"My coach said I run like a girl and I said if he ran a little faster he could too" - Mia Hamm

We've heard the echo of these words a million times and yet their haunting never seems to ease..."You are such a girl, you cry like a girl, you fight like a girl, stop acting like such a girl". Every time I hear someone say those words I just want to punch them in the face and say "Hell yeah I act like a girl, because you know what?"

I fight like a girl because I will never back down. I fight with every ounce of my being, with ever muscle fiber, with every drop of determination that I can summon. I fight with my mind, with my passion, and with my heart, and all combined into one unstoppable force. I fight until I fall, and then get right back up again.

I cry like a girl because I allow myself to feel. I let my pain bleed freely from my soul. I let my emotions run wild so they may teach me how to love, heel, and forgive. I cry with tears and my thoughts. I cry because I am a human and to feel emotion is one of the most incredible feelings in the universe.

I train like a girl because I have an energy inside of myself that will never rest. I train like a girl because I work hard for everything I have ever earned. I train until I have given 100%, and then I train some more. I train like a girl because I am my own competition and I will train harder, stronger, faster, than the girl I was before.

I love like a girl because I let my heart be open and full without any restraint. I love with a fire inside of my soul so fierce it cannot be contained. I love so bravely knowing I could be broken at any minute and yet still ready to love once again. I love like a girl because the world could always use a little more.

I dream like a girl because my dreams have no barriers. I believe that anything is possible. I dream like a girl because I believe in living outside of your comfort zone. I Believe in never settling for anything less than the unimaginable. I believe in fairytales and happily ever afters. I dream so large that even the universe seems small at times.

I am strong like a girl because I know what it is like to feel weak. I am strong like a girl because I am not afraid to fail. I will carry the weight of the world as if it was a pair of wings. I am strong like a girl because I do not need to put down others to feel secure. I am strong because I am brave and anything less is simply not an option.

I am just a girl who decided to go for it without the permission of others.