Yesterday I decided to let -little - 'Nicky' Slater go. This picture sums up that stance with some humour! Thank you Holly and Jason back 12 years ago!
Prime time TV in Britain 2010. I had been putting over my point and Jason had been arguing against it. That's why they sat us next to each other. Holly received a directive to help us desist no doubt. I think it was a fun live TV moment for the 12 million viewers...
So how do I let go of that... I hated being a Judge - as a role - it separated me from the other performers. And it had me grow and learn about 'Being a Judge.'
Maybe it's simply 'Thanks for the memory.' Some stories to tell. And let it go now. Start from nothing again.
START FROM NOTHING
NICKSTIR, FRANK, DR NICK saying hello.
Now I'm in North America... No one knows who I think I used to be!
Release those ties of 'little' Nicky Slater. The lure of - name awareness - you might be able to lever that. It holds me back.
Start again. Difficult to not be drawn back and want to promote back to people who may have known me... But freeing to stand in - every new relationship is a win.
CHALLENGE
But I like the challenge of - 'If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere.' As Frank Sinatra almost sung...
THE NEW WORLD
I once watched Rod Stewart do an interview on a chat show in England. "What have you been doing?" asked the interviewer. I think it was Michael Parkinson. "Well I've been doing a bit with some Swing Songs in America," was the gist of Rod's reply, I recall.
He was at the top of the Billboard Charts with The Great American Songbook in America! I knew nothing of it in England. It's a different world, a different marketplace.
So this is A NEW WORLD FOR ME, a 'forced'* new opportunity. A great place for Making Crazy Work and taking the LID OFF THE BOX of life... And perhaps, God's leading us here was to force me to do just that? God knows.
And I'm praying more in the daily challenge of looking at what is in front of me and climbing that section, rather than looking up and seeing how far I've got to climb or down and seeing how far I could fall.
I am an Immigrant. I am now a Canadian! I'm off the boat. So Make It Work...
There's always a way.
© 2022 NICKSTIR
(NICKSTIR is a writing and performance name of Dr Nicholas Mark Slater (Hons) MA)
* Forced? - I agreed to come to Canada, but I did not lead the charge coming here, I acquiesced. My responsibility. I chose to sell, so there was no way back after hearing an English guy say his brother kept his place in England - and went back. And he didn't, so he stayed. So I forced the 'stay' otherwise I would have been back with what I knew.
And I've longed for the security of what I knew and the view over the sea in Brighton we had access to. But not for being in the power of a Freeholder who was a nightmare and a lease that would have had to be renegotiated at great angst and expense.
Now I have a beautiful view of mountains instead of sea. Now I have the prompt to make me step out. Now we are making a new life here. Now NICKSTIR has to stand and STIR with his music and words... No safety net. Wow.