Everyone knows that Sweet/Vicious‘ Jules and Ophelia are pretty kick-ass. What you may not realize is that, in just a few simple steps, you can be just as fierce as them.

Now, we know what you’re thinking: “Jules and Ophelia are amazing. There’s no way I could ever be as badass as them.” But you couldn’t be more wrong.

Before the Sweet/Vicious ladies were as kick-ass as they are, they were just like you. Average. Typical. Awesome. (Yes, you are already awesome.) But they elevated themselves to kick-ass status, and so can you.

Want to know how to be just like Jules and Ophelia? Here are a few of the girls’ secrets. Learn them, do them, kick ass. (In that order.)

1. Set goals for yourself

It doesn’t matter if they’re small (like getting up without having to snooze your alarm) or large (such as punishing all rapists on campus like Jules), but be sure to set goals yourself. You’ll find that they motivate you and give you a wonderful sense of accomplishment once you’ve attained them. Setting and achieving goals does wonders for self-confidence, which we could all use a little more of these days.

2. Learn self-defense

Now more than ever it’s important for all of us (ladies especially) to learn self-defense. (And no, the 30 minute session you had in gym class last year definitely doesn’t count.) You need to be able to take care of yourself, no matter what happens. No, awful things shouldn’t happen to you and you shouldn’t have to prepare yourself for someone else’s whims, but that’s the world we live in right now. The more confident you feel about being able to handle yourself, the better you’ll feel.

3. Face your fears

Want to be like Jules or Ophelia from Sweet/Vicious? Confront your fears. Do what scares you. Know that you have the power to do, beat, and overcome anything. Instead of succumbing to her fears and the awful memory of her sexual assault, Jules goes after what scares her and makes sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else. Facing your fears will help you become more confident in yourself and your abilities. In the words of Eminem, “You can do whatever you set your mind to, man.”

4. Make your hair match your personality

Whether you want to show off your fun side or fierce side (or some other side), do it through your hairstyle and/or color! Yes, your hair says a lot about you to other people, but it also helps you feel like the person you are/want to be. So don’t be afraid to go a little wild if it’s something you want. Never be afraid to flaunt it. You never know if you can pull off teal hair like Ophelia until you try!

5. Surround yourself with friends who care about your well-being

Whether they’d actually physically kill for you (like Ophelia), fight the man on your behalf (like Harris), or simply set up a cozy study session for you (like Kennedy), surround yourself with people who care about you. People who want to see you succeed and keep moving forward. Behind a kick-ass person is a handful of kick-ass friends.

6. Empower ladies around you

Ladies need to stick together and support each other. It’s as simple as that. The more ladies help each other out, the better off we’ll all be. Ophelia was intrigued and motivated by what Jules was doing, so she showed up to support her (albeit unknowingly). Jules’ sorority sisters found out about her school problems and threw a study party. We’re not in competition with one another and putting other girls down is not at all helpful. If you want to be a kick-ass lady, support and motivate other ladies to be kick-ass.

7. Let loose

There are times to be serious and times to let loose. Sometimes they’re completely separate occasions but sometimes they’re simultaneous (singing “Defying Gravity” after just murdering someone, for example). If there’s anything that the ladies on Sweet/Vicious have taught us, it’s that you can’t be serious and looking to kick ass all the time. You need to take care of yourself and do what you enjoy. Grab a peanut butter froyo or relax on the couch with a bag of microwave popcorn. You can’t kick ass unless you also know how to chillax.

8. Be confident

So, if you haven’t noticed, when it comes to being like the Sweet/Vicious ladies, it’s all about confidence. We’ve said it multiple times already, but in addition to doing things that build confidence or make you feel confident, you also need to actively think confident thoughts. Know that you are an amazing human and that there’s nobody else on the planet exactly like you. Embrace your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses. Yes, proving to yourself that you’re confident helps, but you also need to say it to yourself, too.

9. Invest in a black ninja outfit

Dress for the level of kick-ass-ness you want to be. There’s just something about an all-black outfit that makes you look and feel like a total badass. Sure, Jules and Ophelia are pretty awesome when they’re just being themselves. They embody everything we’ve noted a kick-ass person should be. But if you’d like to kick it up a notch a la the Sweet/Vicious girls, a sleek and stylish black outfit is the way to go. It really does wonders for kick-assery.

What do you think makes the ‘Sweet/Vicious’ girls so kick-ass?

Related: Eliza Bennett discusses the impact Sweet/Vicious has already had on her life