“It’s good to really take a step back and be appreciative and understand that life brought me to an incredible place," the now 21-year-old Justin Bieber tells Men's Health.

Bieber is the latest cover model for the fitness mag—see below: 

"It's time for me to grow up," he tells the mag, which is on newsstands March 10. "This has really been a big year for me, as far as figuring stuff out. This is almost like a full 180 from how I was. Yesterday—a year from yesterday—I was in jail."

Bieber admits that he handled fame at a young age poorly, telling Men's Health, "I had to grow up so quick. And it was almost like I grew up for the public but I didn't necessarily grow up. There were things I had to do, as far as the way I had to make relationships, and conversation, but as far as actually growing up, there were a lot of things I missed out on."

Buuuut just 'cause Bieber's going ot up his maturity game doesn't mean he's giving up on youthfulness either: 

"There's a part of me that I don't ever want to grow up," Bieber shares. "I want to always remain … to have that sense of purity inside of me where I don't … I don't want to lose that sense of purity."