This is what's happening

And I’m okay with that.

A loud knock on the window. Three quick rings at the door. I rushed over, thinking something urgent had happened.

It was the kid from upstairs.

Big blue eyes, no hesitation. Just:

“Tomorrow there will be a lot of noise. But that’s okay, because it’s my birthday. And lately, I have been really quiet.”

That last part? Highly debatable.
But his confidence? Unshakable.

No question. No apology. Just a clear statement of fact. And it worked.
I nodded and smiled. No further discussion needed.

I couldn’t stop thinking about how that moment would’ve played out if he’d been an adult.

Would he have asked, “Is it okay if I have a party above your house on a weekday?”, knowing that I work from home.
Would he have apologized in advance?
Would he have softened his message so much that it lost meaning?

So many of us do that. We ask for things we already have the right to claim. We downplay our impact. We wait for permission to show up, speak up, or step forward.

Confidence doesn’t always mean being loud. Sometimes, it looks like clarity. Like believing in what you bring. Like showing up fully, without asking if it’s okay first.

That 8-year-old reminded me of something simple and easy to forget:
Sometimes it’s not about being approved.
It’s about standing in your own truth and saying,

“This is what’s happening. And I’m okay with that.”

#Confidence #Leadership #CommunicationMatters #Boundaries #PersonalGrowth #QuietStrength #SelfExpression #WorkplaceReflection #EverydayLessons #LifeOfOthers