I asked the obvious question in the meeting instead of pretending I understood everything

Dear Delyara, I used to think confidence meant never showing confusion. Now I think confidence might have more to do with staying intact while confusion gets clarified. This week, in a meeting where everyone else was nodding too quickly, I asked the question I was pretty sure more than one person needed answered. The room paused. The answer came. Two people looked visibly relieved. Life moved on. It wasn’t glamorous. It was just honest. And for me, honesty in professional rooms has often been harder than competence. So I’m counting it.