"Coffee in one hand, Confidence in the other"
-millennialboss.com

In honor of International Day of the Girl, and in honor of every female currently trying to be her own #girlboss, I hope we can all find a way to carry our confidence like we do our coffee. After all, girls make the world go round.

1. You are NOT fat

Personally, I hate that I have to write this one at all, or that it is something so many of us struggle with. But with 49% of Americans trying to lose weight and 56.4% of them being women, (Time) this is still one of the most prevalent issues plaguing us girls today.

No, we may not have the same bodies that we once had in high school, but that doesn't mean we are a giant lard of Crisco either. And stressing over a number on a scale instead of the overall health of our bodies will never improve our self-esteem.

We can't all be size 0 Victoria's Secret Models, just like we can't all be Ashley Graham, but we can find a way to embrace and love the body we do live in. Treat her well with a balanced diet that still enjoys the occasional dessert or two. Take her for a walk, run or some form of physical activity at least twice a week. And love her, so that one day you might love yourself.

2. Don't take No for an answer

So many times in my life I have been told that I can't do "X" because I'm a female. Because one day I might want a family. Because my future husband may not like me as the "breadwinner" of the house.

To them and anyone else who challenges your right and purpose on this Earth, I say NO. We deserve better. We deserve opportunity and we absolutely deserve the right to prove the naysayers wrong. Be who you want to be regardless of your gender. It can only define you if you allow it to.

3. Stop complaining. Unless you have a solution to fix it

My mother taught me this many years ago, and I have never forgotten it. So whenever I find myself complaining and talking smack about whatever events going on, I remember that in order to see change sometimes I have to change it myself.

If you are unhappy with a current event, a new policy at work or simply something that just isn't right, speak up and get to work! Simply complaining about a problem without a solution is useless and quite frankly a waste of air. You have bigger things to do and be in life so put them to work and be your own savior.

4. Repeat after me, "I am too full of life to be Half-Loved"

By boys, coworkers, friends, bosses, and yourself. We have been trained for far too long to settle when the going gets tough. To settle for the first salary offered to us when starting a job. To settle for a love in hopes that they will complete us instead of complement us.

You are worth so much more. You are worthy of a love and a life worth living. You are worthy of a higher pay grade, education, and opportunity than your doubts allow. But most importantly, you are absolutely worthy of being loved and cared for. By yourself and by others.

I truly believe we cannot be fully loved by others until we learn to love ourselves first, and she is worth way more attention than you are probably giving her.

5. You. Are. Beautiful.

I think this is the one I struggle with the absolute most myself. Because it's hard! How can I view myself as beautiful when I see how I look every morning I wake up? How can I view myself as beautiful when a new pimple makes their presence on my face or a new roll forms on my stomach?

But this is why I believe it is so crucially important to love the body you are in as well as the mind and soul you have been gifted. No, you may not be an airbrushed model on the front of Cosmo, but you are worthy of joy. You are worthy of admiration and you are worthy of affirmation.

Your beauty is in the crinkles of your cheeks as you laugh. Your beauty is in your excitement as you learn a new bit of information or find a new tool that sets your soul on fire. Your beauty is in your power, your confidence and your intelligence.

And until we begin to acknowledge her and tell ourselves this every day, we are losing valuable time and opportunities to pursue every wild dream we only write in our diaries.

So love her. Choose her. And never ever stop pursuing her. Because we are female. And that is undeniably one of the coolest things we can ever be.