You Are Enough

This International Women’s Day, we recognize those who contribute to their workplaces in quiet ways.

By Carla Brink, Representative 

I was recently speaking with a member who was injured at work and was struggling with her inability to do all the things she used to be able to do.

She said, “I want to feel like I’m contributing, that I’m using my skills. I want to feel useful!”

She was articulating our intrinsic need to feel like we are contributing, to be able to work, and to feel fulfilled.

I know there are many others who are also feeling frustrated for many different reasons—from feeling stretched at work due to staffing shortages and increased demands, to caring for children and other family members while juggling finances, schedules, health issues, and more.

Sometimes a feeling of real achievement is elusive; even when we have done everything within our control to keep things in our lives afloat, there is always more to do, one more task to complete, one more problem to solve, and one more person in our life to support.

On International Women’s Day, I think of all the women who are quietly caring for their families, for their coworkers, and others in their workplace and through their work. I can think of many impressive examples that I have heard about lately: from supporting a coworker who is struggling through addiction or illness, to covering a shift, to taking on a heavier workload to help a coworker who has physical limitations, to planning a workplace teambuilding event.

To all those who continue to contribute to their workplaces in quiet ways—not looking for accolades but simply doing what needs to be done—on behalf of us at CLAC, I want to say thank you. You are appreciated and your work is worthwhile and important.

Even when you are not able to do all the things you want to do, doing what you can do is enough.