Grow up!

Something I have always had difficulty with is the ability to understand that other people think differently from me. Somehow I have it inside my head that deep inside people think exactly as I would think. And any different reaction from anyone would make me wonder what the hell they were thinking. And just like one of my actions corresponds to a certain thought, I expect others to have that same connection as well... Makes any sense?
Recently in one of the few fights I have had with someone whose opinion I value, I was told to grow up... Now at that point when I was upset and angry, I was furious that someone was actually telling me to grow up.. Because, all my life, I have been trying to live as a grown up, mature person. Sometimes I wonder if I had enough of a childhood since through those years I was always trying to be "grown-up". And the only impression I had about myself was that I was a mature individual who was pretty sensible in ways that mattered. And suddenly, here was someone telling me that I was totally childish! I just could not handle that and it sent a million thoughts through my head..
Though at the time of the fight, I could not even think clearly since I was very upset (perhaps more upset than I have been in years), later at nite, when i lay down to think about my day, I realized that perhaps my friend was right. To actuall be grown up, I needed to recognize that everyone is entitled to his or her own way of thinking and I really cant expect everyone to think the way I do. And without realizing it, I had come to a conclusion that if I love someone, they should automatically love me in the same intensity and in the same way. Alas... that is not to be.. If the world was that fair, what a nice life we would lead.. So I had to face the truth that just because you like someone or think of things in a particular way, it does not mean that someone else should do the same. And if you expect them to, then the only one who will be dissappointed is you! This is a hard truth to face. A linked thought was that I was more conceited than I thought, if this is the way I thought all these years. And for me, learning something so drastically bad about myself was a huge lesson.
I know that I cannot suddenly change the way I think, but realizing the problem is the first step to cure! Sorry, that's the psychologist in me! Now, since the basis on which I had formed an impression about myself had crumbled, there was a whole new challenge lying ahead of me..
Its funny how just two words like GROW UP can make such a big impact on me.
I did not agree with alot of things that we said in the fight, but those words sure helped me alot. Different people think of maturty in different terms. For me, right now I guess, its being able let someone else be who they are and what they want to be and not try to make them who you want them to be... Im sure my view of maturity will change through the years, but if I can learn this, Im sure I'll see alot less pain in the next few years at least...