There are three certainties I’ve learned during my 33 years on this fine planet:

1. Life is too short to worry about what other people think;
2. Take pride in what you do; and
3. Longhair living is a way of life.

One of my favorite things to witness is a person’s reaction when they find out I am a corporate attorney – it usually starts with a look of bewilderment or a laugh, followed with “Wait, with hair like that?” “Good joke, what do you really do?” or “I cannot believe you haven’t been fired yet for that hair.”

The funny thing is a lot of dudes tell me that they want to grow their hair long but are worried about the reaction of others (whether it be family, friends, an employer or even the random stranger on the street corner). 

My response: why does that matter? Who cares? 

If you want to grow the hair, then let it grow, my man. Life is simply too short to worry about what other people think – you do you and do what makes you happy; pretty simple recipe, but just promise that “you doing you” equates to you being a good person.

That goes well beyond growing your hair out, by the way. I also understand and appreciate the reluctance of some to grow out the locks because of work constraints. I get it, but as discussed below, that should not be the sole reason you cannot grow out the hair.

If you take pride in your job, you do your job well, don’t make the same mistake twice and are a good employee, why does it matter if you have long hair, short hair, medium length hair, or a shaved head?

It shouldn’t, and it doesn’t. The importance of your work product and how you carry yourself at your job far exceed the importance (or lack thereof) of the length of your hair. Take pride in what you do, work hard, be the best employee you can be, and the rest will fall into place.

There are also a ton of ways to make the flow look professional (if you’re of the mindset that the hair-down-fabio, beach bum or surfer look won’t cut it at the office) with the trusted Hair Ties For Guys. For those who are curious of how I rock the flow as a longhair in corporate America, my default is a fold over in the back. Clean, simple and gets the job done.

Fellow longhairs get it. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes dedication to the cause. It takes suffering through the much feared, “awkward stage,” where you don’t know if you should slick the hair back, tie it up, comb it over, or just let it fall wherever it falls.

Everyone’s reason for growing it out is unique, and mine is pretty simple: it’s a way of life.

What’s your reason? Let me know in the comments.