Are You A GirlBoss? 12 Signs You’ve Achieved Badass Status

It’s only recently that the term “girlboss” has come to light, following the release of Nasty Gal CEO Sophia Amoruso’s book of the same name. GirlBoss might actually be referring to being an entrepreneur in the workforce, but it’s also a state of mind that leads to a woman being great in her daily life. It’s something all of us can strive for, to become women who know what we deserve and won’t accept any less. Are you already a girlboss? Here are 13 signs you just might be.

1. “Sorry” isn’t a part of your vocabulary. Girls are often taught to be “nice”, and that means saying you’re sorry when you think you might have offended someone else’s delicate sensibilities. Some people might think you’re a bitch for it, but others respect you more. That’s not to say that you aim to hurt others or that you can’t humble yourself when you’ve actually done something wrong, but you reserve your apologies for the occasions in which they’re actually warranted.
2. People turn to you for advice and direction. It’s pretty obvious that you have your act together, so other people are drawn to you for advice and guidance in everything, from career to relationships and everything in between. You tend to be good at offering a different perspective since you’ve either already experienced the issue at hand or are just a stellar empathizer.
3. You refuse to be a follower. You tend to be a leader in every aspect of your life, not a follower. You don’t care what other people are doing because you’re too busy doing you. Others tend to follow you more than the other way around, and everyone seems happy with that arrangement.
4. “Go big or go home” is your motto. You’re not afraid to take risks when it comes to life because you know sometimes it leads to bigger pay off. You don’t let fear hold you back like others would, but you face it head on because you know that risk tends to yield high reward.
5. You’re your own biggest critic. You aren’t very vocal about your insecurities. But you are vocal about things you’re working on to better yourself. You are hardly ever self-satisfied and are forever pushing yourself to improve.
6. You’ve got high standards when it comes to romance. You have no time for cheaters or boys who don’t have their act together. Some might say you’re too picky, but being single really doesn’t faze you. After all, bosses don’t take the first offer on the table – they hold out for the real prize.
7. You don’t ask, you take. Girls are taught to mind their manners and say “please” more. If they’re turned down, many feel like they can’t press on because they don’t deserve more. You know this is a lie and you demand rather than ask. You’re a tough negotiator that doesn’t take no for an answer.
8. When things go wrong, you don’t sulk, you start plan B. Being a boss doesn’t mean you never fail, it means you know how to rebound from them pretty well. When you get stuck in a bind you are problem solving rather than focusing on your misery.
9. You don’t have time to care about what people think of you. While others don’t act like their true selves in fear of being judged, you just don’t give a damn. You never waste your time with gossip or caring about whether you’re liked. The people who like the real you are the only ones that matter.
10. You have no problems calling people out on their stuff. When someone says something rude or ignorant, most people will bite their tongues and carry on with their days. You, however, will say something right to the person’s face in that moment so they know to never say something like that around you again. You’re not afraid of confrontation or saying what’s on your mind.
11. Your expertise is throwing shade and reading people. Since you’re so good at calling people out, you also know how to do it in style. When the situation calls for it, you’ll throw a good bit of shade, but when you’re really heated you know how to drag someone by reading them, too. After one hint of this, people know you’re not someone to mess with.
12. You’ve been compared to some of your favorite badass TV characters. You get compared to Olivia Pope, Leslie Knope, or Liz Lemon on the daily because you’re such a good problem solver. You kind of like it, but the competitive side of you secretly thinks of reasons why you’re actually better than the fictional versions.