American Idol's Syesha Mercado: The Last Girl Standing Takes Her Final Bow

Ilearned a lot, where do I begin. I’ve learned that there is a fine line between over working and doing what you need to do and trusting in yourself, letting it be the way it is. I worked so hard every week to a point where I wasn’t able to really enjoy myself. I’ve learned how to relax and what to do, whether it’s talking to someone who’s close to me, someone I can confide in, or reading a book that’s uplifting. I’ve learned ways to deal with stress, and learned ways to prepare for a performance so that I could enjoy what I was doing.

I enjoyed myself more every week. I separated that fine line between overworking and doing so much to the point of being unfocused and not enjoying yourself, and doing enough to trust yourself to let go and take it all in. My goal every week was to feel satisfied after every show, and I felt more satisfied as the weeks went on.

Every week is new and I never packed my bags. They told us we had to, but I didn’t. I wasn’t ready to go home. If you want something, it’s going to happen for you. If you want to be top three, you’re going to be there. I have no regrets, it worked out the way it was supposed to work out.

Being Eliminated

After I got done performing, I thought, “It’s over.” I got too many bad comments from the judges. At this point in the game you can’t have that many bad comments and be there. So I accepted what was, and I moved on. I made peace with it and I couldn’t feel happier. I don’t feel defeated, I don’t feel like I failed.