“We should not wait for someone else to come and raise our voice. We should do it by ourselves. We should believe in ourselves. Yes, we can do it. One day you will see that all the girls will be powerful; all the girls will be going to school. And it is possible only by our struggle; only when we raise our voice.” – Malala Yousafzai
Are you a loudmouth? A feminist? An unapologetic Malala?
If so, congratulations, woman! You are the strong and powerful force that makes the world go ’round.
Here Are 27 Signs You Are An Alpha Female:
1. You know what you want to achieve – today, this month, and over the next five years.
2. You truly believe that hardship makes you stronger. You don’t let life’s challenges bring you down.
3. You share your values, beliefs, and opinions – even personal ones – with confidence.
4. You promote, support, and encourage other women. You realize you have nothing to gain by watching them fail, and everything to gain by helping them succeed.
5. Change is not scary to you. You find it exciting and invigorating to be faced with a new challenge.
6. You are not afraid to take a risk when the reward is something valuable to you.
7.You enjoy learning from other people. You realize you’re not the expert on everything.
8. You often avoid relationships because you prefer the sense of freedom and independence that your single life provides.
9.People – and especially other women – tend to look to you as an example or role model.
10. You sometimes find yourself being criticized, scolded, or misunderstood for behaviors that would have been praised if you were a man.
11.You are very intentional in caring for your body, mind, and soul. You undertake frequent projects – athletic training, immersion in new books and ideas, service projects – to develop all three of these things.
12. You don’t apologize when you’re not sorry. The integrity of your word means something to you.
13.You don’t like to conform with those around you. As alpha woman Judy Garland wrote, “Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.”
14. You are usually asked to be the leader when given a group project.
15. You own your sexuality. You won’t be pressured into doing something you don’t want to do. You won’t be shamed for doing something you did want to do. You dress and conduct yourself in a way that makes you feel beautiful, comfortable, and confident.
16. You don’t waste time chasing after people who do not show you the respect and consideration you deserve. You are known to have a very low tolerance for that kind of bulls***.
17. You have strong and well developed political views. You often take political action to further causes you care about.
18. You have more willpower and determination than most people. You may even be accused of bulldozing others on occasion.
19. You don’t mind spending time alone. You value and enjoy your own company.
20. You don’t engage in jealousy. It doesn’t suit you.
21. You’ve been accused of being stubborn. It’s very difficult to change your mind once it’s been made up.
22. You feel as though the spotlight is usually on you – whether you have asked for it or not.
23. You are often the instigator in a new relationship. You’re more comfortable pursuing a love interest than waiting for them to make the first move. As alpha woman Chimamanda Adichie wrote, “Of course I am not worried about intimidating men. The type of man who will be intimidated by me is exactly the type of man I have no interest in.”
24. You see obstacles as stepping stones, rather than as roadblocks.
25. Whether you’re making a speech at an academic conference or telling a story at the company Christmas party, you know how to get – and keep – the attention of a crowd.
26. You set very ambitious goals for yourself, and you nearly always reach them. You truly believe you can accomplish anything.
27. You find it easy to love and respect others, because of the deep sense of love and respect that you have for yourself.
“After all those years as a woman hearing ‘not thin enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not this enough, not that enough,’ almost overnight I woke up one morning and thought, ‘I’m enough,’” declared alpha female Anna Quindlen. An alpha woman knows she is enough in the face of a world that constantly tells her she isn’t – and still she strives to become greater. She realizes that she, alone, carries the power to define herself.