Pearl Nash
We’ve all heard stories of outstanding men accomplishing great things. But what of the outstanding women whose stories were never publicized?
As more and more women today are given the recognition that they rightfully deserve, we’ve begun to see outstanding women set examples for the rest of us.
These are the women who have spent countless hours in the dark striving for excellence while others settled for “good enough.”
The strong elegant woman aims to change the image of what a great leader could be; that people, regardless of who they are, have within them the capacity to be outstanding too.
She’s classy, courageous, innovative, and strong-willed.
Here are 14 qualities that strong, elegant women share that can inspire us to become better people.
1. She Sets An Example For Others
While others look for motivation, she motivates others through her actions.
Instead of settling for work done that’s just “good enough”, the strong, elegant woman pushes for excellence wherever she goes.
She becomes a role model for being a better person for others to follow.
When a problem arises, she doesn’t join in on everyone complaining; she looks for actionable solutions.
When someone is being difficult, she becomes a better person and forgives and understands.
When those around her are in a bad mood, she says words of encouragement to keep the group optimistic.
She remains honest and kind, showing respect for everyone regardless of their background or how they treat her.
2. She Stands Tall With Confidence
As we tend to sit in front of our computers more, our posture gradually begins to worsen.
The habit of being hunched over for hours on end rolls our shoulders forward, giving us a constant slouching appearance even when we’re away from our stations.
Posture doesn’t only affect physical well-being, however; it affects mental well-being too.
A study found that sitting upright builds resilience towards stress and negativity.
Thus, slouching does more harm than good (unless you physically are unable to sit up straight).
Elegant women have confidence in their abilities to achieve whatever they want in life.
They aren’t the type to let anyone trample over them.
So they pull their shoulders back, and sit straight up, ready to face the challenges of the day.
3. She Is Strong-Willed
Life often throws us curve balls we aren’t ready for: we suffer random injuries, we get set back in our work, we break up with our partner, we get shown the door or sent a painful rejection letter. It’s easy to get discouraged by all of these.
While the strong woman does still feel the sting of things not going well, she doesn’t linger on it for too long. She pushes forward.
She continues working on improving herself and trying again and again.
Her strong will and determination allow her to rise above the thoughts that she isn’t good enough and keeps moving forward despite feeling nervous or anxious.
4. She Has Standards
How many times have you looked at a relationship and thought, “Wow, she could do so much better.”
An elegant confident woman knows what she’s worth, and won’t let herself be swayed away by a smooth talker.
This kind of woman will look for a life partner, not one fling after another; someone who deserves to be in her life.
The same goes for her friends.
Classy women don’t keep up with thousands of superficial acquaintances.
They keep a tight inner circle of people they know they trust, and give those people the love and time they deserve.
5. She Has A Clear Vision Of Her Goals
The root of a strong will is a clear vision of what’s worth pursuing. It isn’t just money or acclaim that the strong elegant woman is after. It’s something more. Much more.
It isn’t about making more sales; it’s about providing people from 7 continents with a product that she truly believes will help make their lives easier and more comfortable.
It isn’t about just getting a promotion; it’s about making a change in the system to make sure that more women are given the opportunities that they had to fight so hard for.
Through her actions, the strong, elegant woman aims to make way for the next generation.
6. She Exudes Confidence
Knowing exactly what to do is going to give someone confidence — and the strong elegant woman has plenty of it.
Since she understands what needs to be done to achieve her goals, she is highly organized and productive.
She knows how to delegate tasks, teach and guide others, and give the right feedback.
Her confidence also comes from understanding herself.
Most people are shy to live authentic lives because they’re afraid of what others might think of them.
The strong elegant woman helps those people come out of their shells and reclaim who they truly are.
She doesn’t spend much time thinking about what others might think of her, because she knows that it doesn’t really matter in the bigger picture of things.
7. She Isn’t Afraid To Be Vulnerable
Being vulnerable is commonly seen as a sign of weakness, but not for her.
