We’ve all seen this video by now; it’s been forwarded in office emails so often that I’ve received it at least 10 times. And, unlike most things I receive numerous times in email, I’ve watched this one again and again.

Why is it so appealing? Besides the beauty of the piece itself (it’s one of my favorites), it gives me extreme satisfaction to see the way the crowd’s and the judges’ reaction changes as he sings.

When he first walks out on stage, you can see that the audience expects to laugh at him. Here’s this car phone salesman with a pot belly and crooked teeth. He looks a little like a geek. When he says he’s going to sing opera, Piers Morgan looks over at Simon Cowell as if to say, “Oh, great. Here comes another loser.” Even Simon looks weary. But then he starts singing, and it’s so amazing that halfway through he’s got ladies in the audience weeping. By the time he reaches his last note, everyone is on their feet in thunderous applause.

Then, when it’s over, you can tell that he doesn’t quite know how to take the wonderful reaction he got. He’s so bowled over that he can hardly talk to the hosts without blushing. You just know that he’s gone through is whole life thinking he’s good but believing he’s just another one of those guys who thinks he’s good but really isn’t. To get such immediate validation must have been overwhelming.

I’m so glad Paul won the contest. Now, he gets to do the thing he’s always wanted to do and was meant to do. Having the courage to go on that show has changed his life, and he’ll never be a car phone salesman again.

If you’re one of the very few people who haven’t seen this video, grab a Kleenex and get ready for an amazing performance.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Paul Potts.

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