18 Rules Strong Women Everywhere Live Their Lives By

You live by your own rules.

A blonde woman wearing a gray knitted sweater leans against a white brick wall with some red paint marks. She smiles and looks down, touching her lips gently with her fingers. Her hair is parted to the side, and she appears to be in a relaxed and cheerful mood.

Being a strong woman means living by a set of rules that many other women would struggle with.

You have a strong sense of who you are and what is important to you, and you are not afraid to swim against the tide if you have to.

Here are just some of the most important points from your rule book of life.

1. Self Love Comes First

A person with curly hair, wearing white sunglasses, a denim jacket, and a striped shirt smiles at the camera. They are standing on a pathway by the sea at sunset, with a rocky shoreline and silhouettes of people in the background.

You know that it is not selfish to put yourself first in line for love.

You understand that before you can go about showing love to others, you first have to love yourself.

This means taking the time to deal with things in your own life as a priority and recharging your batteries so that you are able to be a powerful source of love for the rest of the world.

2. Never Rely On Someone Else To Support You

A woman stands by a sunlit window, holding a mug with both hands and looking outside. She is dressed in a white tank top. On the windowsill, there is a small black alarm clock, two white candles, and a small plant.

In order to retain your independence, you are not willing to sit back and let someone else support you financially.

This doesn’t mean you aren’t prepared to be a homemaker; you just want to ensure that you are eminently employable before making a choice to be one.

This is your way of safeguarding your future prosperity should you ever need to be the breadwinner once again.

3. Disrespect Is A Red Line

Two women sit on a couch in a domestic setting. The woman in the yellow shirt looks away with her hand raised, appearing uninterested or dismissive. The woman in the blue shirt, sitting behind her, appears to be speaking or reacting with concern or frustration.

Whether it’s from a partner, a friend, a family member, a co-worker, or someone else, you never let any form of disrespect slide.

This is a red line that, when crossed, results in a serious telling off at a minimum, and cutting of strings when necessary.

You simply have too much self worth to take any lack of respect lying down. It’s just not how you roll.

4. Caution Doesn’t Always Prevent Hurt

Two people are kayaking on a calm body of water. The person in the foreground is in a yellow kayak, and the one in the background is in an orange kayak. Both are holding paddles and wearing sunglasses, enjoying a sunny day with trees visible in the distance.

You realize that you don’t always need to take chances to end up getting hurt.

Caution is not a foolproof preventative measure that can protect you from the crap that might hit the fan.

Throwing caution to the wind, on the other hand, can lead to some of the most memorable and joyous moments of your life, so you aren’t afraid to take a risk now and again.

5. Ignore The Haters, Naysayers And Green-Eyed Monsters

A confident young woman with long dark hair stands in front of a conference table with her arms crossed, looking at the camera. Behind her, a team of three people is engaged in a discussion in a modern, well-lit office with large windows and a whiteboard.

Your strength and confidence might rub some people up the wrong way, but you don’t pay much attention to anyone who spits poison from their mouth.

You rise above the haters, you ignore the naysayers, and you feel nothing but pity for those who try to bring you down to their level.

6. Create Your Own Happiness

A woman with curly brown hair is smiling and giving a thumbs-up gesture. She is wearing a gray sweater and is standing in front of a blurry background filled with shelves.

You’ve learned that the best way to be happy is to create it for yourself.

You don’t rely on others to make you smile or cheer you up.

you take responsibility for your own happiness and nurture the feeling so that it might grow to great heights.

Sure, you get sad now and again – that’s natural – but you are fully aware that you have the power within you to regain your cheerful outlook.

7. Realize The Potential In Each Day

A woman with long, wavy brown hair wearing a beige and pink sleeveless top is sitting at a table. She is resting her chin on her hand and gazing thoughtfully to the side. The background features indoor plants and a softly lit, modern interior.

You are well aware of the transience and fragility of life and seek to make the very most of each day.

You view every 24-hour period as an opportunity to do something great, something memorable, and something that has a positive impact on the world.

You may or may not be an early bird, but you try to catch the worm regardless.

8. Trust Your Intuition

A person with curly hair is holding up their hand in front of the camera, creating a stop or no gesture. Their face is partially obscured by their hand. They are wearing a striped shirt and denim overalls against a neutral background.

To help you choose the right path in life, you pay close attention to your intuition and trust that what your gut tells you is very often advice worth following.

Thanks to this approach, you rarely doubt yourself or the decisions you make.

