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The Paul Potts Story - Underdog Does Win!

Read this Christmas Yuletide discs article on Business Times the day before. Josh Groban "Noel" album.... sure.... heard that before.

Glanced upon Paul Potts "One Chance" Christmas edition. Hmm.... so who's this? Never heard of the name before. Found it on Youtube. And his incredible rags-to-riches story was just so moving and inspiring to ordinary folks out there who are struggling to make lives meet that I knew immediately I had to post this up.

36 Year Old Opera Singing Phone Salesman from South Wales and Winner of Simon Cowell's ITV Show 'Britain's Got Talent'. A real Rags to Riches story with Paul £30,000 in debt, suffering years of bullying and recovering from a serious bike accident, he now has a massive recording contract and a great singing career ahead of him. His talent is not a secret anymore.

On His 1st Audition (watch this):

Spotted on the hit reality show Britain's Got Talent, "Singing Salesman made judge Simon Cowell's jaw drop" - was the headline from Courier Mail (now how many times have we seen that on American Idol? Not many)

A MOBILE phone salesman from Wales has stunned the judges of a British talent show with his rendition of an opera classic.

"Very few things makes me speechless. And you're one of em, Paul. An ordinary bloke, doing a normal job, very unassuming, quietly had an amazing talent. We had a vision when we do this show... that is to provide a platform so that we can show the world what they can do. And you're that guy." ex-tabloid editor Piers Morgan (1 of the 3 judges on Britain's Got Talent.

The audience and the judges including, has little expectation for this cell phone salesman, Paul Potts, until he brings them to their feet with an amazing performance of an extremely difficult opera song - Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma”. Within 2 minutes, Paul shows more emotion than all the contestants combined.

I'm not into opera but even I had to watch this video a number of times. Unbelievable voice! After watching it, how can you still judge a book by its cover?

It was a daunting prospect, not only singing for a huge TV audience, but notoriously nasty Idol judge Simon Cowell. But Potts, who has battled a burst appendix, a huge tumour on his adrenal gland and a shattered collarbone after being knocked off his bike, knocked 'em dead.

Wearing a cheap £35 suit from Tesco supermarket and with his hair cut too short, he admitted the judges weren't initially impressed.

But when he opened his voice, he blew them all away.

Potts told the Wales on Sunday newspaper: "I don't think they were expecting very much. I'm a bit short and overweight and had a cheap old suit on and the hairdresser had used a number two on my hair instead of a four so it made me look a bit bald. "But when I sang, I made sure I looked at the judges and I saw Simon Cowell's jaw drop. I knew then I must have done alright."

Paul received a standing ovation from the 2000-strong audience at Cardiff's Millennium Centre and much praise from the hard-to-please judges, which included ex-tabloid editor Piers Morgan and actress Amanda Holden.

On His Semi-Final (watch this):

"I heard some of the audience were reduced to tears after my performance and Amanda has been quoted as saying the hairs on her neck stand up when she remembers it," Potts said. "As far as Im concerned, that's a great achievement already, anything else is a bonus. I just saw the show as my last chance really."

Potts was raised in Fishponds, Bristol, by his father Roland, a bus driver, and mother, Yvonne, a supermarket cashier. He has 2 brothers and 1 sister, and attended St. Mary Redcliffe school where he first developed his love of singing.

In the interview that was broadcast before his performance in the semi-final, Paul stated that he had trouble with being bullied in school, and that it may have had an influence on his lack of self-confidence.

On His Final (watch this):
Extracted from 20 June 2007 - from Daily Mail

He performed a full-length Nessun Dorma for his final on June 17, 2007 as well as an encore after he won the competition. Potts defeated co-favourite with the bookmakers, Connie Talbot and received the highest public vote out of 2 million votes cast to win Britain's Got Talent, winning the chance to perform at Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen.

"I vividly remember that doing that first audition in my cheap £35 Tesco suit and seeing Simon Cowell sitting there in his Armani," he added.

"I don't think I'll ever wear it again but it will always be a reminder of where I was and where I attempt to remain - except in better clothes.

