Wear Your Hat Appropriately!

We all assume many roles in life. Whether it is your profession, personal life, at home, etc.; it all defines who you are as an individual. Let’s take a closer look at a safe way to ensure you are operating at your highest potential in each roll as I relate the roles to hats.

According to the dictionary, a hat is defined as a shaped covering for the head worn for warmth, as a fashion item, or as a part of a uniform. The part of the definition I want to deal with is when it is worn as a part of a uniform. Normally the hat is a distinctive garment that is associated with the uniform. In other words a hat is worn as a statement to compliment the status you currently hold while in uniform. The hat and the individual wearing the hat is a representation of the status associated with the hat. The hat can also generate a level of respect.

Oftentimes we may hear the word- hats off to you. This terminology represents the art of saying I give you credit and/or praise. It also may have been taught to take your hat off when you enter a place. Fashion statements are made with the hat that provides a level of respect as well. The size of the hat, the shape of the hat, and the color of the hat initiates definition and rank. Some have even said the bigger the hat; the more wisdom and clout it brings with it.

Consider a hat as a role, a title, a position etc. For example, I have heard on several occasions, you wear many hats. When I sat down to think about it; I said I absolutely do. Many of you may also relate to the phrase you wear many hats. Your hats may be that you are a mom, a father, a teacher, a preacher, a queen, a king, a manager, a director, an entrepreneur, a student, a son, a daughter, a counselor, a friend, an aunt, etc. Whatever hat you wear, it comes with a level of responsibility and respect.

As I have journeyed through life, I have gained a few wisdom points that I would like to share with you. Each hat is appropriate in its perspective authority. For instance you may be a pastor, and on one particular day you decide to attend a leadership meeting for training. Say for instance when you walk into the meeting you have on an oversized hat that reads PASTOR in All caps! The leader providing the training is also a pastor. You decide during the entire training that you are going to wear the hat and demand authority of your role to overpower the leader because you have been a Pastor longer than the current pastor leading the training. Let’s go further to say you are a mom and you have been for 40 years to 2 kids and you have decided to join a moms group being led by a mom of 6 kids who has been a mom for 12 years. Because you have been a mom for 40 years, it is your intention that you are the most educated mom in the room when it comes to parenting and no matter what the leader says you remain bias to the advice provided or state that your way of doing things is the best way to do it. Let’s go on to say you are a principal and you have decide to attend an annual conference on Perfecting The Craft of Being An Effective Principal! Your shirt states “Best Principle Ever”! Not only does your shirt state best principal ever; every opportunity to comment; you over-speak the leader of the conference and you continuously say I know everything there is to know about being a principal.

In order to lead; you must know how to first be a servant. In order to grow; you must first learn how to follow. In order to continue to learn; you must open yourself to be poured into. To assume you have arrived, limits your capacity to grow! You become excellent at a level you will never surpass. At some point the world will progress beyond your inability to develop and you will either remain where you are or get left behind by the forever evolving world we live in.

Your hat should not limit your ability to grow. Pride can be a hidden factor in your will to grow. The problem with the previous examples of the pastor, mom and principal is the fact that each hat that came in with the opportunity to grow, pushed their hat beyond the ability to grow and only saw their viewpoint as being the greatest. Wearing the hat entitled PASTOR wasn’t the problem, refusing to take it off and listen to the leader was the problem. The mom example was disabling the leader the opportunity to lead from their wisdom to help another mom in need. Finally the principal was overpowering and unwilling to submit to the leader of the conference. We must all understand that we are the best at what we do; however as long as we live we have the potential to grow. Age and years in the craft is not always a sign that you are the only expert. We as a people need to learn the capacity to take our hats off to the leader of the hour that we have been assigned and lead to go to for spiritual and mental upgrades. It is ok to take your hat off when you are the student and when you leave the room or even in the room put your hat back on knowing that you didn’t lose your place in status or rank but you respected the leader of the hour and opened yourself to learn. There is wisdom is making yourself available to be taught.

Your hat is your status, but your character is your true self. Your desire to always be right while in the office of student limits your potential to grow. According to scripture you can not put new wine in old wine skin because it will burst. You need new wine skin to hold the new wine that is being poured into you. If you refuse to change the skin you are in, eventually you will burst holding nothing.

As a leader; learn to be a student. As a parent, learn to be a child. At any level; always make yourself available to be taught and willing to learn. Learn to know it is ok take your hat off from time to time. Even the leader needs help! You will thank me later.

Yahweh is always teaching; are you available to listen!

Hats off to all the leaders of the world. I open myself to learn TRUTH where I am sent to eat fruit from!

My motto: Queens and Kings don’t be afraid to tilt your crowns to the next generation leading the way! It is your crown the opens the door for their heir. Now wear your hat/crown well without jealousy, envy or puffed up emotions. When we learn this; we ALL win!