Personal Values & Vision Statement

I was recently given a homework assignment in my Advocacy Leadership class.  The homework was to write down my personal values and a vision statement for the next 5 years.  Thought I would share it on the blog. 

Personal Values & Vision Statement

My personal values have traditionally been honesty and integrity (being true to who I am and being honest with others), respect (treating others the way I want to be treated and showing others respect), sympathy (understanding and making an effort to see where others are coming from), and decency (being someone I can be proud to be). 

Since having my son I have added inclusion and unification to my values.  I believe all members of our society should be just that, members.  Despite differences someone may have, they are human and are part of our society and should be included as such.  In addition, creating alliances between those with disabilities and those without disabilities is core to creating unification in our society.  If we do not educate and bring awareness to the needs, wants and desires of those with disabilities, society will continue to treat them with discrimination and indifference. 

My son Jackson has taught me a hard lesson.   You cannot plan ANYTHING!  No matter the amount of planning and preparation I do, things have a way of not working out.  5 years ago I was pregnant with Jackson.  My vision was having a healthy little boy who followed his Daddy around fixing things in our house.  I even found a little tool belt for him.  By now he would be rock climbing with us and would be going to preschool while I was at work.  None of the vision I had 5 years ago is reality today.  Having a 5 year plan is a nice idea but just not realistic. 

But just to humor you and follow through with my homework, all I can say for my 5 year plan is that I hope to be alive and still taking care of my beautiful little boy and amazing husband.  It would be nice to have grown our family with more children, I would like to be doing some advocate work for parents of special needs kiddos, and I would be overjoyed if Jackson had some kind of mobility.  Otherwise I will get what I get, and I won’t throw a fit.