Yes, the reality TV season is in full swing. I’ve had one eye on the Olympics, but have also been delighting in some of my favorite indulgences. Surprisingly, in this week’s American Idol and Survivor there was a moment of real empathy and one of  teaching to be had.

Let’s start with the empathy: the moment the wonderfully talented (and some say mama’s boy) Thaddeus Johnson was given the news he did not make the cut for the top 24. I am often amazed at the strength these young kids have. They bare their souls and display their talent to four judges who can, at times, be very harsh.  As those of us in competitive careers know, rejection sucks no matter the age. Courage is hard, even after you’ve been seasoned by life’s experience. But what made the whole thing so much more worse for Thaddeus (in my opinion) was the way the judges let him down. There were no “You are very young, go home and work on x, y or z.  No, instead, what Kara offered was “You did nothing wrong.” and “You are so talented, you just didn’t make the cut this year.”

I recognized the pain in his heart when he collapsed in tears. As I already stated, rejection sucks. It might not have been easier to get some criticism, but when the pain did subside, he would have had something to address. Yes, he is young and I fully expect (or dearly hope) we’ll see this talented man in the future.

I also hope he tuned into Survivor last night and heard some of what Boston Rob had to say while starring adversity in the face.

Last week’s teaser for this week’s show scared me. I’ll admit it. To show poor Boston Rob unconscious in the jungle with medic’s saying “Can you hear me?” made my heart drop. First and foremost, I’d hate to see anyone injured or ill and second, he’s really the only one on the Villains’ team whose trying to play the game. For those not watching, let me wrap it up.  It’s been raining like mad, and no one on the Villains’ team has wanted to expend the energy to build shelter, start a fire, or really do anything at all. (Rob did build a fire without flint and has encouraged work on the shelter, but his pathetic team mates have only raised his stress level) So, not feeling well, he went for a walk only to be found passed out a little later by a team mate.

Medical is called in. He’s given water and begins to come around. They diagnose him with the flu and leave the decision about staying or leaving the game up to him. A surprise to no one, he decides to stay, but instead of immediately retuning to camp he and Jeff take a few minutes to talk. The tough guy from Boston begins to break down as he realizes he let the rest of his team interfere with his game and reaffirms his intent to win the ‘whole damn thing.’  Shortly thereafter, he proves his dedication by outperforming every one (on both teams) in the challenge proving (to me at least) that anything can be done as long as you are determined and follow your heart. But also, put on a pair of blinders. You know, the kind you see on racehorses so they can concentrate on their own run, unaffected by those around them. Watching how others act and react to situations shouldn’t effect our drive or the paths we take, but we’re only human and forget the only journey we should focus on is our own.

Set your sights on what you want to achieve, and don’t let anyone around you negatively  influence your road to the top!