She squares up, steps into it, and takes the shot. Sadly she misses, but she can't dwell on it because she's the designated full-back and it's her job to protect the paint, so she sprints like hell down to the other end of the court. The other team’s speedy point guard got the rebound and somehow weaves in and out of 4 other defensive players, and the full-back finds herself standing alone, the final defense against a late, game-tying lay-up. She's tired. She's winded. Her legs feel like lead. It would be easier to just foul the girl. But her team needs her. They NEED to win this. So she steps up and gets low, ready for a battle. The point guard is coming at her at full speed. But she's not scared. The full-back sets her feet and takes a charge. Toughness.

She's nervous. She's never sung in front of a crowd this big before. What if she's flat? What if her voice cracks? What if she forgets the words?! It's so much easier to just sing at home, alone in her room, when no one is listening. But people always tell her that her voice needs to be heard, that the words she writes and brings to life with her music could help people. She's so scared. It would be easier to just go home. But this is her dream, this is her passion. She will not back down. She NEEDS to do this, to prove that she can. She takes a deep breath and walks out to center stage in the middle of the spotlight. Showtime.

This is what she's dreamt of since the fifth grade. Her own classroom. But she's so scared. What if her students don't like her? What if they don't learn anything? What if she's a terrible teacher? She wants to change their lives for the better, she wants to mean something to these kids. People have always told her she'd make an amazing teacher, that she has so much to bring to the table. She just doesn't know anymore, though... But if she isn't helping these kids, then who’s helping? If she isn't worrying about these kids, who’s worrying? These kids NEED her. They need someone to care. She breathes in the warm August air, grips the handle, and opens the door to the school. “Let's do this,” she whispers.

“Strong woman.” We see that label being given to a lot of female figureheads in our society today. We are told to teach our daughters fearlessness and to raise them to be strong, independent women. But what does that mean? What makes a strong woman? Do you have to go through a significant hardship to become one? Do you have to perform miracles, change hundreds of lives, or have a TV show on national television for people to give you that label? What do strong women do? Are you one?

Strong women can be found everywhere. Strong women are the clerks at the grocery store, the woman in the drive-thru, the lady with the weird piercings at the DMV, the volunteer at the Vet’s office. Strong women are doctors, nurses, librarians, teachers, coaches, and counselors. They're everywhere, from all walks of life doing all types of things. A strong woman is someone who takes an ordinary thing and makes it extraordinary by using it to empower not only other women, but all the lives she touches. A strong woman affects positive change in her community, whether that be by simply telling a customer to have a nice day, prescribing them antibiotics for their strep throat, or teaching them long division. Sometimes it's through her words, but more often than not a strong woman leads by example, through her hard work and dedication to the cause for which she is fighting. When things get tough, strong women don't take a break, they take a stand. When they see a need for something, they act. It is almost a sad concept, but any woman who stands for a cause and fights for that cause can be seen as strong. As said by Melinda Gates, “A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.” Strong women don't seek recognition, they seek change.

Being a feminist and a strong woman doesn't mean thinking women are better than men, or declaring ourselves as the superior gender. When a man does that it's considered sexist, so the same rules should apply to women as well. However, being a feminist does mean that you believe women should be given equal opportunity to prove that they have what it takes to do all of the same things men do. Strong women not only have what it takes but prove that they have what it takes even if they're standing on their own. Raising a generation of strong women means raising girls who will fight for the underdog, be it the kid getting picked on at lunch, or the minority getting mistreated 30 years down the road, even if everyone doesn't agree with them, or they're not backed up by all of their friends. Raising strong women means (if you are one) that you take pride in being a single parent, showing our daughters that it's possible to cook the bacon and bring it home at the same time.

Raising strong women means building our daughters up, not breaking them down. Building their confidence, letting them explore who they are and what they like. If she likes basketball let her play basketball, and if she likes football let her be the best damn quarterback the YMCA youth league has ever seen. Holding young girls back from life and activities because they “aren't lady-like” or because “girls aren't supposed to do that” sets that precedent in their minds for the rest of their lives. Man, I really want to do that, but I can't because that's what boys do. No. That is not OK. We have to raise our daughters to understand that they belong on capitol hill just as much as any boy does. They belong in the house, and the senate, and on national television and in press conferences and in courthouses making political decisions just as much as any man. It's 2017, damn it.

SEE ALSO: For The Parents Of An Independent Daughter

Women are teaching and operating and becoming Army Rangers. They’re changing the world. We have to raise our daughters to stop looking at their gender as an excuse, or as a barrier. “Empowered women empower women”, and so to raise a generation of strong women, we must surround this generation with strong women. Don't teach young girls that just because they're a girl, they can't do something. Don't teach young girls to accept that someone else deserves something more, simply because they have a Y chromosome. You will never see a changed result if you do not change your methods.

“We’re here for a reason. I believe that reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark” (Whoopi Goldberg). A torch cannot be lit without a spark. So be that spark. Be the empowered woman who empowers women, and “never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it” (Hilary Clinton).