9. Do What It Takes To Turn Dreams Into Realities

A woman sits at a desk in an office, looking thoughtfully out the window. She holds a pair of glasses in one hand and has a laptop, a coffee cup, a potted plant, and office supplies on the desk. Shelves with folders and plants are visible in the background.

You are not content to sit back and simply dream about how life could be.

You plan, you strategize, and you take action to turn your dream into a reality.

Whatever it takes, however hard it might be, you know that chasing your dreams is one of the fundamental joys of life.

You also understand that the path to achieving those lofty goals is, in itself, a great adventure that will lead to contentment and satisfaction.

10. Have Faith In Your Abilities

A person with curly hair sits on a couch while typing on a laptop. They are wearing a blue and white plaid shirt and seem focused on the screen. The setting appears to be a cozy living room with cushions and pillows in the background.

The strength you embody helps to give you an unyielding self-belief so that whatever challenges you are faced with, you always feel confident of overcoming them.

You know that you have the skills necessary to get where you want to go, and the determination to acquire new talents if needs be.

You have faith in yourself and your capacity to perform at a consistently high level.

11. Dress For Yourself And Not For Others

A woman with short, light-colored hair stands on a wooden balcony overlooking a resort with white buildings, palm trees, and distant mountains. She wears a black and white striped dress and touches her face with one hand, looking thoughtful.

You don’t dress for attention or to impress others; you dress, first and foremost, to make you feel good.

Whether that means bold, stylish outfits or comfortable, practical attire, you put your needs and your wellbeing ahead of anything else.

You know that when you feel good, you look good and so choose your clothes accordingly.

12. Never Belittle Others For Their Beliefs, Passions And Choices

You never feel the need to put others down to give your own spirit a boost.

You defend the rights of others to believe what they wish, make their own choices in life, and follow whatever dreams and passions they might have.

You know that there is nothing to be gained from trying to trample others.

Yours is a fair and just mindset that seeks equal opportunity and treatment of all.

13. Never Be Afraid To Speak Your Mind

A woman with long, wavy brown hair stands against a bright blue background. She is wearing a white top and has an expression of surprise or awe, with her mouth slightly open and eyes looking off to the side.

Your opinions are robust and you aren’t afraid to make them known when the time is right.

You won’t stand idly by and let others take decisions for you or without you.

Whether in work or leisure situations, you make sure that your voice is heard and your vote counted.

You’d much rather speak up and put yourself out there than bite your tongue and regret not saying something at some point down the road.

14. Express Your Feelings

Two young women are sitting on a couch, facing each other. One woman with long dark hair is holding the hand of the other woman with curly hair, who appears upset, resting her head in her hand. Both are wearing casual clothes in a living room setting.

In your mind, a healthy approach to feelings is to let them flow and not attempt to suppress or ignore them.

You are aware of the valuable lessons that can be learned by listening to your feelings and of the therapeutic benefits of expressing them.

You cry when it feels right, you smile when the mood takes you, and you let other feelings come out in whatever way is natural.

15. Try New Things Regularly

A young woman wearing sunglasses, an orange polka-dot shirt, denim shorts, knee-high socks, and roller skates sits on concrete steps. She looks up and smiles at the camera, enjoying a sunny day.

Variety is your spice of life and you often feel the urge to seek new experiences.

Repeating the same patterns of behavior indefinitely just feels wrong to you, like some sort of trap that you can’t escape from.

You’d rather be trying new things and uncovering new ways to feel life’s energy flowing through body and mind.

16. No Is A Powerful Word

You aren’t a people pleaser; you won’t follow the crowd like a sheep among the flock.

Your vocabulary has many ways to say no to something that either doesn’t feel right, or simply doesn’t float your boat.

You value your time far too much to spend it doing things you don’t want to do, and you believe everyone else is better off with your honesty, too.

17. Always Stand Up For What You Believe In

A woman stands confidently in front of a row of columns. She has a teal headwrap and wears a rust-colored long-sleeve blouse tied at the waist, cream-colored pants, and large hoop earrings. She is holding eyeglasses and looking off to the side.

You are not comfortable being dictated to and are even less willing to watch others act in a way that tramples on your beliefs.

You are steadfast and resolute in defense of what you believe in, and you won’t let others try to bully their way to an outcome that you are against.

You hold strong opinions, are not afraid to involve yourself in protest and activism, and stand shoulder to shoulder with those who suffer for a cause you feel is right.

18. Write Your Own Story

A woman with wavy brown hair and green eyes smiles warmly at the camera. She is wearing an off-shoulder yellow top. The background is a blurred natural setting with greenery, suggesting she is outdoors.