Fuzzy hat morning, Nov 2015.
The fuzzy hat was a completely unnecessary purchase when I spotted it at Target in 2011. While the hat itself is nothing terribly unique or special, it represents some pretty meaningful things for me.
I bought the hat three days after I quit my full-time job at Zappos in 2011. I left for a multitude of reasons, the most important being that I wanted to spend more time with my two daughters, ages 2 and 6 at the time. I wanted to own my time again. Run my own company again.
Impractical as it was weather-wise, I would wear it when I needed to focus. I'd put my headphones in, put the hat on and go to work. The hat reminds me of when I made the decision to start working from home. It reminds me that I chose to own my time. It reminds me that choices can be worth the risk. Choices worthwhile are almost always risky. It became my very recognizable bio avatar for several years. People still ask about the hat. ;)
Silly, simple fuzzy hat. I don't wear it as much these days. I stopped wearing it regularly in 2013 or so, but I do still throw it on for cold mornings at the bus stop with my girls. When I see it sitting on my closet shelf it makes me smile. It reminds me of that feeling of freedom I felt in those first few months of working from home. It reminds me of those decisions I made, the focus I had, and it causes me to reflect on the journey since. What a fantastic journey it's been.
Some fuzzy hat highlights:
