04 Mar We don’t need to prove ourselves every single day to deserve our success

I recently came across a quote that really stuck with me:

“Maybe you don’t notice your progress because you’re always raising your bar.”

For many of us—especially women—the bar is always moving. We push forward, take on more, prove ourselves over and over again. The gas pedal is always down because slowing down feels like falling behind.

We’re told we need to be twice as good, work twice as hard, and never let up. And even when we do achieve something, we immediately focus on the next thing. We minimize our wins, telling ourselves, it’s just part of the job or anyone could have done this.

For me, going beyond expectations wasn’t just a habit; it felt necessary. While part of that is just who I am, the other part was fear. Fear that if I slowed down, I’d lose the momentum that kept me moving forward.

But here’s the thing: we don’t need to prove ourselves every single day to deserve our success.

Yes, we will always push ourselves to grow—but organizations need to push to do the same, to raise their bar too. On support. On work-life balance. On development. On opportunities. On all the things that make careers sustainable for women. When they do, they don’t just support women—they build stronger, more resilient workplaces for everyone. Because success shouldn’t come at the cost of burnout for anyone, and ambition shouldn’t mean sacrificing well-being.

Becoming a mom has made me think about this even more. It’s shifted how I see the system—not just as something to navigate, but as something that needs to change. We deserve workplaces that recognize our value without demanding we constantly prove it at the expense of our health, our families, or ourselves.

And let’s be honest—this burden isn’t the same for everyone. Women of colour, women with disabilities, and others facing systemic barriers often have to work even harder just to be seen. If we’re going to talk about raising the bar, we need to make sure it’s being raised for all women, in ways that acknowledge and address these deeper challenges. Because real progress isn’t just about individual success—it’s about changing the system altogether.

So with #InternationalWomensDay this Saturday, let’s keep pushing forward—but let’s also demand better.

For ourselves. For the women coming up behind us. And for a workplace that truly values balance, growth, and equity.