Cup of Inspiration

Today, January 15^th, is National Hat Day. Today we wear that favorite hat we enjoy while going about our day, especially if that day is very chilly. Hats have multiple purposes.

They can be that final touch for a desired look as we go out to face a brand-new day. A hat can be a part of a coordinated outfit we select for a special occasion. It can provide a little cover for those days when our hair is not cooperating, or we just don’t have time to worry about a hair do. For those with certain medical conditions, a hat can help a person dress up and show confidence when experiencing hair loss.

Hats can also serve a practical purpose. They can provide warmth on a cold, winter day. They can provide shade from the sun on a hot, summer day. Hats can help keep our heads dry in torrential rain when we must go out but don’t have an umbrella.

While today we celebrate the practical and fun purposes of hats, we may consider the different metaphorical hats in our lives. Many of us have the hat in the morning while we get our loved ones ready for the day. We switch to a different hat as we go into the office and begin looking at emails, instant messages, or voicemails. While at work, we may have multiple hats to wear. For example, perhaps you are not only a project manager, but you are also a coordinator for a company fundraising event, or a committee member for something totally different. These hats are put away (at least temporarily) at the end of the day as we put on our personal hats as a mother, a father, a spouse, or a friend during the evening. In the morning, we go through the cycle all over again, switching out the hats for the appropriate time and situation.

It is important to remember there is a time and place for the different hats in our lives. One wouldn’t wear a baseball cap to an important interview at a company. A hard hat would not be the most ideal choice when trying to prepare lunch in the kitchen. It is easy to know the appropriate physical hat to wear for the occasion.

It can be hard, however, to sometimes know when to take off some of our metaphorical hats. There are, of course, those hats that never come off. A parent never loses that hat, even if their child isn’t in the room. A spouse doesn’t lose that hat just because their significant other isn’t sitting right beside them. However, the hats we have in our professional lives should come off at times. The hat we wear during a business meeting in the day should absolutely come off when home at night. The hat worn as a committee chair should not be worn at the dinner table with loved ones. The hat worn by a project manager should not accompany a luncheon with a friend needing a shoulder to cry on.

Just as we know when to wear the appropriate hat to the appropriate occasion, we should also take note of when to switch to a particular role at the appropriate time. Wear the appropriate metaphorical hat at the right time in your day. This will perhaps help you to not dwell on how a meeting went that morning instead of enjoying listening to your child talk about their school day. You may be able to fully focus on listening to a friend in need rather than worrying about how you can earn a promotion at work. Wearing the appropriate metaphorical hats at the appropriate times helps us toward a work-life balance and focus on what is truly important in life.

Today, go out with your favorite hat, and don’t let the stresses of your work hats interfere with you enjoying your personal hats at home.