As a writer, there are two times when I experience anxiety about what to say: 1) when I’m working on a project with a new client whom I want to impress, and 2) when I’m preparing to send an update on Twitter.

It sounds ridiculous, I know. I, who am never at a loss for words in any social situation, become completely flustered at the thought of sending 140-character updates over a social networking site named after the vocal sounds of bird.

It would be comical if it weren’t so sad. My determination to say something meaningful, insightful, and interesting (okay, my goal is to be retweeted. Admit it; so is yours) looks a lot like this (visualize me typing on a keyboard): “I should say…No. How about…? Nah. Maybe…? Better not.”

Why the internal debate? Why don’t I just say it already?! Because I have the type of off-the-cuff, deadpan sense of humor which takes some getting used to. I’m not rude, just observant. And sometimes (okay, very often), I vocalize those observations. I am witty, flippant, and sarcastic by nature. I have the type of humor which raises eyebrows. I am not a curser, but I don’t hold back. Except when I am on Twitter.

Turns out I’m not the only one. Recently, I’ve had several conversations with people, mostly small business owners and solo entrepreneurs, who share the same sense of trepidation that saying what they really want to say may come back to bite them, either in followers fleeing or clients taking their business elsewhere. Is that the reason there’s a dearth of personality and a proliferation of retweeted articles on Twitter? Does anyone else yearn to see the real, personable, HUMAN side of those they follow or who follow them?

I recently posed this question to my friend Mandy, a high school teacher who has known me since we were in high school, more than 20 years ago.

“I know how you feel,” Mandy said. “I’m a teacher. I can’t wait to get out of teaching and start writing books so I can say what I really want to say.”

But wait. What’s my excuse? The main reason I work for myself is because I wanted the freedom to say what I want, to express myself fully and clearly. So, why the self-censorship?

Could it be because of one particular fear, the one which Danielle LaPorte says each of us has: the fear of being who we are? LaPorte says everyone, from the average Joe to the CEO of the biggest firm, is afraid to be who he or she uniquely is.

If it’s true that we’re really all in the same boat, and I think it is, then there really isn’t anything to lose in my saying what I want and being who I really am on Twitter, right?

So, I tell Mandy that all bets are off. I’m going to be who I am and say what I want and what I feel, and those who resonate with me will resonate even more, and those who don’t, won’t. That’s it. I’m all in.

With one condition. Mandy has to keep up with my tweets, and if I get really out of line, send me a “DM” telling me to tone it down.

Want to see if I pass the test? Follow me on Twitter.