Page 125 - "Permission is the critical hurddle." I'm all over this right now. The giving myself permission thing. It is causing me lots of angst this day before Monday morning. You say that we have to give ourselves permission to speak--get past the fear. But it is scary. I wonder about organizational reverberations. Not that I've been slamming clients or management here--I haven't. No reason to. I work with some cool folks. But letting this voice out in the public domain... What will the boss think if he happens upon my blog? He's not the blogging kind, you know. Smart. Brilliant even. But not the blogging kind.

Do good girls really let it fly in blogs?
And should they in business?
Or do we drag the good girl to the altar and say bye bye forever? Seems extreme. I like her. Known her a long time.

So, I'm back to your voice permission idea. Seems to me this is the crux. Without it, the whole game gets called. So role model risk takers--like the ones you describe at Myrtle and other places--pave the way, saying, "Yes! You can be a respected pundit and twisted poet all at once. It's okay!"

It's okay.
incite.
spark to flame.
ignite.