From the President
Lorna McIlroy | President, ARTA
A Personal Vision
ARTA’s vision statement “Looking Ahead” opens with this sentence: “From the
classrooms and beyond, the Alberta Retired Teachers’ Association and its members are
linked by a common purpose — to ensure a healthy, active, engaged, and vibrant lifestyle
after retirement.” The four paragraphs following this statement expand upon these key
words and give us our four long-term goals of member services, wellness, advocacy, and
organizational excellence — goals that govern everything ARTA does.
I might suggest that each of us formulate our own
personal vision statement. From the words of Eric
Allenbaugh, “If you don’t take charge of shaping
your own destiny, others will apply their agenda
to you.” The generally suggested length of a vision
statement is thirty to forty words. It requires that we
identify our ideals, values, and strengths and then
distill them down to their very essence. This requires
introspection. What are you passionate about? What
are your core values? Interests? Abilities? Take
an honest inventory of your talents and powers.
Your resulting vision statement will align with your
ideals, keep you focused on your long-term goals,
and help you set realistic short-term goals. It will
reach beyond your personal life as you interact
with family, friends, community, country, and the
universe.
We are all familiar with the set phrase that is
particularly associated with sports figures: “There’s
no ‘I’ in team.” I feel that it is fitting that vision
has not one but two of the letter “I.” Your vision
statement is your personal plan for the future. It
really is all about you! Some people proudly post
their vision statement via their correspondence or as
home and office décor. Others display it pictorially
as a vision board. They find power in sharing it
and profit from the support they get from friends
and mentors. However, this is a personal decision.
My vision statement touches on health, family life,
giving back, personal interests and finances, but
those who know me well will guess that my vision
statement remains totally private.
As a volunteer, it is vital that we understand
the vision of the group we intend to volunteer for
or otherwise support. If their vision matches our
personal vision, in all probability we will find our
volunteer experience to be enjoyable and fulfilling.
I am certain that those with a long history of
volunteer service with ARTA have a vision that
is similar to ARTA’s, while those who drift in for
a short stint and leave are following their own,
different but legitimate, vision.
Our life’s path will change, with unexpected
twists, rivers to ford, and mountains to climb. A
well-articulated vision statement will help you
successfully navigate that path by providing a light
to illuminate the darkness of a global pandemic
or personal crisis. A vision statement is a living
thing and can evolve and adapt to rapidly changing
challenges as the years and decades pass. As
ARTA enters the future with dynamic growth and
expansion, translating vision into action, we can
rest assured that all changes will be consistent with
ARTA’s vision statement of “Looking Ahead.”
news&views AUTUMN 2020 | 5