When Personal and Career Mission and Vision Statements Meet

There is nothing so satisfying than recognizingcounty enabled him to realize a new position as
your real passion in life. From that moment onwell.
you can authentically attract those opportunitiesAs the Coordinator/Instructor for C.E.R.T.
to fulfill that personal passion. Maybe it is(Community Emergency Response Team), a
volunteering or expanding your existing activities.17-20 hour class training for citizens, Lazenby has
If you have worked discovering your ownin 5 years taught over 1500 citizens to take their
personal mission, you may find it may lead you toplace helping themselves and others in the event
actualize that newly found information taking yourof a disaster in their community. His commitment
life in a whole new direction.to his personal passion now blends with his career
This is the work of each of us in this life, to findmission and vision.
our mission, define it and build our vision on it.Successful small business owners Les and Alice
Sometimes our personal and career mission andGardner of the Attitude Shoppe in Ojai, CA
vision statements meet. In fact, it happens morebelieve strongly in their community and are active
often than most think.Rotarians. The success of their personal mission
Margaret Casto Phillips, professor of mathematicsand the blending of their business mission and
and computer science at Old Dominion Universityvision statements extend to hiring employees that
(ODU) in Virginia had found her passion. She hadshare in their strong ideas of service, customer
joined the ODU faculty in 1945 and taught untilsatisfaction and longevity in their community. One
her retirement thirty four years later in 1979. Shehappy customer recalls having driven four hours
had also served as the university liaison for theaway for an important business meeting then
American Association of University Women. Atdiscovering he had left his computer at home...the
her death at the age of 94, Phillips assured herlast thing needed was to have to turn around and
passion for students and teaching for years todrive home to retrieve it. Employees handled the
come by a bequest of $150,000 to the ODUproblem with customary efficiency, a friend was
Faculty Emeriti Association for its studentable to bring it to the store and the computer
scholarship endowment fund. She personifies thewas then packed and on its way the same day.
meeting of her personal and career mission andWhen the Gardner's personal mission met their
vision statements. Looking around us we may seebusiness mission and vision, people who aligned
this reflected by many in our community.themselves with the same values were attracted
Captain Steve Lazenby of the Santa Paula (CA)to becoming employees.
Fire Department is passionate about preparingWith these examples come the realization that
citizens for emergency preparedness. Hisnot only does the person gain from the meeting
firefighting position is captain of Santa Paula Engineof their personal and career mission and vision but
company but his ability to communicate aalso, society.
emergency preparedness mission throughout the