The Joy in Business

30America’s Got Talent Audition

• Q. Do you have what it takes to audition for America’s Got Talent?

  A. Yes! (If I can do it, you certainly can do it!)

Part of having more Joy in Business is doing fun and fascinating things with friends and family during your free time to rejuvenate your spirit and then have interesting stories to share from new experiences. Here is one of mine.

Have you ever watched America’s Got Talent? It’s an inspiring and fascinating show where different people with different talents perform in front of the legendary Simon Cowell from American Idol fame and a handful of other judges. I was watching back-to-back episodes of the most exciting acts on YouTube one morning, the ones that give you chills or bring tears to your eyes because they are so inspirational. I thought to myself, “I could do that! I would love to audition for America’s Got Talent, go to Radio City Music Hall, and win the million-dollar prize!”

Then reality set in. I wondered how one goes about doing that. The first place I thought to look was on the website. On it was a list of audition cities, dates, and requirements. The closest city to me was New York City. The venue was the Jacob Javits Center. It was December 17, and I was going to be in town. So far so good!

My daughter Mackenzie was 15 at the time. Do you happen to have teenagers in your world? They don’t seem to want to talk to anybody over 16, let alone do anything with them. (That would include moms like me.) I had thought ...