People talk a lot about the risk of speaking up. The risk of being judged. The risk of rejection. But what rarely gets mentioned is the risk of staying quiet. The opportunity you never created. The needs that never got addressed. The slow, invisible resentment that builds when you keep adjusting yourself for the sake of keeping things easy.
Silence has its own cost. And over time, that cost can be just as heavy as rejection. Maybe heavier, because at least rejection gives you an answer.
There is nothing noble about denying your own needs. There is no reward for pretending you do not want more, just so things stay smooth. Eventually, all of that self-editing builds into something heavy. And by the time you finally speak up, it comes out louder than you meant. Asking early, even when it is scary, keeps the conversation honest and the connection real.