The thing that sucks the most about going through adolescence at a later age is the fact that it is obvious to people around me. I do high quality work in nearly everything I do, and have built a reputation as such, but I haven't been offered leadership positions as much as I could have I think in part because of how often my childishness shows through. One friend has often exorted me to develop a better "poker face", but I think I will always have easy to read emotions. That's just me.
Chromo,
Is that what you are really doing here? Going through adolescence at a later age? I beg to differ. The difference between adolescence and adulthood is that an adult can take care of themselves and others, and an adolescent can't. You seem to fit the description for adult quite readily.
There are other ways of describing what you are doing. If you were religiously inclined, you would call it walking a spiritual path. Since you seem more like a humanist, you might want to call it cultivating yourself to reach your fullest human potential. OK, that's clumsy. How about self-actualizing?
Oh, and don't assume that people who are management material are all grown up. The ranks of management are full narcissistic control freaks. There are plenty of model human beings who aren't management material.
So don't beat yourself up.
SM
"If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment." Henry David Thoreau
