33 Things All Daughters of Strong Women Will Relate to

My mom is not only a strong mother, but a strong woman.

She’s the woman who packed up her tiny life to move to NYC at 16 years-old. She’s the woman who had a special needs child, and then another child after that – on her own.

She’s the woman who started her own business with no college degree, and made it to the top in a man’s world. She is strength and dignity and beauty all wrapped into one.

Any girl who grew up with a mother like this – the kind who won’t take no for an answer; the kind who will drive two hours to pick you up in the middle of the night; the kind who can solve any problem with a phone call – has learned a few things from her.

Mom’s words will always be the loudest ones in your head. They will always ring clear when you need that extra push from her tenacious, compassionate, lionesse-heart. From being her daughter, she has taught you so much about being a woman:

1. When someone tells you that you can’t do something, do it anyways. And do it well.
2. You can go it alone. And it’s better to be alone than unhappy with someone else.
3. Don’t apologize for being successful. Never apologize for being great.
4. Or for having a voice. It’s better to speak up and be wrong, than to not speak up at all.
5. Empower other women, don’t compete with them.
6. Brush it off. There will always be people who put you down, but don’t mind them. Their shittiness is more about them than it is about you.
7. Do things that make you feel pretty. When you feel beautiful inside, you look beautiful outside.
8. Be humble. Big-headed people are just insecure.
9. Always have a little black dress in your closet. And sometimes two.
10. Don’t let other people’s accomplishments intimidate you. Use it to feed your hunger for success.
11. Do your squats. Feel blessed to have that big booty.
12. Don’t go to sleep with your makeup on. In 20 years you’ll be thankful.
13. It’s okay to love yourself. It doesn’t make you narcissistic; it makes you confident.
14. In order to lift yourself up, don’t knock someone else down. It won’t get you anywhere bigger, better, or faster.
15. Don’t compare yourself to other women. It won’t make you better.
16. Take pride in being a woman. We’re so much luckier than men are. *wink*
17. Your body’s a temple. Respect it; be kind to it; love it.
18. Use condoms. Seriously.
19. Do your kegels. Seriously.
20. Don’t write your story before you’ve even opened the book. Things change, plans change; life happens.
21. Don’t let boys be mean to you. Don’t cry over anyone who wouldn’t cry over you.
22. Forgiving someone doesn’t make you a doormat. It makes you healthy.
23. And apologizing doesn’t make you weak. It shows growth.
24. Accept a compliment with a smile. But inside you can scream FUCK. YEAH.
25. If a man wants to give you a gift, let him. And no, it doesn’t mean you owe him something.
26. It’s okay to cry. And to laugh, and to scream. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
27. Sleeping around won’t make you feel good. Your body should only be shared with the special ones.
28. Focus your energy on making yourself better, not making others worse.
29. Wear red lipstick, and own it.
30. If someone wrongs you, let it go, and move on. Success is the best revenge.
31. Primping should feel like a treat, not like a job.
32. Don’t aim to be perfect, aim to be human.
33. The three best things in life are chocolate, champagne, and sex.And that’s the truth.