Persistence Pays Off!

Last night my husband and I and some friends went to see the Symphony Orchestra perform its holiday family show. The lights on the trees shined brightly, a projection of the star of David was displayed on the beautiful organ, and the crowd was dressed up in their holiday attire. You could feel the excitement and anticipation in the air. The first half of the show was full of holiday songs delivered by a 190 member Symphony Chorus and corresponding orchestra. The first half of the show closed with a family sing-along led by two talented soloists.

Santa joined the crowd when we returned to our seats and challenged us to sing the “Twelve Days of Christmas” with the orchestra. However, there was one slight hitch – when we reached five days of Christmas,  one member of the audience would be chosen to offer a solo with the words, “Five Golden Rings.” We moved from the first day of Christmas to the eighth day of Christmas with delightful soloists from the audience. However, one boy that was about ten years old wanted to sing so badly that he persistently jumped up and down waving his hands saying pick me Santa. When Santa finally handed him the microphone at the nine days of Christmas, the audience became very still, and anticipation in the air was powerful. We just knew that the sound of an angel would come from this gorgeous child.

We waited with baited breath while we sang “the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me”

• Nine ladies dancing;
• Eight maids a milking;
• Seven swans a swimming;
• Six geese a-laying ….wait here it comes……

• FIVE GOLDEN RINGS.

    …..WAIT – WHAT WAS THAT?

The boy’s persistence had paid off. We heard the boy sing Five Golden Rings loud and clear. The only problem was his voice screeched like fingernails on a chalkboard. Not surprisingly, the boy received a standing ovation for his courage and determination and the song went on. He was proud of himself and watching the audience support his aspirations during a time when our country seems to be fighting itself was a heartwarming start to the holiday season.

“ Permanence, perseverance, and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.”

Thomas Carlyle

Do you think this ten-year-old boy has a strong soul and will continue to persist in getting what he wants out of life? I do and pray that his soul will stay strong as he continues to give his all no matter what.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Author: MKUNISKI@ME.COM

Mary Kuniski is a catalyst for business and individual change. Throughout her career, she has consistently led corporate businesses into the future, often achieving process improvement and change that others could not. Mary’s enthusiastic attitude and tenacious ability to keep moving forward is why she identifies with this quote from Dale Carnegie: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” Passionate about problem resolution and committed to coaching and leading others, Mary is driven to ensure that everything she does provides lasting value. At a young age, her leadership and public speaking skills were recognized and nurtured through her ten-year participation in 4-H. She has also fostered change for businesses such as Parkinson Voice Project, where she directed the implementation of their website and online learning management system, and Overhead Door Corporation, where she created and launched a successful core data process improvement strategy. During her tenure with The Michaels Companies, Mary held five Director positions and three Vice President roles, and pioneered the company’s expansion into Quebec. Her efforts to lead the transformation of over 40,000 craft items to three languages resulted in Michaels becoming the first international retailer to acquire language certification from Quebec on the initial attempt. This meant Michaels successfully adherred to strict French-language laws. Mary has over 20 years in executive leadership in the retail industry and for 10 years led supply chain shipment improvement and savings and reduction efforts at Michaels. Mary is a Dale Carnegie graduate, certified trainer, and consultant for Dale Carnegie DFW's Executive Leadership training. She holds an MBA in Global Management from the University of Phoenix and a degree in Human Development, Clothing Studies from Pennsylvania State University. View all posts by MKUNISKI@ME.COM