Golden Buzzers

I am obsessed with talent shows. American Idol, The Voice, and especially America's Got Talent. I cry at least once per episode and frequently have my wife say, "oh babe, that one was worth the tears."

I was trying to break it down this week while watching Cam Amen get the Platinum Ticket on American Idol, "why do I love this so much?" The artistry is obviously awesome. The stories are so well told most of the time. The commitment by the person auditioning is truly inspiring. But what is my reason for loving these shows so much? I don't have any talent show-worthy talent that would get me a call back from the producers to go audition for the judges live. I don't have any aspiration of cultivating that kind of talent in my life.

So what is my reason for loving these shows? Here is what I came up with.

There are not many times in life when you KNOW your life could change instantly, but the contestants do.

There are not many times in life when you KNOW you can change someone else's life instantly, but the judges do.

There is so much packed into that 2-3 minute audition and so much that could come from it. There is a lifetime of work put into being ready for that moment and a lifetime of expectation potentially unlocked by a great audition.  

And that is really special to me.

I have never had a mentor. I have never had someone see me do the work that I do and say, "let me help you get to the next stage a little faster." I've asked seven different people in my life to be my mentor and I've received seven nos. I've never had a moment in my life where I knew, if this goes well, I get to make a big jump to what comes next.

And as a result, I am obsessed with understanding how one day, I might be able to give someone a break. I watch these shows and think,

"How can I be the Simon Cowell or Blake Shelton or Lionel Richie in a deserving person's life one day?"

"How can I build a pipeline of incredibly talented people pursuing their dreams and meet them at a moment when they need a little extra oomph to make that next step happen?"

It is a North star in my dreams for the future. My wife and I only partly jokingly call our angel investment fund, "Golden Buzzer Ventures." It's not that we're trying to make someone, but if we can make room for many more people to get one step closer to the reason they were placed on this earth, what a legacy that would be.