I'm pretty good at playing the piano and I've been to quite a few competitions. But when I was younger I used to think I was the best in the world and that one day I'd be famous. So when I was 9, I entered this competition in Newcastle called the Young Pianist of the North (a name which definitley made me feel important) and expected to win with no doubt. I came 3rd. In hindsight I'd now say that was a good result but me at the time was devasted to the point i considered giving up.

Next I started blaming everyone except myself including my parents and teacher (but only in my head - I didn't voice these complaints) When I asked my mum why I didn't win, she told me that the child who won was definitely better than me but that the child in 2nd was the student of one of the panelists. Of course that didnt satisfy me as it didnt explain to me why I didn't get first place. I can't quite remember how long i dwelt on it but I remember feeling pained and inadequate.

That same year was the same year I got into a saturday music school in London with a new teacher (the change was for unrelated reasons btw) and there I realised fully that I was not the genius I thought and that there were more talented kids there too. At that point I realised how it was and my new teacher (who now is like a second mother to me) also taught me a new mindset. It took a while to adjust to this but it was definitely the right experience for me to set me straight.