Every decision you make changes the world.
My Life As Nick Nice
Nick Nice is dead. Saul of Tarsus becomes the Apostle Paul.
2 Corinthians 5:17
After spending three years working as a part-time radio personality in Virginia, I was finally given what I'd always wanted ... my own night show!
The only catch was: it was in Birmingham, Alabama. At the time, I was 21 years old, and had always been half-nomad anyway, so I threw everything I owned into my Honda Civic -- and drove 10 hours to Alabama.
That's when the madness began.
Virginia has a very hip-hop culture, and I just assumed that it was like that in Everytown, USA. In conjunction with the rise of rap music in the year 2000, I figured that most dudes my age wore their hat crooked, baggy jeans, and had a touch of the "thugged-out" personality.
Not so much in Alabama. A guy like me wasn't the social norm. Alabama is more aligned with Hollywood trends, and guys down here are more of the Abercrombie and Fitch type.
You can imagine the culture shock, when a "black-sounding" white boy has been given the radio keys to your city's only Top 40 (Pop Music) station, from the hours of 6pm to 11pm each night.
2 Corinthians 5:17
After spending three years working as a part-time radio personality in Virginia, I was finally given what I'd always wanted ... my own night show!
The only catch was: it was in Birmingham, Alabama. At the time, I was 21 years old, and had always been half-nomad anyway, so I threw everything I owned into my Honda Civic -- and drove 10 hours to Alabama.
That's when the madness began.
Virginia has a very hip-hop culture, and I just assumed that it was like that in Everytown, USA. In conjunction with the rise of rap music in the year 2000, I figured that most dudes my age wore their hat crooked, baggy jeans, and had a touch of the "thugged-out" personality.
Not so much in Alabama. A guy like me wasn't the social norm. Alabama is more aligned with Hollywood trends, and guys down here are more of the Abercrombie and Fitch type.
You can imagine the culture shock, when a "black-sounding" white boy has been given the radio keys to your city's only Top 40 (Pop Music) station, from the hours of 6pm to 11pm each night.
That's me. I was probably 25 in that pic. Notice the angry expression on my face. If you'll click HERE, you'll be taken to seven different old school photo albums from my time in the Birmingham club scene. You'll see approximately 1,400 photos of myself -- and the people who came to my club gigs. Notice how I'm not smiling in any of them.
But that's what fame does to a person. When you're in the public eye, you start dealing with haters. When you start dealing with haters, you build walls -- and it makes you angry.
I'd spent my entire life trying to get people to pay attention to me (due to a lack of attendance from my parents, at my sporting events), so I figured if I got a job in the public eye, then somebody would notice me!
Not to mention, my intention was to put myself in the best position to be attractive to women. After getting really smart (several years later), I was able to psycho-analyze myself, and determine that I was ultimately trying to fill a "love-void" that was created due to a lack of "parental bonding/involvement."
So when I created this career (and life experience) for myself, I was really searching for a way to feel loved -- searching for intimate human connections.
Imagine the level of temptation -- to which I was subjected -- while being a young man in his 20's with his own radio show, a local celebrity, fairly attractive, and a "bad-boy thug" from out-of-town, in the midst of boring Abercrombie and Fitch Alabama boys (according to testimony from Alabama girls).
Girls were throwing themselves at me. I had very little self-respect at the time, so I rarely deflected their advances.
In my mind, we were creating a fair exchange. She wanted to experience the feeling of hooking-up with someone "famous" -- and I wanted to fill an empty "love-void" -- even if it was only a temporary fix.
Weekend after weekend, the same patterns emerged: Go to the club. Meet girls. Hook up. Do it again next weekend.
I regret to say that I recruited a group of guys who fell into alignment with this Casanova lifestyle. All the chics were clawing at us. We pretty much owned every club. Although, now that I look back, I can't take all the blame ... society as a whole has moved towards this "hook-up" mentality. I guess it's safe to blame rap music. :]
But that's what fame does to a person. When you're in the public eye, you start dealing with haters. When you start dealing with haters, you build walls -- and it makes you angry.
I'd spent my entire life trying to get people to pay attention to me (due to a lack of attendance from my parents, at my sporting events), so I figured if I got a job in the public eye, then somebody would notice me!
Not to mention, my intention was to put myself in the best position to be attractive to women. After getting really smart (several years later), I was able to psycho-analyze myself, and determine that I was ultimately trying to fill a "love-void" that was created due to a lack of "parental bonding/involvement."
So when I created this career (and life experience) for myself, I was really searching for a way to feel loved -- searching for intimate human connections.
Imagine the level of temptation -- to which I was subjected -- while being a young man in his 20's with his own radio show, a local celebrity, fairly attractive, and a "bad-boy thug" from out-of-town, in the midst of boring Abercrombie and Fitch Alabama boys (according to testimony from Alabama girls).
Girls were throwing themselves at me. I had very little self-respect at the time, so I rarely deflected their advances.
In my mind, we were creating a fair exchange. She wanted to experience the feeling of hooking-up with someone "famous" -- and I wanted to fill an empty "love-void" -- even if it was only a temporary fix.
Weekend after weekend, the same patterns emerged: Go to the club. Meet girls. Hook up. Do it again next weekend.
