Summary

The article recounts the author's journey from a conservative, business-focused path to embracing her inner calling as a writer, inspired by the badass women in her life who pursued their passions.

Abstract

The narrative begins with the author describing her mother's influence on her initial career choice, steering her away from her creative aspirations towards a more stable business career. Despite this, the author harbored a secret desire to be like the bold and fearless women she admired, who had courageously followed their dreams. These women included an underwater photographer, a fashionista DJ, and an expert skier who gave lessons to Oprah. The turning point came when the author, now a single parent, managed to merge her business acumen with her love for writing, breaking into the competitive field of journalism. A chance encounter with an EMT mom, who admired the author's vulnerability in her writing, led to a mutual acknowledgment of each other's badassery. The author realized that being a badass is about pursuing one's inner truth and that this quality is not limited to dramatic career changes but can also be found in the courage to be authentic.

Opinions

The author initially viewed the term "badass" as applicable to other women in her life who pursued unconventional and daring careers, not herself.
She respected her mother's practical advice but felt a constant yearning for creative expression.
The author's definition of being a badass evolved to include the bravery of vulnerability and authenticity in her writing.
She acknowledges that her mother's concerns about stability were valid but finds fulfillment in following her passion.
The author believes that being a badass is not about external validation but about recognizing and embracing one's inner truth.
She suggests that the women she admires are not reinventing themselves but rather restoring their connection to their true selves.
The article conveys a sense of pride and empowerment in the author's realization that she, too, is a badass for pursuing her love of writing despite challenges.

The Day Someone Called Me a Badass

Here’s why every woman should want to be one too

My mom raised a lot of badasses. Maybe that’s why she nudged her youngest down the conservative road. Or maybe it was that I came across more dreamer than focused so she felt the need to intervene. Regardless, I pushed aside my youthful ambitions and went down the straight and narrow. I took my accountant mother’s advice and went into business.

I was not destined to be a badass.

Or maybe as the baby, I was destined to be the delayed badass of the family.

I loved business but there was always something missing. A yearning. I recognized the familiar voice. And it often found its way out.

Late at night. Early morning. A quiet moment. A leisurely walk. The words would escape out of me. A scribble here and there. A tapped keyboard.

I kept on the straight and narrow.

But I was still fascinated by the other badasses out there.

Like my friend who went from taking my kids holiday pictures to underwater photography with sharks. This now world-renown photographer is the founder of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) and co-founder of SeaLegacy. An organization whose mission is to “create healthy and abundant oceans, for us and the planet.”

There’s also my friend who transitioned from the head buyer of one of the largest retailers to a sought after disc jockey. The Washington Post called her the ‘Fashionista DJ.’ She’s in demand from the trendiest nightclubs to the most glamorous fashion shows in New York City.

Another friend is an expert skier. If you meet her you might find her talented and fearless. But this mother of two once gave Oprah ski lessons. So she’s one of the best.

All three of these women are unassuming and humble.

They would probably never refer to themselves with the moniker I attach to them.

And for which I quietly seemed to lust after.

The “B” word.

Me.

The wannabe badass.

Like the rest of my family.

People who followed their heart rather than suppress it.

Don’t get me wrong. I understood my mother’s apprehension. Because my definition of badass was what most refer to as a dream rather than an attainable profession. My mom was trying to protect me. I remember her telling me she feared if I one day became a single parent like she did I might be unable to support myself. She said the profession I felt called to was like acting.

A tough way to make a living.

Funny how mom’s are often right.

I did become a single parent. Thank goodness for that business degree, right? A bigger safety net to catch me.

But by this point I had found the intersection of business and my first love. I had broken into the very competitive field of journalism. When my first piece was published in Washingtonian Magazine doors flew open. One of the top ten media markets in the country meant I had earned my resume and defied the odds. I belonged in this coveted written word world.

One day while I was out and about I ran into a mom I know.

It seems while her kids were making plans for college she decided to go to school herself. The undeniably demanding training to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

I pictured her behind the wheel of an ambulance racing towards danger at high speeds. This sweet, soft-spoken woman. A daredevil saving lives. I never saw it coming.

“Wow, you are a badass,” I say.

“Me?” she says. “You’re the badass!”

I look over my shoulder. She’s gotta be speaking to someone else. After all, I’m the weak link in my group of “B” word friends and family.

I realize she is actually directing her comment towards me. I think she is joking. A little bit of good-natured teasing.

“You’re kidding, right?” I ask.

“No,” she says.

And here is where I will paraphrase.

She told me I put it all out there. I write about my life and love and hardships. That is bravery. That is badass.

It seems she had been reading my weekly columns on Beliefnet.

Now, mind you, I’m still standing there confused.

She is saving lives after all.

How do you compare to that?!

It turns out she was a journalism major in college. She told me, and again, I paraphrase, she could never share with the type of vulnerability writing demands.

I’m not gonna lie.

I walked my badass self outta that coffee shop, standing a little bit taller.

A wannabe no more!

I learned something that day.

Badasses have something in common.

They reveal themselves when they go after their inner truth.

Their inner selves.

My friend taught herself to take pictures while taking holiday photos because she dreamed of being a photographer. My other friend attended fashion shows but was more mesmerized by the music. The pro who taught Oprah to ski never veered from her passion.

And my journalism mom, it turns out she always wanted to help save lives.

These aren’t reinventions.

They are restorations.

Nothing brings out the “B” word like listening to your inner truth.

And hanging with women who recognize it.

Take it from a delayed badass.