Wise Women Friday: Helen Fielding

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Words of wisdom from English novelist Helen Fielding:

...although we have discovered our Inner Bitches,

we have not yet unlocked them.

It is hard to unlock your Inner Bitch if you have been advised your whole life to be nice. Nice is good. Nice is fine. Nice sweetens the coffee, just like sugar helps the medicine go down. But, the truth is, nice doesn't always work. Nice doesn't always get you what you want. It doesn't always open doors. Sometimes, nice blows up in your face.

There are times in life when you need to unlock your Inner Bitch. You must let her out. You must let her do the work that needs to be done. You must be tough. You must be professional. You must NOT WORRY about nice.

You will worry that if you let your Inner Bitch out, people will actually call you a bitch. Let them. Own this word. Take it back from your detractors. Language is power. Take power. If people said you were a tiger or a lion, you would feel strong and powerful. If people say you are bitch, feel loyal, protective, courageous and true. That's what a female dog is.

Whatever power you need to fight, fight it. Go. Be a bitch.