Rudá shares the secret to aligning work, family, spirituality, and love. Once you have this balance, there’s no limit to what you can achieve and the wisdom you can gain.

So if you’re ready to make that change today, to put self-doubt behind you and start living your best life, you need to check out his genuine advice.

Click here to watch the free video.

7) You tend to relate to people from very diverse walks of life

Another of the strongest signs you are wise beyond your years is that you tend to relate to people from very diverse walks of life.

You notice people’s outer titles and roles, but it doesn’t define them for you.

You have an innate ability to seek out the real essence of someone and get to know them.

The judgments and ideas of society or other people don’t define someone for you.

You have a very unique and powerful ability to cut through the noise and form your own view of those around you.

This may be people of all ages, beliefs, types and interests.

You are endlessly curious about others and about people who are different from you, even those who don’t seem to have a similarity with you.

The unknown fascinates you and people with very different views and experiences than you hold your attention and respect.

8) You never follow blindly

If you have an old soul and are wise beyond your years then you think for yourself.

You never follow blindly.

You may enjoy being part of a group and the solidarity of group action, but you don’t fall in line because something is popular or well thought of these days.

You make up your own mind and heart about your values and priorities.

And you let the rest of the world go about its business.

You understand the truth in the advice to be yourself because there are already enough of everyone else.

It’s really true…

You can follow when you choose and there is a cause you want to get behind, but you never blindly jump into something just because everybody else is or because it looks fun.

As Marie Cyprien notes:

“It’s practically your life mantra. You always have to take things into consideration before going through with them or else it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

“You don’t completely trust the news because you know people like to tamper with the truth and your trust in people isn’t based on their morals but their actions.”

9) You avoid labels like the plague

As part of being an iconoclast and an authentic person, you avoid labels like the plague.

They just lose their luster so fast.

From politics to spirituality to everything else, your attention isn’t held by labels.

You notice differences between people, of course, but they just aren’t the most important thing you find.

You tend to focus on what can bring us together.

This includes the feeling of alienation you may have as an old soul.

It’s hard, but you also recognize that feeling alone can be a blessing if you use it as a bridge to all the other people who also feel alone and misunderstood.

10) You don’t try to show off your experiences and battle scars

Our modern social media age has a bizarre trend I’ve been noticing:

Celebration of victimhood and bragging about being unique.

All over social media there are so many people talking about why their victim status and hard experiences make them morally superior and more interesting…

And it’s actually really exhausting and disempowering.

Yes, I’m glad we’ve moved away from the idea that being a victim is shameful or bad.

But flipping to the opposite extreme of feeling that your battle scars make you a better person than others is actually very toxic and destructive.

It’s not the kind of mindset that people who are wise beyond their years have.

If you’re wise beyond your years you feel absolutely no need to demonstrate or “prove” what you’ve been through to others around you.

“Unlike some people, you don’t need to tell everyone at a party about all the sh*t that you’ve been through.

“Your knowing your strength is enough. So when the time does come around and it’s tested, you surprise people with your resilience,” explains Defne Gencler.

11) You’re an intense person

Wise souls tend to be intense.

That can sometimes mean being a bit socially awkward or overbearing, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

It usually means that your intense authenticity makes it hard for you to accept or have patience with the various masks that people around you wear.

Their labels, roles and performances leave you bored and depressed: you wish for a more sincere world.

But one of the parts of growing as a wise and old soul is learning that the behavior of others is out of your control, and only those who are ready to connect with you will do so.

This is the way the cosmos works, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Think of it as the circle of spiritual growth.

12) You love time alone and in solitude

As far as even more signs you are wise beyond your years, another big one is that you love time alone and in solitude.

You may find that nature in particular is healing and rejuvenating for your soul.

There’s nothing quite like some time out in the Great Outdoors to kickstart your mind, heart and body back into readiness and alert, joyful health.

The time alone also lets you have the me-time that means so much to you as an old soul.

You love other people, but time alone is also very invigorating and recharges you to go out into the public once again.

