Every day I strive to achieve as much as any man; every day I hope for the same opportunities provided to any man and every day I am as much of a person as any man. So why is it that as a woman I only get one day every year to celebrate my accomplishments?

International Women’s Day, an annual celebration March 8 seeking to recognize and promote women’s rights, does not make me feel empowered. Rather, it makes me feel that as a woman, I only deserve one day out of all 365 days in a year to celebrate being a proud owner of two X chromosomes.

International Women’s Day seems to make it acceptable to make a big deal about the progress and future of women’s rights one day, and move on with life the next day, forgetting about the cause until the day rolls around the following year.

Feminism and women’s rights are too often seen as a movement, when in reality they should be seen as a lifestyle. A lifestyle striving for equal opportunity, a lifestyle advocating for egalitarianism, and above all, a lifestyle celebrating the achievements of women every day.

Acknowledging women’s rights shouldn’t be an annual event. It should be something we acknowledge in our daily lives and activities. When we relegate this celebration of female accomplishments to a single day each year, we stray from the foundation of feminism that is centered around equality. True equality is integrating this recognition into daily life, rather than setting it aside as a once-yearly celebration.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate the recognition for a cause I support so strongly. For many around the world, International Women’s Day helps raise awareness for an important fight for equality. However, this a fight that cannot be won if it only gets one day each year to discuss its relevance and work toward the fulfillment of its goals.

At the end of the day, we must understand that true equality will only be achieved when we regard every day as International Women’s Day.