Recently I’ve been reflecting a lot on my upbringing, my relationship with my dad, and the friendships I had as a teenager and into my 20s. Generally, not supportive of a broad range of emotional and relational experience. My experience was a lot like this – “At one time or another, every young man will get a letter of admission to ‘dick school.’ The question is, will he drop out, graduate, or go for an advanced degree?” That one resonated. In my 20s I was definitely en route to seeking my advanced degree.

It's Time to Man Up in a Whole New Way

There's a powerful force influencing our young men out there, and it continues its influence into our adulthood if we don't actively choose to do some work to undo it. There’s a critical need for us to learn how to connect inward so we can expand our range mentally, emotionally, and relationally in order to better serve ourselves, our families, our communities, and the world.

Am I Accepted in this Big World?

In this last installment in our series on the Five Growth Challenges, we look at the challenge of Acceptance, which emerges as we begin to interact with the greater world and experience the responsibilities of being a member of the community. Getting feedback from our actions and what we produce encourages us to begin gaging our skillsets, drawing conclusions, and judging ourselves. Am I a person who can produce? Am I skilled in the work I do? Do I get positive reinforcement?

Soma Sapien Journal