Every woman has met another amazing creature that shares her gender whom she looks up to, causing her to mutter under her breath, “She’s a badass. I want to be like her.”

This woman is someone who owns it, no matter where she is. She’s kicking ass and taking names in the office. She’s shrugging off catcalls and pushy people on the street. And when it comes to love, she’s not taking crap from men who don’t know what they want — or what she deserves — and she’s moving on when she isn’t getting what she wants. She doesn’t have time for games.

When you grow up, you strive to be just as awesome as this woman. You strive to be like her and have other females look at YOU and say, “She’s a badass.”

It seems daunting to take on that challenge, though. There are so many obstacles for women. We have our own unique set of challenges when it comes to work/life/love balance.

So how can we keep our confidence and be the badass we’ve always wanted to be? I mean, it’s not easy. But it is possible to do in all areas of your life.

Here are five ways to be a total badass in work, life and love.

Show don’t tell.

Work:

When you’re at your job, you want people to see your potential. You want them to know how wonderful you are, how hard you work and, most importantly, you want them to reward you for it. But you can’t just TELL people. You have to show them. You have to give it your all every day and convince people of your worth through the work you produce.

Life:

In life, if you want people to consider you a badass, you have to own it. You have to have confidence — the type of confidence that one exudes, not just talks about. It’s not enough to tell people you believe in yourself. You have to strut your stuff.

Love:

Let’s be honest, true love is a rare thing in this world, and you have to hold on to it when you find it. But that means more than saying the words, “I love you.” It means showing the other person that you love them. Treat him or her to dinner once in awhile. Stock his or her favorite candy in your apartment. Do things that show your partner you care.

Take calculated risks.

Work:

There’s only one way you can truly impress people in your working life, and that’s by delivering on promises you know you can keep. If you offer some pie-in-the-sky solution to a problem, but can’t actually make it happen, what’s the point? If you put yourself on the line for something, you better be 99% sure you can actually accomplish it.

Life:

Don’t find yourself giving in to the misconception that being a badass is the same thing as being reckless. It’s not. You have to make the type of decisions that you’re confident will make your life better — in other words, you invest your savings in Facebook stock, not MySpace stock. Otherwise, you’re just jumping out of a plane without a parachute.

Love:

Before you throw yourself into loving someone, you have to weigh the reality of the relationship. Is the other person giving as much as you are? If they are, moving forward is a calculated risk. If they aren’t, then it takes a badass to realize that…and then walk away.

Kill them with kindness when they deserve it...

Work:

Make no mistake, the badass woman is still nice. At work, it’s because she recognizes that being kind to people makes them more likely to listen to her, work with her and champion her.

Life:

In life, kindness is a key step in building up our social networks. The ultimate lady boss has an amazing group of friends that are there for her no matter what. She can only build that support system through spreading good.

Love:

Kindness begets kindness. If you put that out into the world, that’s the kind of relationship that will come your way. It’ll be the kind that builds you up and makes you feel confident each and every day.

...and don't be a doormat when they don’t deserve your kindness.

Work:

When people betray you at work to get ahead, they’ve shown you their true colors. An office badass can identify when this has happened, and can come up with a plan of action to smoke the Benedict Arnold out.

Life:

There’s no shame in your game for calling out people who deserve it. Being a badass is about standing up for yourself and not letting anyone push you over.

Love:

Love, by the way, includes potential romantic partners. When the person you’re with hurts or cheats on you, then you shouldn't just go quietly into the night. You should let that person know EXACTLY how you feel.

Prioritize your opinion over everyone else's.

Work:

At the end of the day, the biggest thing to remember about being a badass in the workplace is that you can't care too much about what anyone else thinks. You do what you know in your heart is right. You have to do you, and keep doing you no matter what. That’s the type of person who gets the interns to look up to her.

Life:

When you’re buying new clothes, when you’re picking out a new scent or when you’re just chilling on your couch in your PJs, you GOTTA be doing it with full confidence. You have to own your choices. You have to live in whatever and whichever way excites you.

Love:

In love, you have to do what’s right for you. If you're head over heels, passionately in love, you can’t be worried about the reactions of your family, friends or anyone else. You have to follow your heart because you know what's best for YOU.

Because when you boil it down, that’s what being a badass is all about: Following your heart, getting ecstatic about your choices and not looking back.