The 5 Top Qualities of Girl Bosses

What better way to cap off International Women’s Month than to have an event to celebrate and empower all women and allies! Girl Boss 3.0 was a two-day webinar held last March 30 and 31, 2023 and it brought together individuals from all ages and walks of life to listen to strong and goal-oriented women from different fields. 

Ms. Monique Ong, the Co-founder and CEO of MindNation, Ms. Lara Non, a Multimedia Designer, Creative Entrepreneur Artist, and Owner of Likha ni Lara, and Ms. Danica Gonzalez, Program Coordinator of the Miriam College-Women and Gender Institute were the invited speakers and they shared about their highs, lows, and the importance of equality in the workplace. 

Keeping the celebration of International Women’s Month in mind, these Girl Bosses shared how you can become your own Girl Boss, whether in the workplace, at home, or wherever life takes you. 

Focus on Your Own Growth, rather than Comparing Yourself to Others

At times, we find that we would compare ourselves to others, may it be the achievements they have, their physical attributes, the way they carry themselves, and a whole lot more aspects. This can be detrimental to our self-confidence. Rather than finding ways to improve ourselves for our own growth, we want to do it because we find others as our competition. Comparing ourselves has its own negative effects on our well-being and hinder our personal growth. Ms. Monique Ong, the Co-founder and CEO of MindNation and a traumatic brain injury survivor shared 3 tips on how we can stop the comparison we would do: 

1. Practice gratitude – By practicing looking at the things we are grateful for, it allows us to focus on what we have rather than those that we don’t have. We can always be grateful even for the littlest things that brought us joy that day, and it can also be because of something great we have achieved. Keeping a gratitude journal allows us to help shift our focus away from comparisons, since it allows for us to get in touch with ourselves and to self-reflect. 
2. Recognizing social media is not real life – What we see on social media is just a part of someone’s life. They would only post the highlights of what happened to them and would never share the negative aspects of their day-to-day lives on their platforms. It creates unrealistic standards and expectations for those who see these posts. We can get so caught up in trying to make our lives seem perfect in social media, but what we see is not always the accurate representation of what reality is for most of us. 
3. Set your own goals – Rather than comparing yourself to others, why not sit down and reflect on your own personal goals and aspirations that you would want to achieve. When you are preoccupied with taking the necessary steps to achieve your dreams, you have less time to stop worrying about what others are doing and thinking. Look at what you’re passionate about and build on that. 

Remember that everyone has their own journey. It is important to celebrate our strengths and work on our weaknesses without comparing ourselves to others.

Practice Self-compassion, Not Self-pity 

When we experience self-pity, it involves feeling sorry for ourselves, dwelling on our problems, and believing that we’re victims of our circumstances. When our self-confidence takes a hit, we often get into our heads that we are the reason why it happened. Ms. Monique Ong shared that we must remember that “every outcome is the result of multiple factors and you’re not the only one,” it is a great reminder that what happens to us is not just our fault. We shouldn’t keep taking the blame because at one point, other people or situations may have also contributed to what happened. 

Avoiding self-pity helps us change the outlook we have in life. As much as possible, let’s try to maintain a positive one and be more compassionate with ourselves. Remember that it’s important to acknowledge our struggles and emotions, but it’s also important to take steps to move forward and focus on solutions rather than problems.

Stand Your Ground, Learn to say No

When we get into something, we really make sure to give our 100% best in everything we do and sometimes, that comes with the price of not learning how to say no. Society has set a standard for women to be the perfect wife, mother, sister, daughter, and career woman, to the point that this pressure is the only thing that keeps us going. Learning to set your boundaries and saying no is the first step to breaking free from this. 

In any given situation, when we don’t set boundaries, this can cause burnout.  Since her passion mainly involves the arts and creativity, Ms. Lara Non knows that she has to be creative at all times but when she gets burnout from doing what she loves, she finds it difficult to get back to her rhythm once she hits that point. Every single one of us at one point had experienced putting too much on our plate to the point where it gets overwhelming. We find it hard to manage the work in front of us and this can affect the way we deliver ourselves and our output. 

Finding your ground and sticking to that allows for you to learn how to say no and limit the effect of what other people have to say on the journey you want to be on. 

Learn to Prioritize Yourself Too!

Being a Girl Boss takes a lot of work and often, we would tend to sacrifice something in order to get other things done, and I hope you’re not sacrificing your well-being! You have to learn to prioritize and find time to listen to what your body and mind needs. You have to constantly understand where you’re coming from, what your body needs, and that with this, you do not have to compare yourself with others. Learning to respect our own selves allows for us to be more intune with our bodies and minds, it helps us know when it’s time to take a break. Listen to yourself too. 

According to Ms. Lara, “investing in yourself is the greatest thing you can do for yourself,” and this means you get to take care of the energy you put into the people and things around you, as well as the passion that you share with the people you love. If you find yourself struggling to determine how you can put yourself first, Ms. Lara suggests diverting your attention to a different perspective because this allows you to have a clear mind that will help you be in control. 

Learn to shift your energy into something new, try to add a new hobby or activity to your usual routine to help you get back on track. When you’re ready to go back again, the world is still waiting for you, that is why it is important to remember that “rest is still productive, do not deprive yourself of a well-deserved break from time to time.”

Empower Yourself and Others

Being a Girl Boss means you know how to empower yourself and the people around you. There might be times when both men and women are put down because of their gender, receiving discrimination and not being acknowledged for the work they have done. This happens everywhere we go but is more rampant in institutions like our workplaces. Despite our growing effort to break the barrier and gaps between genders in the workplace, women are still more likely to experience unequal treatment and benefits than their male counterparts. 

We have a responsibility to uphold one another and it starts with acknowledging that we deserve better and that we are capable of what other people can do. Having self-confidence allows for us to be able to speak our mind, especially when we know that we are right. We must remember that companies, corporations, and businesses have responsibilities towards their employees and if we keep this in mind, according to Ms. Danica Gonzalez, “it becomes easier to assert yourself and to really embrace the job you are going to have and the company you will be with.” 

Having women in the workplace, according to Ms. Danica allows for a more diverse workplace which translates to a more innovative working environment. Women experience situations that not everyone has experienced, which makes you a great asset to a company. Women have soft skills that are great for businesses. The leadership approach of men and women are different, which makes having women leaders essential in a company, especially with how they communicate and lead their people. Lastly, women represent huge economic power and offer important consumer insight as there are benefits to having women in teams because of their ideas and contributions. 

Gender balance is key to be able to have a better and more united workplace. Giving employees the equal opportunities, especially when it comes to pay, acknowledgement, and benefits (e.g. vacation leaves, paid sick, maternity leaves, etc.) is seen to improve their businesses and the outcomes produced by their employees. 

If you weren’t able to attend Girl Boss 3.0, don’t worry because you can watch the livestream of the webinar for March 30, 2023 here and March 31, 2023 livestream here.

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