“What is success? It is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace.” ~ Paolo Coelho

This is for the men—those who wake each day trying their damnedest to do the best they can.

The men who are overlooked and sometimes wrongly accused of not having their sh*t together, just because they are more honest about their insecurities and realities than most.

This is for the men who are a work in progress.

We see the doubt in our eyes and the scars upon our hands, but you should know, that we still think you are amazing.

We don’t expect you to get it right all the time.

We know sometimes you will fail—but when you do succeed, you always seem to f*ckin’ nail it.

We’ve watched you for a long time now, we’ve seen you struggle against society, against your beliefs about what right looks like, and we’ve seen you battle yourself.

But, the thing is, it’s your journey that we respect and love.

It’s seeing you never give up, and although you may not have all the answers, you still show up.

You show up in life, for others, and most importantly, for yourself.

You know that there is a delicate balance between making others happy and committing to working on yourself—as only an authentic man can.

We all sometimes teeter on the edge—but it is your commitment to keep trying that has us always wanting to be the one who holds your hand at the end of the day.

Because we can see—you are doing the best you can.

And sometimes that is really enough.

We don’t want you to be unhappy, and we don’t want you to sacrifice yourself or your desires—because the thing is we see you.

We see every single wonderful quality about you, sometimes even more than you see it in yourself.

You may question if you are a warrior, capable of killin’ it in this life, but the thing is, you are.

A warrior isn’t one who always charges ahead with determination—sometimes he is the one quietly waiting on the sidelines, making a battle plan.

Because we know that this time you want to do it right.

We love the way that sometimes you don’t know anything with certainty.

We love your mistakes, and even when it hurts at times, when you need solitude to figure life out, we always know that the homecoming will be worth the wait.

It’s okay to be exactly where you are right now.

You don’t need to make everyone happy and you don’t need to have all the answers.

Because honestly, no one has all of their sh*t figured out—but what makes you incredible, is you own that fact.

You know that where you are now, isn’t where the journey ends.

You know that really, this is just the beginning.

And maybe the most important thing is—we have faith in you.

This isn’t the delicate lace hope wrapped around spindly wrists, but rather the strong brass of an antique pocket watch.

The kind of faith that you can hold onto and keep with you—knowing that even on the darkest nights, you have someone who continually believes in you.

And it’s not because we have too, or because we are gluttons, trying to find our own answers within you—but simply because we know that you are worth it.

We know that the bravest thing anyone, especially a man, can do is to show up with uncertainties shinning like jewels in his hands and wearing lessons that need to be learned grasped, tight around his shoulders.

We don’t need you to have it all figured out to know that you really do have it all together.

Sometimes we wish we could give you a lens, so that even for a moment, you could see yourself as we do.

Because to us, it’s not your perfections or confidence in the tangible that makes our heart beat faster—it’s your sincerity and your vulnerability that radiates off of you when you are alone with us, and let your walls down enough, so that we can join you on the other side.

When you are looking at us with eyes opened wide, baring everything you’ve had swimming inside of your head and heart, it makes us respect you just a little bit more.

To us there is nothing more beautiful than seeing you simply do the best you can.

You’re not running away this time—you’re not pretending that there isn’t something that needs to be figured out.

And most importantly, you’re not hiding from yourself either.

We know that it’s not easy—growth and authenticity are hard won medals of honor that not all earn.

But we see your effort and we know that you will emerge on the other side.

Because while we know sometimes that your head spins, and life seems overwhelming, you know so much more than you give yourself credit for.

Men aren’t taught to follow their hearts.

They are taught to be pragmatic, logical and rational.

But the thing is, the most amazing parts of life aren’t logical.

We know that wherever you are meant to be, you will arrive at exactly the right time, but we aren’t sitting it out waiting, with bated breath for that man.

Because who you are now is pretty damn amazing, in all of your honest confusion and words, while not always sweet, still intoxicate us with their self-awareness.

We just hope that you know you are incredible—simply because you are doing the best you can.

And wherever you do end up after you’ve spent some time with your soul, and whatever answers your heart may whisper when you finally decide to start listening, we just want you to know—we will be here, just like we always have been.

Waiting for you.

~

Relephant:

I am Afraid of Losing You.

Author: Kate Rose

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock

Photo: flickr/Ulisse Albiati