I asked for the promotion

I had talked myself out of asking for the promotion for two years: bad timing, not ready, someone else probably deserves it. My sister finally asked me the question that broke the loop: what would you tell your daughter to do? I booked the meeting the next morning. My voice shook through the whole pitch, and I mean the whole thing. I got a yes, but here is what I need everyone to hear: the yes was almost secondary. The woman who walked out of that room, having said her piece out loud, was already different. Ask. The answer matters less than becoming someone who asks.