A new start

I’ll own it … I love reality TV.

I hated it when it was all Jersey Shore-types of shows, but when the Bravo network began the Real Housewives franchises, I became hooked.

Why, you may ask?

Because I eschew drama in my real life, but I absolutely LOVE to watch it on my TV. I mean, I know that the messiness of Real Housewives is largely contrived for the audience’s viewing pleasure, and that there is nothing “real” about these people’s lives, given that most of us aren’t hopping on a PJ (private jet) to spend a few days in a palatial hotel suite in Dubai, but those shows make for some insane drama!

Vanderpump Rules (VPR) is a spinoff reality show from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and it has been one of my absolute faves of all the reality programs I follow.

One of the stars of VPR is Stassi Schroeder and she has since moved on from the show and has become a New York Times best selling author three times over. I just finished her third book, “You Can’t Have it All,” and several of her ideas hit home, but one nearly jumped off the page at me:

“One thing I know about failure, and the low moments, the challenges, the days you want to scream or the nights you are so exhausted even your eyelashes hurt … those moments all lead to the same thing, if you just remember to take it easy on yourself and take the pressure off. It always, always, leads to new beginnings.”

I’ve written before about the value that lies in making mistakes — lessons are learned, errors are addressed, intellect is improved, and the list goes on.

In sports, mistakes play a vital role in making an athlete, or a team, better.

What Stassi made me think about in those two sentences is that sometimes, when you are dealing with failure, you need to take a moment to breathe, to take a step back, to rest in order to bring your best to whatever it is you are endeavoring to accomplish.

Though I wait, rather impatiently, during the space between the fall and winter sports seasons, the idea of taking pressure off athletes and allowing a few weeks of “down time” between seasons isn’t such a terrible idea.

Granted, those athletes that transition from the fall to winter athletic programs definitely are going to open gyms to get ready for their next season in that down time, but open gyms are more laid back than practices, and certainly don’t embody the pressure that in-season training can place on players.

Getting to experience a break from the stress of competing is great for everyone involved, athletes, coaches and parents.

It gives everyone time to refocus and refresh, and as Stassi stated, when you can take the pressure off, it always, always, leads to new beginnings.

So, here’s to new beginnings as the winter seasons get underway next week!