As Arushi Lohia puts it:

“It is ‘me-time’ they crave the most. The process leads to overthinking too which later creates chaos for you.

“However, you still won’t mind doing it over and over again. It is always much refreshing than doing other stuff.”

13) You can see the big picture

One of the most important signs you are wise beyond your years is that you can see the big picture.

You have the same ups and downs as everyone else, but you’re not quite as hung up about the small things.

Your mind is more focused on environmental apocalypse, world war, the future of society, how to improve yourself and be a decent person and issues which extend beyond your narrow self-interest.

You want to become a better person overall, but not only for your own good.

You want to make your life matter for more than just you.

As a result, the frustrations and more trivial issues of daily life tend to pass you by with a bit less drama.

“You’re probably able to let things roll off your back easier, and you’re less likely to be triggered by certain things,” notes Sarah Regan.

14) You value self-improvement

Another one of the important signs you are wise beyond your years is that you value self-improvement.

After all, our attention to ourselves and improving ourselves is the one thing we can really control.

As a result, if you are wise beyond your years you may find that you devote a lot of time to improving yourself across the board with things like:

• Physical workouts, jogging, cross-training, dieting and other exercises and sports.
• Mental and intellectual pursuits including reading interesting and innovative books
• Spiritual and emotional work including therapy, meditation, shamanic work, energy healing and more.

Self-improvement is important to the wise, because energy you put into yourself is never wasted, and can eventually be used to benefit others as well.

Like Xinyi Liu says:

“Do you ever take time off to focus on the things that you need to do to improve yourself?

“If you do this often, then this is a clear sign that you are more mature than others. The more mature you are, the more will you understand that constantly improving yourself makes life much better and easier.”

15) You’re not very impressed by trends and fads

When you’re wise beyond your years you’re a really hard target for advertisers.

Sure, you like good products, stylish clothes and nice food.

But you’re not really sucked in by marketing and the latest trends and fads.

You don’t download music just because everyone else is and you don’t jump on political, religious or cultural bandwagons.

Just because everyone’s smoking drugs doesn’t mean you do.

Just because everyone’s having open relationships doesn’t mean the idea holds any appeal for you.

Just because people are opposed to the vaccine or in favor of it doesn’t really sway your thinking on the matter.

You think for yourself and march to the beat of your own drum, and you’re not seeking out external validation and approval.

16) You often feel alone in society

One of the more difficult signs you are wise beyond your years is that you often feel alone in society.

You pace the ranges like a lonely wolf and howl at the moon.

But as I mentioned your solitude is ultimately and generally a positive thing for you.

It lets you reflect, recharge and come back rejuvenated.

That sense of alienation, however, is different.

It can be a painful sensation to feel like you are a tribe of one.

One of the top signs you are wise beyond your years is that you may sometimes feel alone in society.

But the wisest of the wise use that pain to enhance their sense of compassion and find all the ways in which we’re actually alike instead of different.

17) You’re willing to accept new information and change your point of view

Another of the key signs you are wise beyond your years is that you’re willing to accept new information and change your point of view.

While you tend to have firm principles and ideas that are deeply meaningful to you, you’re not set in your ways in the way that someone might be who’s fully embraced one or another position.

You have your values and beliefs, but you’re also fascinated and empathetic about the values and beliefs of others.

You want to find out what makes people tick and learn from it.

Maybe it will shift some of what you believe, maybe not.

But either way, you’re open to hearing people out and hearing different ways of looking at the world from them.

“Most of us think that the smartest people are those who know all the answers, but both some of the world’s most successful people and a boatload of studies show that, in reality, the most intelligent among us are also the most aware of the limits of their own knowledge,” advises Jessica Stillman.

“One of the fastest ways to make wiser decisions is to nudge yourself to be more intellectually humble.”

Wisdom vs. intelligence

Some of the wisest people I’ve met aren’t what society would consider “smart.”

They were often simple people: farm laborers, factory workers, strangers on a bus or an old homeless guy who played his guitar for me.

Are you wise beyond your years?

Look at the tips above, and take this quiz.

That will go a long way to answering the question once and for all.