Pearl Nash
Are you a high-value woman? A woman who people admire, respect, and look up to?
Most people think that being a high-value person is all about being rich and successful.
But ultimately, being that means being kind, respectful, and loving to others.
Don’t be mistaken: high-value women aren’t a pushover.
On the contrary, they have high—but not unreasonable!—standards for the kind of people they want in their lives. And they won’t settle for anything less, nor will they tolerate anyone’s BS.
A high-value woman is confident but not arrogant…
She’s self-assured but not conceited….
She’s gentle but not timid…
That is a high-quality woman.
Read on to learn the 11 qualities of women who command respect.
1) High-value women cultivate their nurturing side
Historically, women have been put down for being “too soft” or were relegated as second-class people because they were mere “nurturers.”
Society has gravely mistaken these characteristics for being submissive or lacking the ability to lead. Worse, women were denied autonomy and full recognition of the complexity of their humanity.
However, being a nurturer is not something to look down on.
The nurturing spirit of a high-value woman is rather one of their main traits—and something, I’d argue, that we still desperately lack today.
2) They protect their boundaries
Women are always expected to be agreeable—even to their own detriment. We’re always expected to put aside our own needs and boundaries for other people.
But high-value women are those who know their worth. They’re not afraid to say no.
Speak your mind and voice out your opinion. Refuse someone if you want to.
Do it kindly but firmly. This sends out the message that you cannot be taken advantage of, therefore commanding respect and equal treatment from your peers.
You might think this can come off as too strong and, therefore, unappealing.
I used to think that, and—now I know how wrong I was at the time.
Trust me; nothing is more unattractive than a woman who willingly puts herself down to please others.
3) They’re firm but adaptable
A high-value woman is capable of leading effectively.
Being it a man or a woman–a good leader should have multiple key traits: confidence, creativity, and resilience.
But, I believe that being adaptable is the most important quality of a strong leader.
Whether it’s in your personal or professional life, being able to adapt to the kind of people you’re leading and the situation you’re facing is essential to reaching whatever goal you may have.
Stay rigid and close-minded, and you’ll most likely fumble, losing people’s trust and respect.
4) They know the value of respect
Yes, everyone deserves respect. However, on the flip side, you also need to earn it from people.
Are you the kind of woman that is worthy of people’s respect?
Do you:
- Show up on time?
- Have integrity?
- Fulfill promises?
- Have a good work ethic?
- Respect other people?
- Take accountability for your actions?
I know these seem incredibly basic. But how consistently do you actually do these in your day-to-day life and command respect from those around you? That’s something to think about.
5) They study hard
A high-value woman is one that has reached her potential—or is working her ass off to reach it.
And the truth is that it’s incredibly difficult to do that without being educated.
Fortunately, women now have much more access to education than before.
There are still lots of restrictions and challenges for women who want to get a proper education. Some countries or political regimes make it really hard for women to study, but there are also lots of opportunities.
Whether it’s through…
- An undergraduate or postgraduate degree;
- A professional development program;
- Joining a coaching or mentorship program;
- Or taking an online course;
…high-value women seize the opportunities they come across and make the most out of them.
6) Compliments don’t scare them
When was the last time someone complimented you? And how did you respond?
If you’re the same as me, you replied with something like “Oh, no—it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
I know it because I was like that. And I bet a lot of women can relate too.
After all, we’re all told to act meek and downplay our successes.
Accepting praise isn’t always so easy. I get it: you always feel like you’re humblebragging about your accomplishment or something when you don’t downplay it.
But really, simply saying thank you is not bragging about it at all!
Truth be told, downplaying your success is a sign that you don’t respect yourself—and as we’ve said before…
How can you make others respect you if you don’t respect yourself?
High-value women receive compliments and praise with grace, poise, and warmth.
7) They ask for what they want and need
Either that or they go get it themselves.
Gone are the days of meek, timid women who wait around to be provided for!
High-value women know what they need and what they want. Then, they do not hesitate to ask for whatever it may be.
In the workplace, I’ve seen far too many women fail to reach their potential because of inaction.
On the other side, high-value women know how to claim their worth.
They don’t shy away from conversations that afford them the opportunities and resources for their success and growth.
And this applies to your personal life as much as it does to your professional one, too.
So enough of the “if he wanted to, he would” mindset. Let your loved one knows how you want to be loved!
A high-value woman is empowered because she empowers herself.
8) They don’t listen to unsolicited advice
Here’s some specific advice that has been a life-changer for me: learn how to spot and ignore bad advice.
Unfortunately, women are routinely offered bad advice. Our insecurities are targeted and exploited by companies in hopes of selling us something.
Either that or people without the proper experience, knowledge, or expertise offer us unsolicited advice.
I’ve seen it all, really.
It can be a man telling me how to “be a woman in a man’s world” or a neighbor sharing her “useful advice” on how to deal with my kids.
Ugh.
Most of the time, I’ll just smile, nod, and ignore. I know they’re usually not ill-intentioned. Just misguided by unconscious biases.
But if you want to tell them off—once again, kindly but firmly—then you have all my support.
9) They don’t tolerate any disrespectful treatment
People will treat you, however, you let them treat you.
That’s just the rule of life.
So if you let others treat you unfairly or disrespectfully, then you can be sure they’ll continue doing just that.
Unfortunately, women are often told to devalue themselves and tolerate horrible treatment. So it’s even more important to stand your ground.
Don’t hesitate to tell people off, and let them know how you want to be treated! And if they still don’t change, then they have no place in your life. Cut them off.
10) Their intuition is top notch
Remember what I said about high-value women being leaders?
In my opinion, being a good leader requires being a visionary—someone who can see the bigger picture.
This quality is in the word itself: vision. Having a vision means having a dream, a goal, or a version of the future that you want to achieve.
If you don’t have a vision, then nothing will motivate you to take action, no?
Women are only just catching up to men in terms of how many of them are in leadership roles. Thus many female leaders are still being underestimated or are facing sexist discrimination.
So if you want to be a leader as a woman, you need to ensure that you have a noble vision worth sharing. And, just as importantly, be able to share it to inspire those around you.
11) They’ve mastered non-verbal communication
In many ways, your body language can communicate more than your actual words.
That strong, inspiring speech you wrote is useless if you deliver it as a blabbering, anxious mess, no?
Hunched shoulders and having your eyes glued to the ground will always draw people’s attention more than what you’re actually saying.
As a high-value woman, you want to emanate power and command respect. So try to do these things at all times, especially in the workplace:
- Have your shoulders pulled back;
- Stand and sit up straight;
- Give warm and firm handshakes;
- Maintain proper eye contact;
- Make big gestures away from your body (instead of making small, jittery movements).
This will make you appear confident and self-assured and maintain people’s attention.
When I was starting out as a young female entrepreneur, I had to learn the hard way that many people will not respect you from the get-go.
You really have to elicit people’s respect—if not demand it outright.
It was daunting, for sure. But I realized that the ball was always in my court.
If I wanted them to have a high opinion of me, I had to prove to them that I was high-value too.
Conclusion
I firmly believe that every woman can become a high-value woman in her own way. We all have what it takes—regardless of where we work or where we are in life.
So whether you’re 20 or 60, these tips will give you a great starting point on your way to becoming the high-value woman you desire to become.
And no, demanding respect and proper treatment from those around you does not mean you are being pushy, unreasonable, snobbish, or unrealistic.
You’re just a person who knows her rights.
So go get it, girl.