"I'm wearing a Burton suit today and I expect to continue buying Burton. I'm not hung up on labels, or being seen in the right shops and the right clubs.

"I'm not going to be part of that crowd - I've no intention of being one of these people that has labels here, labels there, with artificial tendencies and caught up in superficial things. I don't think I'll ever be that Hollywood person.

"I'm not going to change who I am. I want to remain an Everyman.

"All of this stuff that's happening now is just mind-blowing, it's crazy. But all the support I've had - from the people I've worked with or sold mobile phones to, to the general public as a whole - has been so humbling.

"I still can't believe it. I keep waiting for someone to pinch me and say, 'Wake up, Paul, it's time for work - you're late again'."

Potts, who toasted Sunday night's success with a glass of champagne and two swigs from a bottle of beer, has yet to hand in his notice with the Carphone Warehouse where he has worked for the past two years.

Instead, he is due back at work on Friday. Julie, his wife of 4 years, meanwhile, is already back working at the call centre in Port Talbot where the couple share a small, two-bedroom home.

Since winning the final of Britain's Got Talent, which was watched by over 12 million viewers, Potts is set to sign a recording contract with Cowell's label, Sony Bmg.

His remarkable rise to worldwide popularity may be attributed to his humble demeanor and "rags to riches" success.

"I'd like to deal with the teeth because I do feel very self-conscious about them," he told the Mail.

"It'd be nice to feel less self-conscious and to be able to smile with confidence."

See Paul's website.

I Believe

Do you?

Jesus Paid it All

Tat includes GST as well.... Enjoy =)

A Heart, Treasured & Divided

In this life, we're all pulled in different directions. You know what I mean. In the office, several emails enboldened "Urgent" beckons for your attention. Your handphone is ringing. Your best friend just broke up with her boyfriend and needs a crying shoulder and a listening ear. Your colleague passes you a stack of backlog documents to clear. When you reached home, your mom reminded you of the letters accumulated over the last few days. CPF and bank statements, handphone and credit card bills, GSS promotions, reservist call-ups.... And you know what, it never ends.... in fact, it gets more.... it all piled up. There's no escaping from this endless items that 'demands' your immediate attention. Thats why they say, multi-tasking is not an option... anymore. Even our job nature is no longer like that of the days of our grandparents or even parents. No longer we can be skilled in just one area of expertise and believe it will get us by. It doesn't work that way. Having knowledge a single financial product is not enough.... stocks, bonds, equity-linked notes, warrants, CFDs, interest-rate derivatives.... sometimes you wonder why God doesn't put more GBs in your memory and install an insatiable thirst for life in your hard disk to 'fulfil' your duties as a dilligent worker, dependable friend, obedient child and a dedicated church member. How come you feel tired of all this, you wonder? If God come to give life in abundance, how come that zest never seems to stay? Why aren't people consistent with what they say vs what they do? No wonder it's hard to trust people words. It's just that people fail to live up to their promises and expectations. They say one thing and do another. We're living in a world marked with confusion and busyness that in the words of Pukitzer Prize winning author Anna Quindlen, "it is so easy to exist instead of live."

Overheard one day in an office cubicle at 10pm, "Daniel, can you send my DNA to one of those U.S Genetics Lab. I need a clone to finish all the work that I have to do!"

Why do you have mood swings? How come you can be so enthusiastic over something and lose all interest the next moment? How come you can be so crazy over a person one minute and the waters become so mysteriously still the next?

It's no wonder that we've become more indecisive as the days goes by. It's hard to live a life centred on deep-seated principle and values, as advocated by Stephen Covey. You're torn between choices, each seem to be no less urgent or significant than the other. You've a BBQ gathering this weekend with classmates you haven't seen in years. But you have an evening Biblical class this Sunday. You're caught in two minds. Your heart is wrenched. God, teach me... let me have your wisdom in making the right decisions.

I wished I've been more resolute and sure of some the decisions I made. But life is such that God sometimes led you to hold His Hand and trust Him to show you the way out.

