Karen from Chookooloonks wrote about this awhile back ... and I've had it on my desktop ever since. I open it and read it when I'm feeling a bit down in the dumps ... I read it when I'm feeling courageous and unstoppable. I read it when I'm teary, bleary and sad. I read it when I'm not sure if I have what it takes to accomplish a specific task. I read it when I'm feeling unkind and bitter ... and I read it when I'm feeling grateful and thankful.
Karen wrote that while creating her music playlist for January (what a great idea), she decided it should be about pipe dreaming, wild wishing and general bad-assery. She goes on to say that she wasn't really sure WHAT badassery meant, but that the definition may look something like this ::
bad·ass·ery adj \-ˌas\
Someone who isn't afraid to wish good things for herself.
Someone who believes she's worthy of being happy.
Someone who isn't afraid to make goals, and then once those goals are made, isn't afraid of taking those first, tiny steps toward achieving those goals.
Someone who realizes that taking care of herself isn't selfish or egotistical, but that sometimes you have to put the oxygen mask on first before you start helping others.
Someone who realizes that at her core, she's a good person. And that given this, when she makes a mistake, maybe she should go easy on herself.
Someone who, when bad things happen (and make no mistake, they will happen), will not spend valuable time thinking about who did her wrong, or why the world is conspiring against her, but will instead spend that time working through it by taking care of herself, leaning on friends as necessary, asking for help when needed, and treating herself as she would a good friend going through a similar situation.
Someone who, when life knocks her down, does what she can to pick herself up, dust herself off, and try, try again.
Someone who makes kindness to friends, people around her (like waiters, household help and others in the service industry), and even strangers her primary focus; and who also takes care to surround herself and cultivate relationships with good friends who have equal focus.
Someone who is never afraid to speak her mind or his truth, but always does so with kindness.
And finally, someone who works hard at reframing the things that make her different, recognizing them as attributes that are sources of great beauty, and when used for good, maybe even superpowers.
I don't know about you, but this is - to me - the perfect definition of someone who attacks life with fervor, doesn't take no for an answer, is kind to the best of her ability, and all the while, always aims for more.
I'm aiming to be a bad-ass ... are you?
