Wearing Many Hats and Dealing With Difficult People

People and hat balancing – the roles we play throughout the day.

I’m not the oldest guy on the block, but I’ve been around for a while. I’ve been through school, a few jobs, married, kids, friends, fun, online stuff… you name it. I’ve had plenty of roles in life.

Hats. Hats is what I’ve had. Plenty of them. I put them on and take them off sometimes as often as every minute. What mode or role I am in really depends on who I am around.

Sometimes, thinking about just how many hats I have at any given moment is a bit scary.

A Hat for Every Occasion

I think you can relate to this in some ways. I’m going to run through some of the hats I wear on any given day. It’s a good exercise. Consider doing it on your own after you read this.

Here goes:

…and so on, and so on. And those are only the positive hats! It’s really kind of heavy to even think about.

Roles, Hats, People, Self, Oh My

You’re probably thinking this post was a failed and recycled attempt at a “101 posts” kind of thing, eh?  It’s not, I promise. That list just seemed like a good “awareness exercise.” The real kicker is coming up next.

I want you to think really hard about how many different directions you are being pulled and pushed all the time. Why? Because you aren’t the only one.

You, and the person you are talking to, are at the same time wearing any number of hats. Not to mention there’s no telling what combination you’ve got going on there.

Think about this for a while. If you approach your mom wearing your “beggar” and “son” hat asking for a few dollars… well, chances are she has her “mother” and “I’ll love you no matter what” hats on and you’re golden. Dad? Not so much, maybe. He’s quick with his hats and you could get shot down with his “venture capitalist” hat a little faster.

But wait! That’s not even the main point here. There’s something even deeper than this hat analogy (and the darn clichés that are thrown around). Have you ever considered this…

WHO’S WEARING THE HAT?!

If you begin to focus on the person wearing the hats, and not the hats themselves, then the world begins to change for the better. You can stop coming into a conversation *assuming* the person has the “jerk,” “stubborn,” and “meanie” hat on.

You can really start acting as if they are just the person under the hats. A person worth so much more than some fabric on the head. Talking, dealing, and working – person to person. Labels aside. Hats off, only to come on again when the need comes up… always remembering the person under is most important.

This is so important to helping others with their high self-worth. And the more you uplift the self-worth of others, the more your self-worth will grow. When you can see others for who they are, they begin to see you for who you are – not what you wear or do.

Give yourself permission to deal with the person under the hat from now on. Picture them dragging a full hat rack behind them. Come in, hats-off, and fully opening to what may or may not happen soon.

My hats are off to you! Ready to find out what kind of hats you wear with these free online tests?