I find it ironic that Nick's book comes out during what I think has been the toughest time in my life. My mother has numerous health problems and this whole month of October she has been in and out of the hospital. I also had to make the very, very tough decision of putting her into a rehabilitation facility after her hospital visit. Basically, it was a nursing home. Thankfully, she only stayed two weeks but it is hard for me and of course her. I'm so glad she is home, but still worried.
I'm just so thankful I will be going on the BSB Cruise because I really need some fun time. I STILL can't believe I'm going and it's next week Thursday! Ahhh! I still didn't pack and get the door decoration ready. I wish I could have been able to focus more on this, but with everything going on, it's been hard and for awhile I thought I was going to lose everything and not be able to go.
But back to Nick's book. It has helped me during this difficult time. Here are some thoughts/comments I posted on goodreads, along with some of my favorite quotes from his book:
In Chapter 2, Nick explains how he had to take care of his siblings and try to please his parents. He explains how it is better to handle a bad time in your life as positive as you can and to try and learn and understand from your past. I enjoyed hearing how much influence fellow band members had on him. The takeaway question from this chapter is "What's making you not claim the life you want?"
In Chapter 3, I really enjoyed hearing how Nick's singing abilities were discovered and how he realized he had a passion for music. He mentions how he realizes that having more money isn't the answer and that even if his mother's goal was to make a profit of his abilities, he still was able to stretch his talents and grow. I felt he showed more affection to his mother than his father, which surprised me. Nick fans also find out one of the reasons why he loves the Tampa Bay Bucs. He encourages his readers to find their passion and how to discover it. Once you find your talent, he explains that you no longer have to depend on others to make you happy. Nick says to surround yourself with good people who are strong where you are weak so they can support you and help you. Nick also reveals his thoughts on religion.
In Chapter 4, Nick talks about how he takes responsibility for his own happiness and so should we. We should also practice forgiveness with ourselves and others. He brings up Lou Pearlman, addresses his 2002 arrest in a very honest way, and also speaks a little bit on AJ's sobriety. He spoke about his relationship with Paris Hilton in this chapter and also about his first solo cd Now or Never. I also thought it was very interesting how he described how he felt the negativity and evilness of Satan seemed to control and overpower him during one time in his life partying with his friends. I feel great respect and sympathy for Nick and I am proud to call myself a fan of his since the beginning of his stardom. I'm also very proud to point out that this book made him a New York Times Best Seller! Congrats!
In Chapter 5, Nick explains what it took to realize he had a problem. I felt sad when he said he didn't feel he deserved his fans during this time. He mentioned how he called his publicist to take him to rehab and how his addictions made him act irrational and alter his personality. He gave the example of how he would cancel airline flights. He mentions how he didn't want to be alone and that's part of the reason he hung out with bad influences. In this chapter, he also admitted to being a heavy smoker during this time and how he allowed his emotions to take over control. He encourages his readers to ask what causes your destructive behavior and to then replace that behavior with positive behavior.
In Chapter 6, Nick explains how being busy, comfortable, or scared can prevent you from a positive change in your life. He mentions his home in Tennessee and how it was a positive move for him to get away from L.A. He also mentions the moment he picked up and started reading the Norman Vincent Peale book Kevin gave him and how that helped him. Nick encourages us to pursue our dreams because even if we don't succeed completely, we still will be better off. He explains how he uses visualization and goal setting to help him and how he sees his life challenges as opportunities to grow.
In Chapter 7, Nick talks about how there are many things in life that we can't control, but how we can control our response to them. He talks about the House of Carters TV show and how he realized he has to lead by example for his brother and sisters. He encourages everyone to focus on similarities and shared goals of those in your life. There are some good quotes in this chapter. "I want to be a loving, nurturing husband and father who encourages his children to seek knowledge and to love themselves." "We all have things that happened to us, but they don't have to stay with us and weigh us down for the rest of our lives. We can focus instead on moving ahead based on what is good and what makes us better." p. 152 Better days will come if you hang in there, stay positive, and focus on being and doing your best." p. 153 Nick also brings up a good point in this chapter. Why aren't we treating ourselves like we treat our friends? Why do we constantly criticize ourselves and give ourselves a hard time?"
In Chapter 8, Nick talks about how he went to the doctor after he had symptoms due to his alcohol and drug use. It was heartbreaking to read that he believed he was dying. After he explains his diagnosis, he talks about how he changed his diet and stopped his bad behavior. A quote that resonated with me was "Unless you've been through a serious illness or had someone close to you spend weeks in the hospital, you probably haven't thought about what it's like to lose your health." p. 165
In Chapter 9, I liked how Nick pointed out that it's never over and to not give up. He gives examples on how his partying lifestyle affected his work with BSB. At one point, he thought he wanted to quit the group, which was another truly sad moment for me. I'm so glad he realized that would have been a colossal mistake. He mentioned how he was giving money away, which didn't surprise me because of his kind heart. I hate to think of all the people who took advantage of him and his money during such a weak point in Nick's life. He tells of how he had to change his focus to get out of his downward spiral and how he had to earn people's respect all over again. "When bad things happen in one aspect of your life, wehater it's your relationship, or your job, or an illness, or even the loss of someone you love, the best thing to do is to find a more positive focus for at least part of your day." p. 182
In Chapter 10, Nick talks about his grandpa on his mom's side and how he was an inspiration to him. Just by reading those pages, you can tell the special bond he had with his grandpa who recently passed away. Nick encourages forgiveness and gratitude in this chapter and to never allow your past affect your future. Also, Nick doesn't want anyone to limit themselves with their own labels. Nick also talks about his fiancé in this chapter in such a loving way. This is how a man should speak of his significant other. She is one lucky lady to say the least. A quote that I liked in this final chapter was on page 195. "Hard times will still hit. The hope is that we get stronger as we go, and become better equipped to deal with the challenges that arise.""
As a fan of Nick's since the early 90's and of Backstreet Boys, I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a combination of memoir and self-help/inspirational. I enjoy reading self-help books so it's no surprise that a Nick fan such as myself would enjoy this book. I've also read books by Norman Vincent Peale, who Nick mentioned in the book, and I see that positive mentality throughout the text. I enjoyed hearing Nick tell about some of the things in his past through his own words and also what he learned from them that could help us too. He takes full responsibility regarding his past actions of drinking and using drugs and has learned a lot from those experiences. I am very proud to call myself a fan of his and wish him the very best in life.
Of course I gave the book 5 stars!