"Above all else, guard your heart". We usually hear this with the sense of "keep an eye on that heart of yours". Others may interpret that to believe our hearts are inherently evil, so they lock up their hearts and dump the key to avoid trouble and get on with living. But that isn't the spirit of that command; it says guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life, because it is a treasure and everything else depends on it. It's like God entrusting to a close friend something precious and dear to Him, "Be careful with this - it means a lot to me."

But many people doesn't think twice about guarding their hearts. We might as well leave our life savings on the seat of a car and leave the the windows unwinded - we are that careless with our hearts. Ray Orbison sang, "If not for my careless heart". My faith would be much deeper. My relationships so much better. I would be further along in my career.

All sorts of damage has been done to your heart over the years, all sorts of terrible things taken in. How many times have you said to yourself, "Ya, I should've known better". "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Proverbs 13:12). Certainly there's disappointments in your life. "Even in laughter the heart may ache" (Proverbs 14:13), which is to say, things may look rosy on the outside but on the inside, it's in turmoil.

We're told to "trust in the Lord" with all our hearts (Proverbs 3:5) but honestly, we find it hard to do. Does trust come easily for you? Oh, I would love to trust God wholeheartedly. How I wish we can all do that, wholeheartedly, without a hint of doubt or uncertainty. Why is it almost second nature to worry about our career, our future, our life? Then we also told to love one another deeply, "from the heart" (1 Peter 1:22), but that's even more rare. Why is it so wasy to get angry at, ot to resent, or simply grow apathetic towards the very people we once loved? The answers lie in the recesses of our hearts. "For it is with your heart that you believe," Paul says in Romans 10:10. Proverbs 20:5 read "The heart of a man is lke deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out." Our deepest convictions - the ones that really shape our lives - are down there somewhere at the bedrock of our hearts.

I expect all of us at one time or another have said," Well part of me wants to, and another part of me doesn't." You know the feeling - part of you pulled east, part of you pulled west. Part of me enjoys writing and genuinely looks forward to sharing life's little excerpts and insights. But not all of me. Sometimes I'm also afraid of it. Part of me fears that I will fail to deliver up to expectations, simply stating what's painfully obvious without adding any value whatsoever, or saying something incoherent. I'm drawn to it, and I also feel ambivalent about it. Come to think of it, I feel that way about a lot of things. Part of me wants to go all out and explore the world, take the risks, dive in, enjoy what life has prepared for me. Part of me wants to stay with the familar, feel safe and secure. One part says, "Stay away - you'll get hurt". Another part says, "Maybe God is going to come through for me." Yet another voice rises up and echoes, "You're on your own."

Don't you feel sometimes like your heart is divided? Don't you hate the feeling of not knowing what the future entails? No wonder fortune-tellers and psychic is a never dying trade, highly sought after by the masses. Sometimes, don't you wished you had been more decisive and more of a risk-taker?

Take your little phobias? Why are you afraid of heights or flying cockroaches or intimacy or public speaking? All the preaching and convincing wouldn't get you to jump off a bridge attached to a bungee rope, share your testimony on the pulpit on Sunday. Why do you hate it when people touch you or criticize you? And what about the little idiosyncrasies you simply can't give up to save your life? Why are you obsessed with the dirt in your house? Why do have to work so many hours? Why do you get irritated at these questions? You won't step out of your house unless you are satisfied by what you see in the mirror. Other women don't mind being seen in their grubbies. You clean and organize; you demand perfection - did you ever wonder why?

A war is constantly waged within our hearts, the new one and the old nature. Part of me doesn't want to love my 'neighbour', not when she bad-mouthed me to my bosses. Part of me knows that prayer is essential; another part of me would rather turn on the TV and tune in to my favourite show. And that whole chunk about long-suffering - No Way! Part of me just want to stay within my comforts. It's my battle with the flesh. We all know that battle well. And it's personal. Your friends can't fight it for you. Your pastors can offer counsel. How much do you want to win it?

