I Asked for More

Dear Delyara, I asked for more at work. More money. More recognition. More clarity. More respect — not in a dramatic speech, but in a calm, direct way that did not apologize for existing. That felt bigger than the outcome itself. For years I have softened my own value before presenting it, as if asking clearly would make me difficult or embarrassing. This time I did not do that. Whether or not they say yes, something changed in me already.