Cris Kaminskas, Mayor the City of Liberty Lake
Diligence…the habit of being persistent and making hard-working effort in your work or duties. Actively practicing diligence may be one of the more difficult to master, however, because its application applies in every aspect of our waking hours. It is a character trail that is instilled at an early age and continues through every phase of our lives. At an early age, we teach our children to be diligent in doing their homework. Diligence in students is correlated with academic performance. The support of both parents and educators encourages students to be diligent, and this motivation carries from grade school through college.
In today’s fast paced, technically advanced, multi-tasking, social media world, with over 300 television stations, and constant interruptions in our workplace, how can we possibly fulfill the definition of “investing all my energy to complete the tasks assigned to me.” For me, being diligent is connected to time management, life’s priorities, and flexibility. I know through my life, I find myself mastering tasks and being more productive when I am diligent about planning my day based on various priorities (family, work, city – the order always seems to change!). The challenge is to be cognizant of our most important tasks, make modifications when needed, then persevere until we reach a desired conclusion
Diligence is a far-reaching character trait and is applicable to each of us all day long; it transcends our job and school:
- Investing quality time with our spouse and children
- Contacting family members and friends on a regular basis
- Nurturing our health – eating right and exercising
- Interactions with strangers – showing respect and making a good first impression
- Civic responsibilities – not just being appointed to a board or winning an election, but exerting resolve, to study, and properly prepare to do the task at hand
- Nurturing our faith – seeking to be a dedicated servant
- Personal time – hobbies, activities, and personal growth.
And the list goes on and on.
As I write this on Superbowl weekend, I will close with the words of Vince Lombardi, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” That is diligence.
BIOGRAPHY
Cris has been serving as the Mayor of Liberty Lake since January 2021. Prior to that she served on City council for 11 years. She’s been married to her husband, Scott, for almost 26 years, and they have a son who graduated from CV in 2020.t.
