Have you ever lost touch with a song that you loved only to rediscover it years or maybe even decades later and fall in love with it all over again? I recently reconnected to a favorite song. Like a long lost bestie, it seems just like yesterday. I remember listening to Wear My Hat by Phil Collins while studying abroad in Australia. I would dance around to the happy beat and sing the words with a smile on my face.
In the song, Phil Collins says, “You can wear my hat, you can have my coat, you can take my shirt cause I don’t need it…If you love it, you can have it!”
Not having been able to ask him myself, what I believe he is saying is that he doesn’t need anything except love (and maybe music). He has everything he needs in just those two things. Nothing else—no fancy clothes, hats, shoes, or bags—will make him more than he already is. You can take his stuff because it doesn’t define him. He is worthy and is who he is, without the extras, so have it all!
If this song is new to you, take a listen here. Try to not smile or tap your foot along to the beat. I dare you!
Discovering New Meaning
My interpretation of this song falls close to something I am learning in coaching: YOU ARE WORTHY JUST AS YOU ARE. You don’t need anything else. You have everything you need inside you. Nothing external is going to make you more worthy. Not even the Porsche Carrera 4S that I have been dreaming about for years. 🙂
A bigger house, designer clothes, a hot sports car will not make you into something more, something worthier than who you are right now. Why not? It’s worth repeating: Because you are worthy just as you are, right now, in this very moment. Period. End of discussion.
I understand this can be tough. We live in a world of compare and despair. Believing Phil when he says, “I don’t need it” is hard to do. But try this exercise: Sit in a place without distractions and write a list of all the things you truly NEED, things you can’t live without. Count how many items you have on the list. Try to cut the number in half, and then cut it in half again, until you get to the lowest number possible.
What’s left should be things you truly can’t possibly live on this earth without. What made your list?
- Water? Food?
- Love/Connection?
- Shelter?
- Purpose?
- A couple of changes of clothes?
With this new lens, look around your space. What do you see? If you are like me, you see a lot of “stuff.” I’m surrounded by things I genuinely don’t need. Stuff that is cluttering my life. Stuff that looks good, but doesn’t make me better in any way.
I am not suggesting you “Marie Kondo” your entire life (although that may be an interesting exercise as well). I am just asking you to consider what you have and what you actually need. I hope this helps the next time you’re tempted to compare your life to someone else’s. The next time you see a friend’s new house, hot new car, or awesome vacation photos, you can think, ‘awesome for them, but I know I have EVERYTHING I need right now.’
Don’t get me wrong, I believe 100% that you should work tirelessly for your dreams. You should go ‘all in’ and surpass every goal you have in mind. But all the great things you achieve will just be the icing on your already delectable cake. You are already worthy and perfect just the way you are.
If you like this post and would like to talk more, comment below or reach me at ellie@successfulgenerations.com.
