What Exactly Is a Girl Boss? + 5 Steps to Bossdom
Are you a girl boss? Or want to become a boss? It’s simpler than you think, but takes smarts and a willingness to work hard. Keep reading if you think you’ve got what it takes.
The term “girl boss” has been floating around the collective consciousness for a decade or so, even becoming the title of a best-selling book turned Netflix show. But what exactly is a girl boss?
Dictionary.com defines a “girlboss” as “a woman, especially a young woman, who is ambitious and successful in her career.” But how do you measure ambition or success? At what point does a girl achieve enough of either to be called a girl boss?
At Pinay Girl Boss, we want to define what being a girl boss is for Filipinas: a woman of any age who takes charge of her own life, health, and happiness, and who takes responsibility for her choices.
Here’s how founder Atty. Tina de Guzman puts it: “A Pinay Girl Boss is a Filipina who is empowered—she may be starting out in her career or someone far along in her career. Whichever stage she is in her life, she takes control of her days, her health, her mindset. She is constantly learning. She understands there might be setbacks or blocks, but she also knows everything is figureoutable.”
Keep reading to find out the answers to three questions: What makes a girl boss? Who can be a girl boss? And how can you become a girl boss?
What makes a girl boss?
We’ve already described some traits that make a girl boss, but below are four things we think are essential to bossdom, girl or otherwise. Tick them off and see which ones already describe you, and make a note of the things you need to work on!
She’s a DREAMER.
A girl boss has goals she wants to achieve, and even if people tell her they’re unrealistic, she knows she can make her dreams a reality.
She’s a PLANNER.
She knows that the business of making her dreams come true requires a solid plan of action, and she’s thought and charted out the path she needs to take to make this happen.
She MAKES DECISIONS.
There are always going to be options upon options on the best path to take. While the girl boss takes the time to consider the best ones available, she doesn’t dither about choosing what she thinks is the best one for her, even if it means struggling in the short term for success in the long term.
She’s a GOAL GETTER.
The girl boss doesn’t wait for opportunity to come her way; she goes out and finds it, or she makes it happen!
Who can be a girl boss?
Absolutely anyone! You just have to use those girl-boss decision-making skills and make the choice to be the boss of your own life.
How can you become a girl boss?
Here are five steps to follow to become your own boss:
- Define your goals
While it’s great to think of wishing your dreams true, the reality is that you’re going to have to decide how to turn something that’s in your head and heart into something tangible. The best way to do this is to set goals you can strive toward. - Choose your happiness
At some point, you’re going to have to ask yourself if you want to stick with the status quo, where you may not be unhappy and may actually be content, or if you want to take a risk and achieve happiness and fulfillment in your life, even if it means making sacrifices for now. To be a girl boss, make the choice for long-term happiness, even if it costs you short-term comfort. - Carpe diem
YOLO may no longer be trending, but that encouragement to seize the day never goes out of style. Don’t wait for things to be perfect before starting on your journey to girl bossdom. Do it now, or as soon as you possibly can. - Live to learn
Every girl boss knows the secret to being the best at what you do is to never stop learning. Treat every mistake as an opportunity to find out how you can do better. Find courses to take, people to learn from, and communities to grow with. Business can go up and down, but your skills will ensure you can turn every downturn up again. - Learn to live
While hard work is something to be valued, remember that there’s more to life than work. A girl boss wants to take charge of her life precisely because she knows there’s more to life than work, no matter how much you may enjoy what you’re doing. Spend time with loved ones. Travel to a destination you’ve always wanted to visit. Try something new every day. What’s the point of being your own boss if you’re not living your best life?
And in case you would like a little help on your journey to becoming your own boss, do check out the Pinay Girl Boss Academy. Here, you’ll find affordable online courses on a variety of topic made by Filipinos for Filipinos.