Singer Songwriter Stevie Nicks Talks About Keeping Your Ego in Check

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Famed  for her mystical chanteuse image, singer / songwriter Stevie Nicks enjoyed phenomenal success not only as a solo artist – but also as a key member of Fleetwood Mac.

Stephanie Lynn Nicks was born May 26, 1948, in Phoenix, Arizona. The granddaughter of a frustrated country singer, she began performing at the age of four, and occasionally sang at the tavern owned by her parents. Nicks started writing songs in her mid-teens, and joined her first group, the Changing Times, while attending high school in California.

Stevie Nicks—who wrote her first song at 15 and becoming one of the most successful and beloved singer-songwriters ever—has long been open and honest about her personal struggle and heartbreak.  Her music, both as a solo artist and as part of Fleetwood Mac, has chronicled her pain throughout her long career.  Stevie remembers recording her first song, “I Loved and I’ve Lost,” on a cassette player on her 15th birthday. That song (sadly lost long ago) foreshadowed the tone of Stevie’s turbulent life and song-writing career.

Obstacles Stevie Had to Overcome:
Her own self-destructive ego … and being a drug abuser.  
“I think people, especially young people, should know that ego can be just as dangerous as any drug.” – Stevie Nicks

Stevie’s Story in Her Own Words
The openness that marks her deeply personal lyrics shows in her willingness to share some of the wisdom she’s gained along the way. As I interviewed her, it struck me that no one can describe her journey better than Stevie Nicks herself.  So here—in her own words—is Stevie’s story:

“A lot of people would expect me to say that drugs have been the biggest obstacle in my life. And in a way, it’s true. That’s because, like way too many people of my generation, I paid a very high price in my life for the drugs that I took.  “Cocaine was one of the great lies my generation fell for—and we fell hard. They told us that cocaine was a drug without consequence, but that turned out to be a very big and wildly destructive lie. I know because that particular lie cost me at least a million dollars and put a hole in my nose that could have killed me. Now if that wasn’t bad enough, cocaine use inflated our egos beyond reason—making it even more destructive.”

Even More Drugs
“In the Eighties, I fell for the lies I regarding the drug Klonopin (Clonazepam, a medication used to treat convulsive disorders and anxiety). That drug nearly brought me down when it was completely over-prescribed to me. This tranquilizer not only caused me to lose weight, it actually resulted in me losing interest in my work.  And that was a total disaster because it essentially stopped me from being me!  After years of sacrifice to focus on creating the best music I could, I was suddenly tranquilized right out of being true to myself and my music.

“But ultimately, the truth about drugs is how they are usually a symptom of an even bigger problem—in my case, an ego out of control. Sometimes the biggest and most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves. With fame comes the danger of thinking that you are bigger and better than anyone else, and that you can live ‘above it all.”   Read the whole story in the National Best Selling book THE COMMON THREAD

Stevie’s Empowering Message: 
“Believe in yourself, and follow your dream with passion—but if it comes true for you, don’t become convinced you’re better than anyone else.”

How can you relate to Stevie Nicks’ story and her messages? How can you use her mindset to help you overcome obstacles?

Copyright 2015 Jerry Gladstone