Celebrating International Women’s day – Ft. Adidas

*This post is sponsored by Adidas US

Hi everyone,

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

“International Women’s Day (IWD) is a focal point in the movement for women’s rights. It all started after the Socialist Party of America organized a Women’s Day in New York City on February 28, 1909, German revolutionary Clara Zetkin proposed at the 1910 International Socialist Woman’s Conference that 8 March be honored as a day annually in memory of working women.” Source: Wikipedia.

I believe that women have been making an impact on history since the beginning whether they are recognized or not. As a woman, I pride myself going through history reading about those fierce women who were not afraid to fight for what they believe in or simply for what they wanted to accomplish with their lives.

From Susan B. Anthony who dedicated her life to fighting for women’s suffrage; Shirley Chisholm who fought for racial and gender equality as the first African-American woman in Congress; Rosa Parks, civil rights activists, who is best known for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus in a segregated Alabama; Or to Marie Curie groundbreaking discoveries that led to the use of radiation to treat illness, women have been breaking barriers all their lives to let their voices heard, to make a difference and to change lives.

All of these women inspire me. They fought for us to have a voice making it easier for us to explore more and be able to proudly be who we are. However, although huge progresses were made, we, as women, still have to sometime fight for what is rightfully ours.

As a career woman evolving in a predominantly male environment, it is sometimes very challenging to keep up with other peers when you have children. I sometime see the judgment in their eyes and I care less because I earned my position by working hard. As a female leader, I ardently nurture these qualities in my quest for perfection: confidence, honesty, integrity, commitment, passion, resilience, transparency and accountability.

My own challenge is to find the right balance between work and home. It is as important to me to have a successful career as much as a happy home. I want to see my kids growing up and want quality time with my husband. I still have to find time to go to the gym and stay active, work on other personal projects and everything in between. If I have to give an advice to other women, my top 5 would be: Be yourself, Be resilient, Be open to opportunities, Find your focus and Project confidence in all that you do.

As we are celebrating International Women’s day, let us, women, remember: we are women, strong, confident, assertive, courageous, passionate and imperfectly perfect. Let’s keep breaking the barriers and changing lives.