I've been practicing my voice regularly, so much so, it seems, that I can use my voice for longer and longer periods of time. It was hard at first, to use my voice with comfort, for more than half an hour, with an hour rest in-between. I have finally gotten the nerve to not only speak with Beverly's voice ocassionally with customers, but regularly. Before, I would do this while I was not within earshot of my coworkers, but now, who cares? I'm up to using my voice now for periods of about six hours, with about an hour rest....that rest being only 2 notes lower (A3), which is pretty good in itself for a deeper-voiced woman. For the first time, today, I used my voice freely, and without restriction with customers, and coworkers alike, and found it gave me a sense of freedom.
It was amazing to watch the difference in customers' expressions when I used either A3, or C4#. Every time I used C4#, customers spoke at ease with me, as female. Using the A3 voice, their response was ambiguous. Needless to say, I am working on the C4# voice for long term. I can use a higher voice, but it is a strain after a while just now. On the other hand, I'm more at ease using the C4# voice. All this female voice practice at work keeps me drinking lots and lots of water, and so, gives me plenty of practice using their sacred ladies room.
I have lots of motivation for getting my voice good enough for 'all the time', and that is, to get out of my current job, and into a new one, where Beverly is, and has always been Beverly, to everyone. AND.....I am badly in need of a better paying job. The company I work for in commission-only sales, is losing market share, and it's been pinching Marcy and I too hard financially. Two very good kicks in the tush.
Oddly, the closer I come to perfecting my voice, the more my coworkers are accepting me as well, although, I will always be Mike, somewhere in their mind, and will always be 'he' and not 'her' to too many of them who can out me at any time to any customer I work with. It happens at least once almost every day, although I no longer let it bother me. I ignore it, and the customer very quickly regains their focus on what they really care about...........how I'm helping them spend their hard earned money.
Sooo......I'm hoping to be ready to leave the nest and fly in a couple of months, a free woman.
Bev
