I admit it. I’m a sucker for those YouTube clips from shows like America’s Got Talent, X-Factor, etc, where you see an awkward looking misfit who  works the fast-food window as their day job get up on stage and the judges all roll their eyes as if they just KNOW it’s going to suck – then the misfit belts out a tune that takes the entire room by surprise. I’m sure you’ve seen one at some point.

Why are we so taken by those moments?

It’s because deep down, we know that we ARE that person.

No, we are not all capable of belting out a tune and making the room cheer, but I believe everybody – and I mean every single one of us – has something special to offer the world, if we would only be courageous enough to get up on that stage.

I’ve always enjoyed working with talent. Through the years, I’ve discovered many good ones, and helped others that were already discovered get better.  And the secret is really simple – the talent usually knows the answer in their gut and for whatever reason (usually fear) they don’t listen to that internal voice. I simply teach them to listen to that voice and follow that instinct. One of my mentors, BJ Harris, who is a very successful morning host at KALC in Denver, used to say “follow your gut – it’s right 90% of the time, and those are pretty good odds.” And when I worked for him back in the day at WFLZ in Tampa, he actually let me do it. But what made him a great mentor wasn’t the fact that he let me follow my gut… but rather, the 10% of the time that my gut was wrong, he let me learn from it. It was okay to make a mistake and actually learn from it! And he didn’t crucify me for it. It was because of this environment that I took chances and knew that I could get up on that stage and go for it.

You have something special to offer the world. I bet deep down you actually know what it is, but you ignore it or drown it in a sea of excuses. You are scared – worried what your friends might think, worried what your boss might think, or perhaps worried that you’ll fail. Don’t listen to “them”…. Get up on that stage and show the world what you are made of!

Here’s the best part. Technology has given everybody a stage of their own. There are no gatekeepers anymore. You don’t need a transmitter… or a fancy camera… it has never been easier to show the world your gift.

I’m convinced that a lot  of the unhappiness in this world is due to people knowing their true calling deep down, but doubting themselves and accepting “just getting by” as their reality.  Greatness is a decision.

The clock is ticking…. get up on that stage!