The question of self-image popped up while I was watching television.

The UK X Factor semi-final took place on Saturday 10 December. I don’t usually watch reality singing shows, but I recognize that they provide a platform for people from which to launch a career in music, and for that, I applaud them.

I watched the show on Saturday because I had been informed that someone who I admire a great deal, and who acquired his international stardom as a result of such a reality singing show, would be performing. I am referring to Adam Lambert, whose voice I have admired since I saw his first audition on American Idol in 2009. He sang Bohemian Rhapsody for his audition then, and on Saturday he sang it again in a duet with Saara Alto, one of the 2016 semi-finalists on the UK X Factor. So, a full-circle moment for him. And very poignant, as he has since then, alongside a successful solo career, also become the front man for the band, Queen, who wrote the song.

Adam’s singing, as always, was amazing. As always, he brought all his performance skills to the stage and showed his customary generosity to his co-singer. Although I prefer to hear Adam’s voice by itself, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how well Saara’s voice complimented Adam’s. (If you want to know more about my thoughts and analysis of Adam’s voice, you can find it on my blog site, The Sound Bath – https://soundbath.wordpress.com/)

What I found very interesting, and what I want to address here, however, is the question of self-image.

Saara had a conversation with Sharon Osbourne, her mentor on the show. Saara mentioned how much her perception of who she had to become had changed throughout the course of the show. Apparently, she had been working towards becoming an international artist, and felt as she was not garnering the assistance she needed in Finland at the time, she would come to the UK, instead. She clearly found it here. And now, there, too. It’s a great example of doing whatever it takes to achieve your goals, and for that, I admire her greatly.

But I’m also grateful to her for mentioning how she had to address the issue of her self-image. I feel that is a major key to success. I know many extremely talented people who don’t see themselves as the artists they want to be, and therefore, their careers are much smaller than they had envisaged for themselves. This causes frustration, or sadly, even giving up.

Many of us have something we want to achieve. We spend many hours and many years working towards our goal. But we neglect to also investigate, and work on, who we have to become in order to achieve it, or who we will become once we have achieved it. Often, especially with artists, self-image appears to be strongly connected to how others see us, what others think of us, and how others support us. But that is our downfall. We have to see ourselves as we want to be, first. Then, recognition will follow.

I feel Saara finally sees herself as an international music artist, and no doubt, that is what her life will now become. We now know that she came second on the show. But we also know that second place never stood in the way of a successful international career. Adam Lambert, who also came second on American Idol, is the perfect case in point.