The public reaction to Trump’s victory has been an unrelenting frenzy. Two sides forecast something that's either Utopia and Armageddon. Maybe it could be somewhere in between?

And something else is on people’s minds as well, particularly among the left: what does this mean for women?

What does Hillary's defeat mean for women? Nothing.Throughout her campaign, Hillary Clinton has been no stranger to using the appeal of her gender to garner support. To many women, this was a major reason to support her. The narrative has been of aspirational transferation by the shattering of the glass ceiling. Women and girls everywhere were supposed to finally find personal inspiration by electing the first woman president of the United States via identity politics.

And now that that opportunity has passed, many of these women and girls are heartbroken and dispirited. All I can say to these people is: don’t let the failure of one woman influence your perception of what can and can’t be achieved by women.

From someone who was fed the same line from the left when we elected the first black president, I can confidently say that you’re not missing much. Sure, there was a temporary “wow” factor that came with electing the first black president. Being a black man myself, I was bombarded with reasons as to why this means black people can do anything they set their mind to.

But later I realized that having a black president doesn’t mean I’m any more or less likely to achieve success. The same should be true for women.

Your Own Success

The validity of one’s hopes and dreams shouldn’t be measured by other people's record of achieving them. I didn’t realize my potential through collectivist association. I don’t believe in what I can achieve based on someone else's merits. Especially for reasons as trivial as skin color. And women shouldn’t find themselves feeling any more or less ambitious because of the failure of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

The glass ceiling isn’t broken by putting one woman in office, or one black person on the CEO board. It’s broken by individuals, millions of them, pursuing their own path towards happiness. Don’t allow feminists or left-wing pundits to feed you lies about how a loss for Hillary is a loss for women. It’s not. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The loss of any authoritarian ruler, woman or man, is a win for the possibility of individual achievement. The four-year continuation of economic and social micromanagement, cultural division, war, corruption, and lies was inevitable with either Trump or Clinton. Neither have any interest in what truly contributes to what breaks glass ceilings: being independent and freed.

Progress and Ballots

The greatest accomplishments of women in history weren’t realized at the ballot box. They were realized in the market, through human action and individualism. So tell your wife, sister, mother or daughter that Hillary’s loss is a loss for Hillary alone.

The greatest accomplishments of women in history weren't realized at the ballot box.The evolution of civilization – including the whole of humanity – will continue long after Hillary’s political career. And by then, billions of women around the globe will have played a far more monumental role in innovating and directing the course of history. 99 percent of them will do so through voluntary means, via the volition of their own personal freedom and pursuit of happiness.

You can either be a part of that 99 percent who change the world, or you can sit on the sidelines waiting for one person to do it for you so you can feel good about their success while neglecting your own. I personally hope you choose the former, because the beauty and imagination that clouds your mind right now, will prove to influence more lives in the long term than any politician could dream of. Don’t rely on Hillary Clinton to legitimize your dreams. Don’t allow Donald Trump to negate your humanity or your character.

Elitist Figureheads

Take the first step in being the change you want to see in the world rather than just voting for it. And the best part is, you don’t have to become president to accomplish this. Capitalism yields opportunity for all people's creativity and visionary passions.

The only thing holding you back from this accomplishment of self-determination is your willingness to go for it. So drop the political admiration and aggrandizement of elitist figureheads. Exploit liberty to its fullest potential; that’s how you smash the patriarchy.