7 Lessons You Can Learn from Watching American Idol

Despite the fact that many people might be bored with American Idol, there are lessons to be learned by watching the competition. It isn't as mind numbing as other reality TV shows.

1. A great personality helps, but you have to have talent to move on.

In order to move on to the infamous Hollywood round, you have to have a basic standard of talent. Often, people who have mediocre talent are moved along due to the power and magnetism of their personality. However, in order to be successful in the competition, you need much more than mediocre talent. If you don't step up your game, you will not move on. This is true in real life as well. Of course, there is always the sticky issue of having connections.

2. Sometimes the show, just like life, is unfair.

Sometimes you have to wonder what the judges were thinking when they cut someone. This is especially true once the show is in Hollywood. It isn't fair, but then again, neither is life.

3. Being number one doesn't automatically mean that you will be successful, and ending up in the top ten, but not first, isn't the end of the world.

Some of the most successful past participants have been the runners up in slots two through eight. Clay Aiken, Katherine McPhee, Ryan Starr, Kimberly Locke, and Josh Gracin are wonderful examples of this phenomenon. That having been said, with the exceptions of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkston, not all past American Idol winners have been extremely successful.

4. People do things for inexplicable reasons.

When you watch the crazy audition shows, you are left with one question â€" why? Why would grown adults (although they may be young) purposely make such fools of themselves on national television? Do they honestly believe that they can sing? It is a wonderful that they can find any talent at all amid all of the chaos.

5. It is never too late to strive for your dreams.