How did you come up with the title of your book?
After I lost my business in 1996, I began to aggressively accuse God of playing favorites; and what I read in the Bible and heard so many years growing up in church about Him having no respect of person (having no favorites) was a lie. In 2001, I attended a small business owners’ retreat aimed at getting entrepreneurs off “stuck” so they can move to the next level. While the weekend was inspiring, myself and other attendees managed to do a 360 and return to our lives the same way we came – a slave to the excuses we created that justified why we couldn’t move to the next level.
Wracked with despair, I literally cried and demanded God to tell me why I could get out of my self-sabotaging loop. My spiritual consciousness responded loudly with the word PERMISSION. When I questioned this word, I then heard, “It’s because you won’t give yourself permission to see a better reality for yourself. To be, do, think, or expect anything different. You would rather live imprisoned by your weaknesses, fears and inhibitions than give yourself permission to live freely in your possibilities and divine potential.” This experience resulted in the title of the book – Giving Myself Permission. I wrote the title in first person so just reading or saying the title would challenge a person to act on this proclamation.
What is your favorite quote? Why?
Oh my! I absolutely love quotes, so I have collected many quotes over the years that inspire me. But I have to say that there are two quotes that drive my life, ambitions and my current work and writing:
“When you understand the ‘whys’ of life, you can endure any ‘how’.” ~African proverb
“When there is no enemy on the inside, the enemies on the outside can do you no harm.” ~African proverb
I firmly believe when we truly recognize “what” and “why” certain behaviors keep stifling our lives, the internal disapproval and distrust we have dissipates and the external stresses are less effective in causing us to sabotage ourselves. The same is true for positive experiences – when we recognize what we did to achieve the positive outcome, and comprehend the motivation behind it (the why), we can repeat it. So, when there is no enemy on the inside, the enemies on the outside can do you no harm.
How has your upbringing influenced your writing?
My experiences growing up in a very critical, rules-driven home as well as her academic research and observational knowledge from corporate America to take aim at the learned inhibitions that sabotage individuals
What inspires you to write?
What inspires me to write because I realize the power in these three words “Giving Myself Permission” and how this message will change the lives of those who embrace it.
What do you consider the most challenging part about writing a novel, or about writing in general?
The most challenging part of writing this book, my blogs, etc., is wanting to put everything in it, which ultimately overwhelms people. So thank God for editors.
Did you learn anything while writing this book? If so, what was it?
Writing Giving Myself Permission taught me how essential self-permission is in every area of our lives. Self-permission is a pre-requisite for everything, from achieving the most basic of our significant endeavors to attaining a greater spiritual level. So I say that Giving Myself Permission is more than a book title – it’s a higher level of living.
What are some of the best tools available today for writers?
The best tools available for writers today are self-publishing, print on demand, the internet, virtual book tours, social media, Youtube; but I’m still old school – word of mouth still works. All these elements just make stimulating that exchange faster and less costly.
Pennie’s various careers as a police officer, radio talk show host, business owner, and seminar facilitator have shaped her passion for helping others experience their brand of success. She is a speaker, certified NLP coach, author, and the creator of the Giving Myself Permission (GMSP) Movement and Emotional Clarity Workshops™, which help individuals manage the feelings and emotions that frustrate their efforts towards success. With additional certifications in conflict mediation and emotional intelligence, Pennie also coaches individuals to help resolve the internal conflicts that sabotage their efforts towards a greater quality of life. Pennie is the author of the book, Giving Myself Permission: Putting Fear and Doubt in Their Place and the audio CD Asking for Richer Ground: The Power of Your Words.
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