You’re in a meeting just listening.

Someone says something that you know isn’t quite right, or maybe you have an idea that could actually make things better.

But then that little voice in your head kicks in.

“Who am I to say something? They’ve been doing this longer than me. What if I sound stupid? They probably already thought of that.”

So you stay quiet. You nod along. And the moment passes.

Sound familiar?

We’ve all been there. And I think we need to talk about why.

There’s this habit a lot of us have. I’ve been guilty of it too.

We put certain people on a pedestal. A manager with a fancy title. A colleague who always seems to have the right answer. Someone with more experience, more confidence, more of whatever it is we feel like we’re missing.

We give them so much value in our heads that we start shrinking ourselves in their presence.

And the worst part?

The person on that pedestal? They’re just a person. They make mistakes. They’ve doubted themselves too.

Here’s what I want you to remember: you are not in that room by accident.

Your experience. Your perspective. The work you’ve put in.

Nobody handed you that seat at the table just to have you sit there quietly and agree with everything.

Your ideas matter. Your questions matter. Even your disagreements matter.

So the next time that voice in your head tries to talk you out of speaking up, ask yourself one question:

Would I tell someone I care about to stay quiet right now?

Probably not.

Don’t do it to yourself either.

You earned your spot. You deserve to be in the room.

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