When we say,"Well, part of me wants to and part of me doesn't", there's something else we are describing here.... everything is going well for you, and then - boom. Something suddenly brings you to tears or brings your blood to boil, makes you depressed or anxious and you cannot say why.

I'll tell you why. We are not wholehearted.

When Isaiah talks about the brokenhearted, it is not a metaphor. In Hebrew, it is leb shabar (leb for "heart", sharbar for "broken"). Isaiah uses the word shabar to describe a bush whose "twigs are dry, they are broken off" (Isaiah 27:11). God is saying this, "Your heart is now in many pieces. I want to heal it."

The heart can be broken - literally. Minds can be broken - or what are mental instituitions for? Will can be broken too. When you see pictures of P.O.W, their eyes are downcast; something in them is defeated. They will do whatever they are told. Perhaps we have overlooked the fact that this treasure called the heart can also be broken, has been broken and now lies in pieces. When it comes to habits we cannot quit or patterns we cannot stop, anger that flies out of nowhere, fears we cannot overcome or weaknesse swe hate to admit - much of what troubles us comes out of broken places in our heart crying out for relief.

Was watching Protege today; a film about the drug supply chain and it also illustrates the struggle of a pair of husband-wife drug addicts to kick their habit. They, too are torn between indulging in the high of a dose and then waking up next day penniless with no food to eat vs taking the hard route to breaking free of the craving once and for all. It's a physical and mental torment between taking on a new life and letting go of the past. The squirming, quivering, it's painful just watching it. But the problem is they can't help themselves.They are prisoners of their minds. The wife needs someone to tie up her arms and legs when the unbearable withdrawal symptoms sets in.

The lead actor, an undercover agent working for a heroin wholesaler, gave this comment at both the start and end of the movie, "Why do people take drugs? After the deaths of Fen and Kun I finally realise. It's because of emptiness in their hearts. So which is worse? The drugs or the emptiness?"

You decide.

Life's a Story

Life, if you'll notice, is a story. It comes to us the way a story does, scene by scene. You don't get to know it in advance - you have to enter, take the journey as it unfolds. It might be raining. There's a traffic jam. Your friends might call you out to chill. You might lose your job.

Life unfolds like drama. Each day has its own beginning and an end. There's all sorts of characters, all sort of settings. When one chapter closes, another begins. Sometimes, it feels like an adventure. Sometimes, a tragedy. Other times, a comedy or soap opera.

When it comes to figuring out this life you're living, you would do well to know the rest of the story. If you want to get to know someone, you need to know their story. Their life is a story. It, too unfolds in a series of scences over the course of time. Why is Grandpa so grumpy over us watching Japanese love dramas? Well, he's a P.O.W during the Japanese Occupation and while he was there, he saw some things he has never been able to forget.

I expect all of us, at one time or another, in an attempt to understand our lives or discover what we ought to do with ours, have gone to someone else with our stories. "Tell me what happened. Tell me your story and I'll try to help you make sense of it."

We humans share these lingering questions: "Who am I really? Why am I here? Where will I find life? What does God want of me? Where does it come from? This quest. This thirst. The need to solve life's mysteries with the simplest of questions. What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we are better off not looking at all. Not doubting. Not yearning. But there's not human nature... not the human heart. The answers to these questions seem to arrive only when we know the rest of the story. As Neo said in Matrix Reloaded," I just wish I knew what I'm supposed to do." If life is a story, what is the plot? What's your role to play? It would really be good, wouldn't it? What's this all about?

In most train stations and shopping malls, you can find a huge map with a big red star indicating 'You are here'. The maps offer vistors an orientation of their, more often than not, unfamiliar surroundings. Ahhh... so this is where you're in that picture. Hopefully you now know where to go. You have your bearings.

Doesn't it sound like something in our lives? "This is the story in which you found yourself in. Here's how it got started. Here's where it went wrong. Here's what will happen next. Now this - this is the role you've been given. If you want yo fulfil your destiny, this is what you must do. These are your cues. And here's how things are going to turn out in the end."