When she feels upset or sad, she tells someone and doesn’t bottle up her feelings.
Since she wants to form more meaningful relationships, she isn’t afraid to share the parts of herself that she usually holds back on saying.
She constantly tries to live true to herself and her emotions and feelings.
Her vulnerability becomes one of her greatest strengths.
8. She Sets A High Bar For Herself
She isn’t one to settle for passable work and be good enough.
She always asks if there’s something more that can be done, or if she could’ve been more focused, more creative, more giving, more welcoming, kinder, or simply better.
By setting a high bar for herself, she’s able to inspire others to do the same. While others might think that she’s already doing great, she remains humble.
Despite what others may say, she always believes that she’ll be a student of life.
9. She Always Gives It Her All
When she’s in the office, she commits 100% of her focus and attention to the work at hand.
When she’s at home with her family, she gives 100% of her focus and attention to her children and partner.
She doesn’t worry about whether someone might say that what she’s doing is “good work” or “bad work”; to her, it’s all just areas of life to try her best.
If she strives for excellence, she always aims to make excellent choices — and that requires giving it her all everywhere she is.
10. She Always Remembers Those Around Her
She understands that she couldn’t have gotten to where she is without the help of some very generous people.
She remains always grateful for them and always keeps them in mind.
When someone has shown her kindness, she always seeks to repay it in one way or another.
She remembers the times when someone decided to notice her and recognize her, or the people that helped her with a difficult task, the people that listened to her when she was feeling down, and the people that presented opportunities to her.
11. She’s Committed
The strong, elegant woman is smart about her commitments. She knows what is and isn’t worth her time and energy.
But she is committed to something, she works hard to keep up that commitment.
She is always there for her family and children.
She makes sure to catch up with her closest friends and invites them over often.
She doesn’t spend much time on the things that don’t matter much to her, like mindlessly scrolling through social media or getting involved in gossip. She has more important things to work on.
12. She Always Remains In Control
There are always going to be things in life that are out of our control: the weather, the moods of higher-ups, the opinions of others, what happened in the past, and what may or may not happen in the future.
It’s easy to get caught up in these things.
The strong elegant woman, however, has no problem with them — because she can’t change them anyway.
Instead, she focuses on what is within her control: where she spends her time and energy, or what she chooses to do or say next. That’s what makes her stand above the rest.
13. She’s A People Person, Not A People Pleaser
Being a people person, she is highly empathetic to the people that surround her.
She listens to their stories and struggles, always trying to find a way to help in any way that she can.
She can also be quite charming at dinner parties and social gatherings. She knows how to hold insightful conversations and form lasting relationships.
But when her beliefs are on the line, she isn’t afraid to stand up for it — even if its met with rampant disapproval.
An elegant woman doesn’t let the opinions of others stop her from expressing her feelings.
14. She’s A Leader Without Needing The Title
Others might hesitate to take initiative on an assignment because they feel like they aren’t competent enough or because that isn’t their job; they aren’t managers, so why would they put any effort into managing something? Not an outstanding woman.
Although society may not have recognized her before, that doesn’t mean that she still can’t lead.
In fact, she doesn’t care much for titles or positions. Promotions and bonuses would be nice, but that isn’t what she’s after.
When there’s a task that needs to be done, a problem that needs solving, a person that needs help, she doesn’t ask for permission to act — she does it.
The problem that most people tend to encounter is that they often forget why they do the things that they do: why they have to show up to work, why they have to fulfill their responsibilities, why they have to work to maintain relationships.
Most take things for granted and live life on auto-pilot. But not the outstanding woman.
She understands her mission and purpose in life.
She is always mindful of the bigger picture, whether it be to improve the lives of customers, provide her children with the freedom to find fulfillment, or enjoy the rare company of childhood friends in her 50s or 60s.
Being outstanding has no specific gender, age, or cultural requirements. Anyone from anywhere can be outstanding.
By following in a strong elegant woman’s footsteps, we are able to set examples for others, to help our community, and live a better, and more fulfilling life.
