way to live your life. The women quoted in this book are all wildly different, one-of-a-kind individuals. You won’t agree with all of them—hey, I don’t even agree with all of them, and I wrote the book—but that’s great! They’re all still notable, successful, and impressive individuals, each with something of her own to share. We can be encouraged by their successes while we strive for our own. They weren’t perfect, just as we aren’t perfect … but they didn’t let that stop them. In fact, they owned their imperfections—after all, their imperfections helped to make them who they were, who they became. And these incredible women made all of their accomplishments, won all of their awards, broke all of their boundaries, in a lot of different ways—and we can too.
Finally, these women are trendsetters. They’re wave-makers, tradition-breakers, and world-shakers. And they all started at the bottom. They took what they had—and in some cases, that really wasn’t much!—and they used it to grow themselves into inspirations, whether that was what they’d always meant to do, or they got there completely by accident. And you know what? That’s exactly what you can do, too.
So grab those highlighters, a few colorful pens, and any semblance of a can-do attitude that you can scrounge up, and start flipping pages. I know you’ve got this. You’re ready to affirm yourself to victory.
At the end of this book are twenty thought exercises in the form of journal prompts. These prompts are intended to help you think through your goals and aspirations—and then think through practical and reasonable ways to meet those goals.
Here are a few examples of the journal prompts you will find in the back of this book:
•Pick an inspiring quote. Why does it inspire you? How will you take advantage of that inspiration today?
•How can you realistically lead a healthier life? What small steps will you take each day to implement these ideas?
•What changes do you want to see in your love life? Which affirmations will help you make those changes?
As you can see, these prompts will help you take the content of this book—the quotes, the badass bios, the affirmations—and put them to some real use. They’re a springboard, a way to get you started. Once you’ve gone through these prompts, I suggest that you continue journaling your goals, your progress, and your affirmations and quotes. Be realistic in what you can achieve. Don’t overestimate your abilities—but don’t underestimate your drive, either. You can be the change you want to see in the world, and you can make the changes that you want to have in your life.
In a day and age when women are still fighting for equal pay for equal (and sometimes—dare I say—better) work, it’s easy to see how we might have trouble with our self-esteem. After all, we’re still shaking off the side effects of hundreds of years of training to be seen but not heard, to serve but not be served. But thanks to modern feminism, women are again fighting back against the archaic, “traditional” idea that a woman’s role is to simply be an in-home cook, personal maid, and smiling living-room ornament—today, we women tackle work and play, motherhood and muscle, beauty and bossiness. After all, what better quality than bossiness is there for the accomplished bosses and leaders of the world?
I am confident.
I am strong.
I am powerful.
And confidence is not a new feminine trait. In fact, it’s been around for just as long as suppression has. Look at anyone from the biblical Esther to France’s Joan of Arc and ask yourself whether they didn’t walk with their shoulders back and their heads held high, even with the limited power afforded to them by their patriarchal societies. And they aren’t the only ones to take hold of power despite being looked down upon just for their gender. After all, the longest-reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, happens to be both female and still on top, and the United Kingdom isn’t the only sovereign state to have had a woman in charge. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was elected President of Liberia in 2006, was Africa’s first elected chief executive—and when her term ended in 2018, she left her post peacefully and gave Liberia its first peaceful transition of power since 1944. And Ellen Johnson Sirleaf isn’t the only symbol for African women taking up the reins of democracy—women in Rwanda, although they still face terrible challenges, make up well over half of the Rwandan legislature. Women have ruled all over, from places like the pre-United States kingdom of Hawaii to Nigeria and Egypt to France and Spain to China, India, and Russia. They didn’t let the men (and even the other women) looking down on them keep them down.
I am capable.
I am a leader.
I go after what I want.
It doesn’t take a monarch to have confidence, though. Anyone can know their own worth, as the wide range of women quoted below will show you. These women know who they are, they accept who they are, and they love who they are—and you can too. No one has to tell you that just surviving in this world full of violence and negativity is an accomplishment, but you do have to tell yourself. You need to affirm your dignity every day, to remind yourself that you are capable of anything and everything you set your mind to. Because, let’s face it—you are.
I am successful.
I am worthy.
I respect myself.
You are just like the women quoted below. You will not bow. You will not be changed against your will. You will not be moved. Because deep down, we both know that who you are is exactly who you’re supposed to be.
I thank God I am endowed with such qualities that if I were turned out of the Realm in my petticoat I were able to live in any place in Christendom.
—Elizabeth I, Queen of England for forty-four years, who casually steered England through one of its most peaceful and prosperous times, all while charming her people and cleverly evading claims of feminine inadequacy; she vowed to never lose her head in love after seeing and learning about the painful love life of her mother and, especially, her father
I’m so popular it’s scary sometimes. I suppose I’m just everybody’s type.
—Catherine Deneuve, an Academy Award-nominated French actress whose international career has stretched for over half a century
In spite of honest efforts to annihilate my I-ity, or merge it in what the world doubtless considers my better half, I still find myself a self-subsisting and alas! self-seeking me.
—Jane Welsh Carlyle, eighteenth-century author known for her wit and sass; she wrote her first novel (and a five-act tragedy!) while still in her teenage years
Some people say I’m attractive. I say I agree.
—Cybill Shepherd, actress and the winner of three Golden Globe awards; she began singing at the age of five and hasn’t let anyone or anything stop her since
I am growing handsome very fast indeed!