Being Badass

This week, I have been focusing on being a badass. For no one but myself. There are times when you have to remind yourself (and sometimes others) who the hell you are. Sometimes you have to grab yourself by the shoulders (or lapels) and snap the hell out of it. With all that’s going on in the world, it’s needed.

So on Thursday (because social says it’s #throwbackThursday) I posted twice as a reminder of times I’ve been (or felt) badass. The first picture was of me in an itty bitty town in Texas shooting a shotgun for the first time. The first thought: Harriett Tubman. The thick heat of the south. The weight of the rifle. The adrenaline. Initially I was nervous but after I adjusted to the kickback, eventually I had it. Definitely channeled my inner Harriett.

The second IG post was of me simply rocking a bold lip. Nothig elaborate. But give me a bold lip (especially one created and owned by a black woman) and it takes the mood to another level.

Other badass moments:

The time I drove a U-Haul moving truck 17 hours while 7 months pregnant. Granted, I had no business behind the wheel, especially because I’d never driven a big ol’ moving truck before…and on top of that was hella pregnant. But after I made my destination, I remember thinking, yup, I did that shit.

Or the time Harlem was born. After a life-threatening circumstance and emergency hospital admittance, I did it. I brought a little hairy, brown baby into the world. Relieved and in awe, I thought, man, women are badass.

Or the time when I held my own during a dispute at the office with an entitled white man over ethical issues.

Or the time, I put myself through college. Being a first-generation college graduate, on top of all of the financial stress and each semester’s uncertainty, that finish line felt damn good.

Or the time I trained and ran my first race. I felt on top of the world.

How quickly we forget that we are capable of being badass. The reality is, being badass has nothing to do about the situation, but everything to do with the mindset, because things will happen but our badass-ness is always within us. Always.

So when you feel off-balance and in a fog or funk, reach back to your badass moments. Remember, you got this. You’ve always had it.