The characteristics of a strong, independent woman

The new breed of independent women have been shaped by all the other women before her who have stood up and fought for our right to vote, work, and own property, to name a few.

What does an independent woman in 2015 look like? Firstly, it doesn’t mean all women strive to be the CEO of a firm and wear a power suit all day. Instead, she could be a stay at home mom and wear yoga pants.

The amazing thing is there is no prototype. Being a strong, independent woman is a state of mind, not a state of being. She looks and acts any way she wants.

It also means you are self-sufficient, don’t take bull from others and are confident enough to do what you like. Here are 5 characteristics of a strong, independent woman. She:

1. Knows what she wants. An independent woman listens to her intuition and has a deep understanding of her goals. She doesn’t let others sway her opinion or focus. “A girl knows her limits but a wise girl knows she has none.”- Marilyn Monroe
2. Doesn’t settle. After knowing what she wants, she is willing to work tooth and nail for it. She has sufficient confidence to know that if it doesn’t live up to her expectations to walk away.
3. Doesn’t expect someone else to make her happy. She makes herself happy by doing what she loves. Happiness is our choice and responsibility—it’s not someone else’s burden. “If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.”- Katharine Hepburn
4. Financially independent. “A man is not a financial plan.”- Kim Kiyosaki
   She makes her own money and pays for her own things. She never has the expectation of being financially supported. If she’s in a relationship the focus is on mutual respect and loyalty.
5. Comfortable with being alone. She lives on her own, takes herself out to dinner or travels independently. Although she does a lot by herself it doesn’t mean she’s lonely. She’s built a tight community of friends and family.

Our society’s definition of strength, confidence, power and success is perfectly depicted in Forbes recent issue, The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. This list is incredibly inspiring as it features women of all statures, industries and ethnicities.

My hope is that in a few years this list will be obsolete. Instead, we’ll have one list from Forbes of The World’s Most Powerful People. In the meantime, let’s continue to celebrate the successes of others and ourselves. Let’s build each other up, not break each other down.