Another Job Well Done...

03/12/2009

Okay, my company meeting is over and I did not fall apart while doing my 90-minute presentation.  I know it is kind of weird for me to get worked up about doing a presentation at a company meeting.  In the twenty-six years I have been with this company, I have had a part of the meeting to conduct in at least twenty-three of these.  I suppose it is just human nature to get a little weirded out about having to do a presentation in front of people you believe to be your peers.

One thing I have found is that if I start my presentation by singing a song or part of a song, I am almost immediately put at ease.  I began this one by singing “Impossible Dream” from “The Man of LaMancha.” I have loved this song since the first time I heard it.  It has always been one of my favorite shower songs, especially when no one is home and I can sing it at the top of my lungs.  The lyrics are:

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause
And I know if I’ll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I’m laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star
This song speaks to me of commitment and of intent, though I didn’t pick up on it until my adventure in Dallas (though I won’t mention http://www.millennium3education.com).  It fit right into subject of my presentation, and I was able to tie it in during my concluding remarks.
Some people were kind enough to say kind things about both my singing and my presentation.  While I have no misconception about my ability to carry a tune, I did appreciate the accolades.  I had fun.  The presentation went well, as always, and once it was complete, I knew I nailed it.  I am one Hell of a Guy.
And that is all I have to say about that…