We can... we can discover the Story. Maybe not with perfect clarity and details... but some clarity would worth something... at least better than having nothing at all. What exactly are you clear on these days? How about your life - why have things gone the way they have? And do you know what you ought to do next, with a deep conviction and confidence that it will work out? Neither do I. I would love to wake up each morning knowing exactly who I am and where God's taking me. Zeroed in on all my relationships and undaunted in my calling. It's wonderful when I do see. But for most of us, life seems more like driving along a highway with a grimy windshield. I can sort of make out the shapes ahead and I think the light's green. You may know your destination but accidents do happen when fate deals you a bad card. Then one fine day, you realise not all things are within your control, just because you kept to the rules of the game. You can still be penalised for things you didn't commit.

We all share the same dilemma - we long for life and we're not sure where to find it. Our days spent on this earth come to us as a riddle, and answers aren't readily available. We must journey to find the life we prize. And the guide we have been given is the desire set deep within. The greatest life tragedy is to simply give up the search. To lose heart is to lose everything. There is a desire within each of us, in the deep centre of ourselves we call our heart. We are born with it, it is never satisfied, and it never dies. We're often unaware of it, but it is always awake... Our true identity, our reason for being, is to be found in this desire.

The clue to who we really are and why we're here comes to us through our heart's desire.

Making Sense of Destiny

Man is a narcissistic species by nature. We have colonized the four corners of our tiny planet. But we are not the pinnacle of so-called evolution. That honor belongs to the lowly cockroach. Capable of living for months without food. Remaining alive headless for weeks at a time. Resistant to radiation. If God has indeed created Himself in His own image, then I submit to you that God is a cockroach. They say that man uses only a tenth of his brain power. Another percent, and we might actually be worthy of God's image. Unless, of course, that day has already arrived. The Human Genome Project has discovered that tiny variations in man's genetic code are taking place at increasingly rapid rates. Teleportation, levitation, tissue regeneration. Is this outside the realm of possibility? Or is man entering a new gateway to evolution? Is he finally standing at the threshold to true human potential?

In this world we live in, the only constant is change. Only when we learn to cope with life's changes, can we adapt, learn, evolve and ultimately survive.

Sometimes questions are more powerful than answers. How is this happening? What are they? Why me and not others? Why now? What does it all mean? Is life really about making money, procreation and leaving a legacy?

Where does it come from, this quest? This need to solve life's mysteries, when the simplest of questions can never be answered. Why are we here? What's our purpose, if not to be born, to live, to study, to work, have a family, fall sick and die? What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we'd be better off not looking at all. Not doubting, not yearning. Just accepting. But that's not human nature. Not the human heart. That is not why we are here. To be curious, always. Inquisitive about the meaning of life. That's human nature.

You do not choose your destiny, it chooses you. And those that knew you before Fate took you by the hand cannot understand the depth of the changes inside. They cannot fathom how much you stand to lose in failure...that you are the instrument of flawless Design. And all of life may hang in the balance. The chosen One learns quickly who can comprehend and who merely stands in your way.

The Earth is big. Big enough that you think you can hide from anything. From Fate. From God. If only you found a place far enough away. So you run. To the edge of the Earth. Where all is safe again. Quiet, and warm. The solace of salt air. The peace of danger left behind. The luxury of grief. And maybe, for a moment, you believe you have escaped.

We are, if anything, creatures of habit. Drawn to the safety and the comfort of the similar. But what happens when the familiar becomes unsafe? When the fear that we've been desperately trying to avoid, finds us where we live?

In the beginning there was discovery. A confusion of elements. The first snowfall of impossible change. Old lives undone, left behind. Strange faces, made familiar. New nightmares, to challenge sleep. New friends, to feel safe with. Only then comes control. To feel safe and secure among familiar souls while we make sense of the chaos that's going on around us. Violence, school gunning, suicide bombs, floods, hunger, global warming and terrorism. I think, most of us, deep down, is sensing something's not quite right with this planet. The need to impose order unto chaos, through familiarity through determination, through study, through struggle. All in defiance of a thundering truth, they’re here. And the earth shudders underfoot.

