Beyoncé once posed, “Who run the world? GIRLS.” Then why, all my independent badass ladies out there, are we still falling into classic traps that keep us from, indeed, running our own world? Here are five things we need to stop doing that keep us from achieving our own potential.

1. Stop saying “sorry” for everything.

Need to ask a question? “Sorry, but…” Need to push your way through a crowd? “Sorry!” Didn’t hear what someone said? “Sorry?” Basically everything we mildly perceive as bothersome? “Sorrysorrysorrysorry.” Ladies, unless you genuinely made a mistake that deserves a sincere apology, we need to stop saying sorry for our very existence. We have a right to ask that question, take up space, and succumb to human error – without needing to apologize.

2. Stop judging each other.

Women are notoriously competitive and critical – with each other. Two sayings apply here: “Comparison is the thief of joy” and “Divided we fall, united we stand.” Stop comparing yourself to the girl next to you, and stop looking for her flaws to compensate. There are so many other forces to worry about than the woman across the street, and if we stop tearing each other apart and start building each other up, our world will be a lot more peaceful and supportive.

3. Stop waiting.

I cannot stress this one enough. You know that theory that good things come to those who wait? NO. Stop waiting for that guy to text you back, stop waiting for that job offer to drop into your lap and stop waiting for the day everything “falls into place.” Life is constantly on the move, and you should be too; you chase your dreams, not wait for them.

4. Stop settling.

It’s so easy to get comfortable and convince yourself that you actually have what you need. Women tend to look at life as a series of items on a checklist, and that the ultimate goal is to just make that tick mark in any way possible. This too often means settling for “just anys,” like just any relationship, just any job, and just any friend. Guess what, ladies? The only item on your checklist that matters is happiness, and settling will never get you that. #neversettle

5. Stop equating your worth to single things.

Your worth is not equal to your weight, your cup size, your boyfriend or your IG followers. Women, we need to stop believing that. We are a beautiful, complex sum of all our beautiful, complex parts – personality, intelligence, friends, family, lovers, looks, hobbies, careers, and whatever else makes up who we are. None of these can be measured or defined in just one thing, and it shouldn’t!