Like most kids, growing up, I loved all things Disney. But more specifically, I loved all things related to the Disney princesses. It’s always been hard to choose a favorite princess because each of them possesses a life full of things that I’ve always wanted. From fighting and conquering evil villains to singing about love and happiness, all of the princesses seem to find their way through adversity, and they do so using their own unique characteristics. Here are the 12 most admirable traits of the Disney princesses:

1. Belle's intelligence

Belle is a bookworm, much like myself as a young girl. She reads about all kinds of people and places in her library, and her understanding of unknown people and destinations allowed her to open her heart and love someone that no one else saw value in.

2. Ariel's curiosity

Ariel wouldn’t have gotten legs, gotten to try human food or found her true love if it weren’t for her curiosity about the world around her. She defied her father and friends, but ultimately, her curiosity got her a happy ending.

3. Mulan's bravery

4. Cinderella's hope

Cinderella was dealt a pretty tough hand of cards what with losing both of her parents and living with an evil stepmother and stepsisters. But despite her everyday struggles, she continued to be happy and believed that things would get better one day.

5. Snow White's kindness

Though she was sabotaged by the Evil Queen, Snow White never let that make her a mean person. She appreciated all of the help from her animal friends and the seven dwarves, rather than allowing hard times to make her bitter.

6. Anna's faith

Anna’s sister, Elsa, was afraid of herself because of her powers, and because of that, she pushed her younger sister away. Rather than getting angry and giving up, Anna continued to have faith in her sister and accepted her for who she was. This allowed Elsa to learn to love herself and embrace her uniqueness.

7. Pocahontas' respect for nature

Pocahontas valued nature as something more than just land to be walked on or creatures to kill. She saw it as her friend and used it to guide her through life.

8. Rapunzel's sense of adventure

Rapunzel was sheltered from the world for most of her life, but instead of letting that scare her out of trying new things, she was eager to go to new places and meet new people. She never let her inexperienced life spent in a tower stop her from anything.

9. Aurora's voice

Aurora, or Sleeping Beauty, used her singing voice to lead her to the love of her life. She may not have known where she came from or who she really was, but she knew who she was meant for.

10. Jasmine's sass

Jasmine was never afraid to speak her mind against those she opposed. She refused to marry for tradition, and instead wanted to marry for love.

11. Tiana's big dreams

Tiana faced many odds and had to fight to achieve her dream of owning a restaurant. Instead of giving up through the hard times of being turned into a frog and, of course, not having enough money to start a business, she persevered through it all and got her dream in the end.

12. Merida's free spirit

Rather than doing exactly what she was told, Merida chose to go her own way and make her life what she wanted it to be.

These princesses may be fiction, but they can still teach girls of all ages important lessons. Whether it be to channel your inner soldier or your inner voice, the princesses tell us that it’s OK to be unique, and that we should use what makes us special to find our happy ending.