"I knew, however, that there would always be opportunities along the way and I would just have to look out for them. While I was studying, I worked part-time, always in jobs that related to swimming and water sports, doing lifeguard duty and building up my experience and skills in the area, so that I would be ready for anything else which came my way.
"I guess I've always been a lifelong learner. I'd built up my qualifications in surf lifesaving, whether in guarding or in coaching, plus I had lots of experience in competing and also my teaching ability and skills. I think that these three things - qualifications, experience and teaching ability - prepared me really well for the next step career-wise."
After teaching for four years, Stanley was offered a job with Surf Life Saving as education manager. This position led her to join Harbour Sport, where she was involved in promoting sport and recreation to various groups.
It was there that some of the other staff began discussing studying for a masters degree in business studies through Massey University.
Stanley says: "Because I'm so deeply committed to educating and informing the community about keeping safe in the water, I was drawn towards completing more study. Swim teaching and surf lifesaving qualifications opened doors for me earlier in my career and so has completing my Masters in Business Administration more recently.
"I think I quite like achieving things," she adds, laughing. "I really like learning as long as it's relevant. The degree was associated with the work I was doing. I could do a lot of practical studies within my work context. The work spurred on my study, and the study spurred on and energised my work output."
It has been 10 years since Stanley joined the WaterSafe team and she says: "When WaterSafe was set up in the early 90s, I was a member of the inaugural board. I was then contracted to complete a project at WaterSafe Auckland and this developed into managing projects mostly in the community education sector.
"Now, in my role as business manager, I am involved in the planning and reporting of all our operational work, in schools and the wider community."
Writer Curt Rosengren's book 101 Ways to Get Wild about Work addresses how passion really matters in your career. Rosengren gives three reasons:
* It's an energy source. When you're excited about what you do, it energises you and you can put that energy back into your work. Instead of an energy drain, your work becomes an energy gain. Not only are you getting energy from what you're doing, you don't have to dig into your energy reserves just to get through the day.
* It helps you feel more confident. For many people, work is about getting up in the morning and trying to be someone they're not. When you're aligned with what energises you, it's like having both feet solidly planted on the floor and your centre of gravity low. Being knocked off-balance isn't a concern because it doesn't take a special energy to simply be who you are. You just inherently feel more confident about what you're doing.
* It feeds your persistence. No matter what your career path is, you're going to experience some bumps along the way. When you're doing something in pursuit of what energises and inspires you, those bumps are a lot easier to take. Not enjoyable, but just manageable.
Stanley agrees with Rosengren. "Basing a career on passion makes a huge difference in determining whether you want to get out of bed and go to work each day," she says.
"Being enthused about the industry you are involved in affects your motivation and confidence, plus your desire to achieve and therefore your work output and your ability to keep on keeping on.
"I have placed a high priority on career satisfaction and have been fortunate to work within organisations that have allowed me to continue to develop professionally while balancing my own sporting interests and my family commitments."
Does she think she has more confidence than other women? "I think I have a lot of self-belief," Stanley says. "I just don't expect not to achieve. I expect to realise my goals. I think my background of being a competitive sportswoman has given me excellent organisational skills, a disciplined approach, plus well-developed time management, all of which have contributed to my success."
So what's next for this energetic and committed woman?
"I would really like to continue my research and complete a doctorate in water safety education. I want to be able to produce further evidence for how we should be running our water safety programmes and to provide expert direction to water safety educators." Regardless of the next step, Teresa Stanley will pursue it with passion.
Margie Elley-Brown is a career consultant and writer with research interests in women's careers. margieeb@gmail.com
