Every time I watch Rocketman, the Elton John film, I appreciate it more. My favorite line of the movie is when Elton gets advice from another musician: “you have to kill your old self to create the new you.” It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: It’s Never too late to be what you might have been” by George Eliot.

The first step in the All the Hats We Wear system is identifying all the hats you wear, of course! What some people don’t realize at first is that you can adopt roles you aren’t actually doing yet. Think of them as placeholder roles. For example, one of my roles is Philanthropist. However, I’m not rubbing elbows with billionaires at fancy galas but I can give of my time and effort. I can go after it each day to build my business and make my mark. One day I’ll be able to give like a true philanthropist. Other possible future roles or placeholder roles: visionary, business owner, entrepreneur, supervisor, CEO, professional speaker, or millionaire.

Another moment in the movie that inspired me was when Elton asked a friend how he could become a songwriter. The guy cleverly responded, “Write some songs.” Lol… sometimes it’s that simple! Just start doing it. The acting was excellent and I loved the way Elton was the focus of the AA meetings. The other members of the group were more like props. They didn’t act like normal people – they were much more subdued. It’s like in a play when everyone is talking in the background among themselves but inaudibly. The director turns the down the volume on the background players and brings the focus up for the leads. In many ways, we do the same thing in life. We transition between all of the hats we wear. Different roles require different attributes. Sometimes, it takes a conscious effort to ready myself from one role into another – especially going from work to home life. Music, deep breathing, and a minute of centering help to switch gears.