I regret to say that I recruited a group of guys who fell into alignment with this Casanova lifestyle. All the chics were clawing at us. We pretty much owned every club. Although, now that I look back, I can't take all the blame ... society as a whole has moved towards this "hook-up" mentality. I guess it's safe to blame rap music. :]
So yeah, weekend after weekend, the same patterns would emerge, but they weren't creating the fulfillment I sought after. How many girls would it take to fill the love-void?
Drugs began to creep into the picture. Drugs never interfered with my job, but they always seemed to show up in my life every weekend. I can't tell you how many Sunday mornings I spent awake at 6am -- kicking myself for my inability to resist peer-pressure.
That's when my spiritual journey really began flowering. It was a process (like anything else), but I slowly and steadily began mastering the destructive elements in my life.
It reminds me of Hebrews 5:8-9, hinting that even Jesus had to learn obedience (through the sufferings of trial and error), before being made perfect (achieving Christ Consciousness). This should give us all hope, in regards to our own shortcomings.
"Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."
As I began to cultivate my spirituality (connection to God), my priorities began shifting. What was once important, took a back seat to simplicity, and the desire to help others grow. I began to incorporate theses principles into my show.
The thugged-out white boy did quite well in Alabama. I enjoyed consistent success in the ratings books, and maintained my position for over seven years in the same time slot (with the same station).
Such longevity is unheard of in the industry these days. At the end of seven years (2007), I was offered a two-year extension on my contract, which would've kept me on-air until September of 2009. Unfortunately, we weren't able to agree on some important issues, and parted ways.
David stood up to Goliath.
However, after I left the radio industry, it freed up the opportunity to be the real me -- not the ego-driven character (Nick Nice) created to generate ratings, and protect me from haters.
Now that I'm on the "other side" of the Nick Nice quilt, I can appreciate the beauty in the final product. When the Master Weaver (God) is creating your "life-quilt," it might seem ugly and confusing from your limited perspective.
However, when the work is finished and the quilt is flipped over -- you can appreciate the masterpiece.
That's what I believed happened in my experience; I had to step into the world of temptation and sin (hell), in order to fully experience its destructive power.
As I was able to rise out of the pit (through alignment with the Tao), I can relate to all the people who are still in the pit. I can prove (through personal experience) that there's a way out. This makes my testimony that much more powerful -- that much more effective.
My life is proof that one can build the strength to resist any temptation.
To all the beautiful ladies I've spent time with: Please understand that you too, are on a spiritual journey. And I believe you were at the same place in your life that I was -- having a low-level of self-respect -- and it's my hope (and intention) to show you that you're capable of transforming your own life into something you can be proud of ... just like I did. Maybe that's the reason we met ...
Click HERE to order my book Your Truth Will Set You Free, to understand the significance of "doing the horseshoe" from Chapter 57.
Drugs began to creep into the picture. Drugs never interfered with my job, but they always seemed to show up in my life every weekend. I can't tell you how many Sunday mornings I spent awake at 6am -- kicking myself for my inability to resist peer-pressure.
That's when my spiritual journey really began flowering. It was a process (like anything else), but I slowly and steadily began mastering the destructive elements in my life.
It reminds me of Hebrews 5:8-9, hinting that even Jesus had to learn obedience (through the sufferings of trial and error), before being made perfect (achieving Christ Consciousness). This should give us all hope, in regards to our own shortcomings.
"Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."
As I began to cultivate my spirituality (connection to God), my priorities began shifting. What was once important, took a back seat to simplicity, and the desire to help others grow. I began to incorporate theses principles into my show.
The thugged-out white boy did quite well in Alabama. I enjoyed consistent success in the ratings books, and maintained my position for over seven years in the same time slot (with the same station).
Such longevity is unheard of in the industry these days. At the end of seven years (2007), I was offered a two-year extension on my contract, which would've kept me on-air until September of 2009. Unfortunately, we weren't able to agree on some important issues, and parted ways.
David stood up to Goliath.
However, after I left the radio industry, it freed up the opportunity to be the real me -- not the ego-driven character (Nick Nice) created to generate ratings, and protect me from haters.
Now that I'm on the "other side" of the Nick Nice quilt, I can appreciate the beauty in the final product. When the Master Weaver (God) is creating your "life-quilt," it might seem ugly and confusing from your limited perspective.
However, when the work is finished and the quilt is flipped over -- you can appreciate the masterpiece.
That's what I believed happened in my experience; I had to step into the world of temptation and sin (hell), in order to fully experience its destructive power.
As I was able to rise out of the pit (through alignment with the Tao), I can relate to all the people who are still in the pit. I can prove (through personal experience) that there's a way out. This makes my testimony that much more powerful -- that much more effective.
My life is proof that one can build the strength to resist any temptation.
To all the beautiful ladies I've spent time with: Please understand that you too, are on a spiritual journey. And I believe you were at the same place in your life that I was -- having a low-level of self-respect -- and it's my hope (and intention) to show you that you're capable of transforming your own life into something you can be proud of ... just like I did. Maybe that's the reason we met ...
TO GET YOU HERE. RIGHT NOW.
Mysterious ways, indeed. :]
I've learned how to smile again. I respect myself. You can too.
Mysterious ways, indeed. :]
I've learned how to smile again. I respect myself. You can too.
Click HERE to order my book Your Truth Will Set You Free, to understand the significance of "doing the horseshoe" from Chapter 57.