How many hats are too many? Knowing yourself is the key to personal growth.

Expressions become part of the general lexicon when they are applied and repeated often, and universally used.

I’m sure we have all heard someone make a comment like “If you want something done, give it to a busy woman”.

Or how about “jack/jill of all trades”?

Or even “Oh, your hands are full”, “your plate is full”, “too many balls in the air”?

Ever heard any of those?

My personal favourite is the reference to wearing many hats. You know her, she wears so many hats.

?I love hats. But not every “hat” serves me.

Years ago, back in 2006 in fact, I wrote a little article for a writing competition at the Toronto Sun, and I won it. The title of the article at the time was “Moms are Seriously Underpaid” and it was a humourous, but not untrue story about all the different “hats” moms wear. ?Specifically, stay-at-home moms, since that is what I was at the time.

It was borne of another article I had read about the actual monetary value the role of the stay-at-home mom would be, were they paid for all they did. The article stated that as moms, our main roles encompassed housekeeper, daycare provider, cook, laundry operator, janitor, driver, and psychologist. In 2006, it presumed an annual USD income of $134,121 per year.

My article took that a step further, stating how much MORE we did, and talking about our value beyond those stereotypes. It was meant to be funny, and a bit of a poke at the (then) Harper government, and it was.

?I was 31 when I wrote that. I’m 49 now.

Wearing so many hats hits differently as you age, and not only from the female or mom-centric perception, although I am still speaking from my own personal experience as both a woman and a mom.

Some of the hats we wear get much heavier as time goes on, and I don’t know about everyone, but my neck and shoulders sometimes buckle under the weight.

So how much is too much? It’s a very personal question and would have very individual and personal responses but asking the question is the first step in understanding yourself, what you are capable of, and what kinds of boundaries you need to have in place to be able to perform at your best.

For myself – I frequently reevaluate my ‘state of being’. How much am I doing? At home, at work, with my friends? Is it sustainable? Where am I not meeting my own current needs, and what am I doing that does or does not serve my personal goals? How do all those questions align?

My goals at 49 are different than they were at 31 but I still wear a lot of hats from those days nearly two decades ago. To grow, to move forward, and to achieve the goals I have for myself, it’s so important that I keep checking in with myself and take off the hats that no longer serve the woman I am now.

It’s not always easy – especially if you are a bit of a control freak, but, it’s necessary.

I encourage you to think about how many “hats” you’re wearing in your life and check in with yourself about your goals - how the two align (or don’t align), and what you need to keep moving forward.

?Really, it may be time to swap out some hats.