Who I Am or Who Am I?

I have filled many roles in my life. Some roles have been more influential than others, some longer than others, and some brought happiness while others rendered tears. There were times I wanted to give up, but early in life I adopted my own personal motto, “Never give up; never give in.” If a motto is what it takes to see you through, then by all means find you a motto that summons up the power to conquer… conquer the task, the job, the role, and even life when it has you in a choke hold.

My roles are probably very similar to yours. I have worn many hats throughout my life with most of them overlapping at some point. Often it is very hard to determine which hat should be worn at which moment.

I’m sure you have heard the old adage, “Giving it 110%”. Seriously? Do you ever feel there is no way you can wear all those hats and give every role 110%? It’s just not humanly possible, so stop beating yourself up. You have to find ways to split your time, reduce the number of hats worn at once, and prioritize your life. Just because you wake up in the morning and think “Hey, I’m going to be a painter today!” does not mean that you are a failure in all your other roles. It doesn't mean that you are a bad mother because you decide to hang your mother’s cap on the chair for a couple hours while you take a little time to experience another hat or fulfill another role.  

We are not defined by our roles in life. We are defined by the choices we make, the freedom we take, and what we give freely of ourselves. We have to realize that we have no choice but to fail in life if we try wearing 50 hats at once. We are always chasing that almighty 110% just to realize it is forever just out of our reach. Take time out to focus on one role and feel free to delve deeply into that 110%. I assure you, succeeding in one role at a time is far better than failing in all of them. So… slow down, take a breath, and pick out that one hat you really want to wear right now, right this moment, and give it your 110%.

Belinda @ Kids Matter