The Marks of a True Bad-Ass.

First off, the definition of a Bad-Ass:  someone who inspires awe in others, someone who is incredibly cool (truly cool, not just a poser ;-)), a person who marches to the beat of their own drum, someone who doesn't let fear or doubt get in their way in terms of doing what they really want to do, this is a person with guts and a hunger for life that is not only obvious but also infectious to those around them, and the list goes on.

I compiled this list the other day with two good friends of mine.  Therefore, this list is a compilation of the three of our thoughts on the subject, and the subject being "What makes someone a genuine bad-ass?"

We decided that a true bad-ass...


1. Has the courage to live their life according to their OWN beliefs, wants, truest wishes and desires, without any of their self worth or confidence being tied to the opinions and judgments of others.

2.  Possesses a humbleness, regardless of their position (whether the CEO of a big time company, or someone who is struggling and has almost nothing to their name, doesn't matter). A true bad-ass possesses a genuine humbleness that lends a glittering beauty to ones character, that draws people to them, and makes them feel at ease.

3.  Have an aura of genuine happiness, a sense of persistence, as well as a sense of resourcefulness, all within the face of struggles. This could be the single mother who works 3 jobs to support her children.  It could be the young adult who cannot pay for college, so they pull all nighters all through school, pass up numerous social events and opportunities to make sure they are awarded the scholarship so they can attend college.  This could be the man or woman who doesn't give up on the person they love, no matter what (whether in the face of devastating illness, emotional challenges, or life stresses putting pressures on the relationship).  The examples go on.

The people who remain happy, hopeful, have a sense of persistence and who are resourceful, all in the face of these life challenges, they are truly bad ass.

4.  A person who has the courage to face and accept loss, as part of the package in moving on to another great adventure of phase of their life.  Knowing that loss is inherent in life.  That we must always give up something, or feel some pain, in order to move on to something wonderful and new.  That loss is part of life. That we must often give up something to gain something.  That we cannot have it all.  True bad asses understand this and do not let the challenge of pain/loss/fear stop them from pursuing grandness.

5.  Someone who has a consistent inner calm and stillness about them.  This is a person who, even if they find their job to be deeply stressful for a time, or they are having difficulties in their romantic relationship, or they have experienced a deflating failure, of course they will feel sadness or other negative emotions connected to this current challenging experience.  But what sets the bad ass apart is that these challenging emotions are quite temporary.  They are buoyed back quickly by happiness, hope, and excitement that they tend to generally feel for their lives most of the time.

6.  They stand for something (whether its a cause they believe in, a person they love who has been wronged, a relationship that matters deeply to them that is in jeopardy, for themselves when they have been treated badly, etc), even when its difficult or scary, a true bad ass meets the challenge head on and stands for things that matter to them, with all they have got.

7.  They have a hunger, joy and excitement for life.  Of course, everyone gets down sometimes.  But real bad asses feel these emotions, the joy, excitement and hunger for their life, for the adventures that await them, for the goals they are pursuing, for the dreams they will realize, for the people they love, most of the time.  True bad asses are generally happy people, filled with a passion and light about them.