Being a fearless woman is not about never feeling scared, it’s about having the courage to face those fears head-on and not letting them hold you back from living your life.
It’s not about being fearless all the time, but about being resilient in the face of fear.
If you’re wondering if you possess the qualities of a fearless woman, here are 10 signs that indicate you already are one.
1. You’re aware of your fears, but you act anyway
Contrary to popular belief, fearless people aren’t afraid of anything.
They are.
What makes them fearless, however, is that they acknowledge these fears.
They understand that fear is just a thing of the mind, and it’s the mind in overdrive trying to protect them.
They still listen to their mind, but they’re also able to take a step back and assess whether their fear is logical or not.
This is why they’re able to take action in spite of their fears.
After all:
Fearless people understand that taking risks and stepping out of their comfort zone is necessary to improve themselves.
They are able to use their fears as a tool to push themselves to become a better version of themselves.
Zen Master Pema Chodron explains how fear is an excellent teacher to teach us where we’re stuck:
“…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.”
2. You trust your skills and abilities
A fearless woman believes in herself.
If something goes wrong in her company, she trusts herself enough that she’s capable of finding a good solution.
This might not always have come naturally to some women.
Maybe growing up, they were shy about presenting their skills and sharing their abilities.
But through the years, a fearless woman knows how to trust herself.
She also understands that nothing comes easily, and the only way to improve is through practice.
That’s why she tends not to fear challenges.
As daunting as some challenges may be, she also knows that it’s a chance for her to grow and test her skills.
She doesn’t easily get discouraged by failure, because she knows she can always improve.
This is what psychologist Carol Dweck calls having a “growth mindset.”
3. You dare to face difficulties
When most people are faced with difficulties and challenges, it becomes much easier to back down and return to a comfortable life.
Everyone wants to be successful but aren’t willing to put in the hours to get there.
As we mentioned above, if you’re a fearless woman, then you tend to have what psychologist Angela Duckworth calls “grit”. It’s the ability to push through the pain, embarrassment, and frustrations to achieve success.
Angela Duckworth explains what grit means here:
“Staying on the treadmill is one thing, and I do think it’s related to staying true to our commitments even when we’re not comfortable. But getting back on the treadmill the next day, eager to try again, is in my view even more reflective of grit. Because when you don’t come back the next day—when you permanently turn your back on a commitment—your effort plummets to zero. As a consequence, your skills stop improving, and at the same time, you stop producing anything with whatever skills you have.”
As part of the minority, a fearless woman can push through the layer of doubts that others tend to have about her.
She breaks through underestimations, proves them wrong, and makes way for other women to follow in her footsteps.
4. You stand up for yourself and what you believe in
A fearless woman knows her worth and won’t accept being treated poorly.
Look, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not always easy to stand up for yourself and what you believe in, but it’s a critical facet of being brave and fearless.
After all:
When you speak up, you take control of your life and set boundaries for how you want to be treated.
Fearless women assert their needs and wants, and refuse to be a doormat for anyone.
They don’t just stand up for themselves, either. Fearless stand up for others as well. They stand up for justice and what’s right.
This is what makes a fearless woman: the ability to stand up for herself and others around her.
Remember: A fearless woman is not a person that never feels scared, but they acknowledge their fears and take action despite them.
5. You know for a fact that you’re not always in control
We all want to be in control.
After all:
Control is a means to influence outcomes – so they turn out the way they want them to be.
Likewise, having control means being free from duress from anybody else.
While it’s true that ‘controlling’ people achieve more, it’s only good to a certain point. Too much of it can make one miserable.
It also makes people more terrified of life. They’re afraid that the outcome would not be favorable to them.
Instead, fearless women let go of their need to control everything and focus on what they can control:
Their own actions and reactions.
They understand that trying to control other people or external circumstances is impossible.
This is what makes fearless women able to go with the flow and accept that not everything will go as planned.
They realize that sometimes things will happen that they can’t control, and they will have to find a way to deal with it.
In short:
They’re not afraid of the unknown.
They know that life is full of surprises and that they can’t always predict what will happen, which allows them to be more open to new opportunities and experiences.
6. You’re always thankful
Say you’re tasked to deliver a speech on stage. The thought of speaking to the public can be terrifying that you can end up fainting.
That’s not the case for fearless women. Instead of thinking of these scary things, they focus on something else instead: gratitude.
They’re thankful for the opportunity – not a lot of people are afforded that!
This gratitude does more than just make them fearless. It makes them happier as well.
Quoting from Harvard Health:
“Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”
The bottom line is this:
Fearless women recognize that the present moment is a gift and that they should be grateful for what they have.
They appreciate the small things in life and focus on the positive aspects of their experiences.
7. You don’t need to come up with the “perfect plan”
While having a plan is important, the need to have the perfect plan is actually detrimental to starting and taking action.
Instead, fearless women focus on developing a plan that is “good enough” and then start taking action.
Trying to come up with the perfect plan sets you up for analysis paralysis.
Fearless women know that trying to control everything and plan for every possible outcome can be futile and stressful.
Fearless women know that the perfect plan probably doesn’t exist anyway.
They also trust in their ability to adapt and handle whatever comes their way.
You can’t predict how every step will go, and how the external world will react to the actions you take.
Fearless women realize that you don’t need the perfect plan to achieve your goals. All you need to do is keep taking the next step.
James Clear says it well:
“It is easy to get bogged down trying to find the optimal plan for change: the fastest way to lose weight, the best program to build muscle, the perfect idea for a side hustle. We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action. As Voltaire once wrote, “The best is the enemy of the good”.”
The truth is this:
Fearless women are not afraid to take risks and make mistakes, even if it means deviating from the plan.
They recognize that the best plans are often the ones that are flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances.
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