To destiny. May we recognize it when we see it.

So What's Your Response?

As you read this blog, try to stand apart from yourself. Project your consciousness upward into a corner of the room and see yourself, staring at the computer screen. Can you look at yourself as though you were someone else?

Now think about the mood you are now in. Can you identify it? How are you feeling? What's your current state of mind?

Your ability to do what you just did is uniquely human. Animals do not possess this ability. "Self-awareness" or the ability to think about your very thought process, is the reason why Man rules the world and not apes. This is why we can evaluate and learn from others' experiences as well as our own. This is also why we can make or break our habits. If you are a fan of "Terminator" trilogy movies, you would have known that the machines took over the world the day they became 'self-aware'.

Self-awareness enablese us to stand apart and examine the way we "see" ourselves and this world we live in - our self-paradigm, is the most fundamental paradigm of effectiveness. It affects not only our attitudes and behaviours, but also how we see other people. Until we take how see ourselves and others, we will be unable to understand how others see amd feel about themselves and the way they see this world. Unaware, we will project out intentions on their behaviour and call ourselves " objective". This significantly restrict our potential and ability to relate to others.

There are 2 major paradigms: 1) Environment or Condition-based (REACTIVE) and 2) Reality or value-based (PROACTIVE).

1) We are who we're today is largely determined by what happened to us in our childhood and past experiences, inherited through genes and present environment (someone or something in your environment is responsible for your condition). The basic idea behind this REACTIVE theory is that we are conditioned to respond in a particular way to a certain stimulus.

STIMULUS ==> RESPONSE

2) We are who we are today is largely because of how we run our lives. It shifts the responsibility of the REACTIVE theory (of how our environment shapes us) to 'we are responsible' for our own lives'. Our behaviour is a direct result of the choices, decisions we made for ourselves. We have the initiative, responsiblity and power to make things happen, turn things around.

STIMULUS ==> FREEDOM TO CHOOSE ==> RESPONSE

(Self-Awareness, Imagination, Conscience, INdependent Will)

Victor Fankl is a good example of a person possessing this proactive mentality. Frankl is a psychiatrist and a Jew being held capitve in the death camps of Nazi Germany, where he had seen and experienced things so repulsive and inhuman that we shudder to repeat them. One day, naked and alone in a small cell lock-up, he begin to become aware of the "last of human freedom" - freedom his Nazi tormentors couldn't take away from him. He could decide within himself how this was going to affect him. He has empower himself instead of allowing what has happened to him take control. In the midst of his experiences, Frankl help others find meaning in their suffering and dignity in their 'living-hellish' prison existence.

Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose.

Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions or conditioning for their behaviour. Their behaviour is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions which is based on feeling. Unlike reactive people, proactive people choose NOT to empower their environment to control them.

Difference bet. Reactive and Proactive People
Reactive people are often affected by their physical environment. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, it affects their attitude and performance. Proactive people carry their own weather with them. Whether it rains or shines makes no difference to them. They are value-driven and if their value is to produce good quality work, it isn't a function of whether the weather is conducive ot not.

Reactive people are also affected by their social environment, by the 'social weather'. When people treat them well, they feel well; when people don't, they become defensive and protective. Reactive people build their emotional lives around the behaviour of others, empowering the weaknesses of other people to control them.

Reactive people are driven by feelings, by circumstances, by environment and by what happened to them. Proactive people are driven by values and principles - meticulously thought and internalized values. Don't get me wrong, proactive people are still influenced by external stimuli - physical, social or psychological. But the difference is their RESPONSE to the stimuli
It is a value-based choice.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can hurt you without your consent."

In the words of Gandhi, "They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give in to them."

It is our willing permission, or consent to what happens to us, that hurts us far more than what happens to us in the first place.

Until a person can say honestly and responsibly, "I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday," that person cannot say, "I choose otherwise." because each of us has a responsibilty to face the result of the decisions we made in the past, be it right or wrong.