It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. Whether we’re talking about your career, lifestyle or relationship, it happens to the best of us. And thank goodness there are so many amazing girl bosses keeping it real and reminding us that we’re not alone in our daily struggles. So, if you need a motivational kick-in-the-rear, keep reading for some great insight from today’s female leaders.

You don’t have to know it all

Not knowing something can make you feel ashamed, embarrassed, insecure and defensive. But guess what? You don’t have to know it all.

Isn’t that such a relief? You might not magically agree, but if the founder of a cult beauty brand says so, it’s safe to say that you can, too.

When Emily Weiss, founder and chief executive of Glossier first began her beauty website, Into the Gloss, and then her beauty brand, Glossier, she had a lot to learn. By surrounding herself with people who knew more than she did, Weiss made a smart career move, which definitely payed off!

Weiss launched Glossier in 2014, and by 2016, it had grown 600 percent, and it continues to expand to this day. Weiss didn’t know it all, but she didn’t need to, and neither do you.

Know what you don’t know. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are in different areas, and learn from them. – Emily Weiss

Don’t be distracted by social media

No matter what your life situation, job or relationship looks like, it’s easy to scroll through Instagram and immediately compare what you have with what you see.

And that’s an important distinction to remember: you’re not comparing what you have with what others have. You’re comparing what you have with what people are allowing you to see.

But don’t think that that’s all there is to a person, their brand or their story. There’s so much more that goes on behind the scenes – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Sophia Amoruso, founder of Nasty Gal and Girl Boss Media knows this all too well. Within 10 years of starting her Ebay vintage shop, Nasty Gal, Amoruso, built a company that did $300 million revenue annually, earning her a spot on Forbes’ “Richest Self-Made Women” list.

Unfortunately, Nasty Gal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016, but that didn’t keep Amoruso down. Instead, she went on to found Girlboss Media, which includes a podcast, books and an inspiring website.

Don’t compare your hustle to your highlight reel.  – Sophia Amoruso

It’s okay to freelance or do your passion project on the side

If you look around at affluent and influential women, you may envy them and their ability to do what they love for a living. Meanwhile you’re slaving away and selling your soul to a corporate position.

But it’s actually completely okay to have a day job and a passion project. You can think of your job as a safety net, and this takes the pressure off of your passions and talents.

That’s what Otegha Uwagba encourages, and she should know. She’s a brand consultant and freelance writer, who’s started her own organization, Women Who, to connect creative entrepreneurs the world over.

What’s more, she inspires her readers with a weekly newsletter, a podcast and her book, “Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women”.

Having to balance a side project with a 9 – 5 makes you far more ruthless with your time and quicker with your decisions, both of which are invaluable skills to cultivate. – Otegha Uwagba

You can say no

No is a hard word to say, but it should have a bonafide place in your daily vocabulary. You might be scared to say no because you’re afraid of missing out on great opportunities. But with this MOFO mindset, you’ll overcompensate, over-commit and burn out.

Learn to say no to everything and anything that compromises you, your safety and security, as well as your peace of mind. Anna Newton, blogger and YouTuber at The Anna Edit has to turn down opportunities from time to time, but this allows her to keep her work, family and friend priorities in check.

Say ‘Hell No’, politely. – Anna Newton

Create your own identity and opportunities

Before Meghan Markle became the Duchess of Sussex, she was a humanitarian and United Nations Women’s Advocate. And along with helping women in poverty-stricken societies, Meghan shared her experiences as a biracial American in an article she wrote for Elle Magazine back in July 2015.

In it, she detailed how as a schoolgirl, she had to check a box to identify her race. Among the typical choices were “Caucasian”, “Black”, “Hispanic”, etc. In confusion, she asked her teacher which she should choose. After all, she was both caucasian and an African American and didn’t want to abandon either identity.

Her teacher told her to check the Caucasian box because it was the one she looked like. Markle sought her father’s advice later that day, and he told her that the next time she didn’t have the right box to check, she should make her own box.

Meghan carried that lesson with her, all the way up to adulthood, and it may have influenced the closing words of her United Nations Women speech. In this speech, Markle reminds each woman that she has the freedom to write and rewrite her story and to create a sure place for herself in the world.

Women need a seat at the table, they need an invitation to be seated there and in some cases, where this isn’t available…then they need to create their own table. – Meghan Markle