Much attention is focused on the outer trappings of musical success, such as money received for work, the number and quality of roles performed and the number and quality of the companies with whom they have been performed, and the approbation of the public and the press.   Less thought is often given to deeper issues such as self-respect and artistic and personal integrity.  It is unfortunate that more attention is not given to these issues, because it is factors such as these that determine inner contentment, fulfillment, and harmony, which form the basis for true, lasting happiness and success.

Some important questions that singers might well ask themselves include: "Do I enjoy what I am doing?,"  "Does singing for this company give me the opportunity to perform the kind of music and roles I most want to do?," "Does singing with this company offer me a satisfying artistic experience?," "Is my singing in this situation providing myself and others with a spiritually uplifting experience?," "Am I pretending to be something other than I really am (offstage) to get this part?," "Am I studying with this teacher because I am interested in what he has to say, or am I just trying to make another contact?," "Does this director, teacher, coach, contest adjudicator, or agent have my best interests at heart, or is what they are saying or doing prompted by selfish motives?," and even, "Am I sacrificing my own artistic ideals or ethical principles in order to work with this person or company?"

Unfortunately, a culture of fear and greed can corrupt even those singers who start out with good motives.  Conversely, a person in the profession who sets a good example can help to uplift others and increase their vision of the big picture, which always includes a concern for the greater good of all.

When one is able to view conditions from a higher perspective, one can see that the perception of competition is illusory.  As a great voice teacher told me, everyone has his or her own niche to fill.  Success in his eyes was a matter of finding one's niche, rather than of trying to be the most successful or the most popular singer in the world.

This same teacher often warned of the dangers of "believing one's own PR."  Singers constantly receive both compliments and criticisms.  One needs to examine such comments to see whether they are sincerely meant, or whether they are given for ulterior motives.  It is also possible that some advice, well-meant, can be mistaken.  While one should have the proper respect for one's teacher and other authority figures, one needs to be discerning when confronted with often contradictory advice from different sources, especially if you do not yet know the person well who is offering the advice.  Unfortunately, there are those in positions of influence in the music world who act from envy, fear, or greed.  

At the same time, there are many sincere persons who may offer good advice to singers which may be discounted because it is offered humbly and frankly, without fanfare or an attempt to ingratiate or impress.  I attended a major music conservatory in which opera roles were often assigned for political reasons.  Tales abounded of power-brokering among teachers, conductors, and directors in casting meetings.  I studied with a teacher who was very accomplished, but who was relatively new and did not have a lot of political clout, nor did he relish playing political games.  It was interesting to see which of my fellow students were willing to forego the excellent vocal training offered by this teacher in order to study with less-accomplished teachers with more political muscle.  Sadly, although these students were often rewarded with juicy opera roles in the school productions, there was often a vocal price to pay as these students subjected themselves to inferior vocal training.  Although I do not know what eventually happened to these students after they left the school, I feared that, in the case of some of the students, the vocal damage might be long-lasting, and even permanent.

While money and popularity tend to be illusory and to come and go in cycles, inner fulfillment is real and long-lasting.  It is instructive to read biographies or watch documentaries on TV about famous people, in or out of the field of music.  It will become obvious that these people all underwent periods of greater and lesser success.  The person is rare indeed whose life is all smooth sailing.  Many persons who appear on the outside to be successful and happy, personally and professionally, in reality have many problems seething beneath the surface, which they and their publicity agents take great pains to hide, only to see the problems become unmanageable and crash to the surface of public attention.  Many persons who have made it to the top of their fields fall prey to an inner emptiness that comes from a lack of inner strength or values for which no outer success can compensate.  Such individuals often succumb to addictions or suffer mental or emotional breakdowns.

The problem with money, power and popularity is that they are never sufficient, and they are no substitute for the deeper, spiritual values of life.  Again, the biographies of famous people can be instructive in this regard.  Napoleon conquered Europe, but was not satisfied:  he wanted to conquer Russia, and he was utterly defeated.  Hitler suffered a similar fate over a century later.  Many a humbler person who does his work honestly experiences greater happiness, contentment, and satisfaction than does the man who is obsessed with outer achievements.

One often has to practice discernment to tell the difference between those concessions or compromises that are necessary to achieve one's ultimate goal of fulfilling work and those which distract a singer and make him leave the path of his dreams for the illusion of outer success.

The Bhagavad Gita, a spiritual classic of ancient India, maintains that one should perform one's work because it is the right thing to do, not because one expects a reward for doing so.  While such an idea might seem naive and impractical to some people, in it is the key to happiness in one's life and profession.  This does not mean that one will never be rewarded by the outer world. Sometimes one will receive recognition and reward for one's work, and sometimes one will not.  Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God, and then your other needs would be taken care of.  While putting one's trust in God and in doing the right thing might seem naive to some, putting one's trust in the vicissitudes of public opinion and of monetary success is the true foolishness. While one needs to eat to live, one will experience great unhappiness if one sells oneself and one's ideals for rewards which prove unsatisfactory in the end.  Jesus asked, what does it benefit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?  It is a question which we today, in our society, be we singers or not, need to ask ourselves as well.