I’m bossy because I’ve been told that I am.

I’m a narcissist because I’ve been told that I am.

I am ugly, unkind, impatient, selfish, weak, overly emotional, irrational, and an ignorant liar.

And those people are right.

I have worn every one of those hats at some point in my life. I know how they feel. How they fit. I know the cost and benefit of wearing them. I’ve lived the consequences and the lessons personally.

And so have you.

I have a closet full of hats.

I keep the old ones like trophies on a shelf. Not because I want to wear them again but because they remind me of the growth they demanded. They mark moments that forced change. I’m proud of those lessons even when they came in shades of shame.

Some of those hats remind me of people I no longer speak to. They sit like quiet little memorials. They are proof that certain versions of me are officially laid to rest.

RIP.

Others are small, subtle behaviors I simply outgrew with time, experience, and humility.

People will call you many many things. Self assess and if the hat fits… you don’t have to wear it. You get to decide which hats get put on the shelf.