Theo Helm FYS 10101-83 April 29, 2022 Capstone Integration Four Assignment Making Every “Tuesday” in Life Meaningful A mission statement is a lifelong outlook on life for short term, day to day life, as well as to accomplish long term goals. My life has recently been driven by academic goals. However, once one goal is achieved, another goal quickly takes its place, sometimes undermining one achievement after another. The same goes for small scale goals like reaching the end of the week to have fun on the weekend. This is so common that there is a known chant of “TGIF.” Therefore, I think that the average days, in between those goals or the fun weekends, the average “Tuesdays” should be emphasized in trying to find meaning in life. Afterall, those average days make up most of our lives. I want to look back on my life and be proud of what I did each and every day, not only the days that I achieved something noteworthy. This is one of the main points I have concluded from the 13 weeks of class this semester. I want to live each day with purpose and in efforts to live a meaningful life. In one text from class entitled “Navigating Your Career Journey,” D.A. Luzzo writes, “After you leave ND, some of the details (like choosing a major) will change, but the core elements remain the same: learn about yourself, explore careers, reflect, & take action” (“Around we go: the developmental process of making career decisions” by D.A. Luzzo and L.E. Severy - Moreau FYE Week Four). Therefore, in order to accomplish my goal of living a meaningful life and effectively taking action to do so, I have created a mission statement for myself. Although this task was daunting, text in my Integration Three assignment something that eased that anxiety which said, “simply thinking about what you should do to live a life well lived shows that you are already on the right path” (“Integration Three” by - Moreau FYE Week Eight). Utilizing other supplementary texts, out of class assignments, and in class discussions, I have formed my mission statement according to the values that have either remained steadfast or developed throughout the semester. My mission statement reflects my current values in life, after much deliberation on how I want to give my life meaning. However, my mission statement is in no way all inclusive, because it is an ever changing mission, as I continue to develop new experiences at Notre Dame and beyond. Just as I have integrated sources from class into my mission statement, I will use my mission statement and integrate the messages in it with my past, current, and new experiences at Notre Dame, so that my statement will always reflect my core values. I will appreciate, express, and share my family, culture, and heritage. I have always known that one of the most prominent aspects of my life is my family, culture and heritage. However, for the first time I heard it qualified by my friend Melody in an interview for the Discernment Conversation Activity this semester. When asked what she thought I value and desire most in life, she responded, “Friends, family, and people around you. You know yourself very well and are strong in your values” (“Discernment Conversation Activity Reflection” by - Moreau FYE Week Five). Through this activity, I learned the importance of practicing and understanding my relationships with aspects of life such as family and culture. If I know my core values and put them into practice daily, then I will be able to reflect on them to a greater extent. In my family, I will express my heritage and culture through practice, which will be shared with the members of my family for generations. I will be a trustworthy sister, daughter, family member, and friend. I will be a friend, neighbor, citizen, leader, and future healthcare worker. I believe that each day should be spent with meaning, rather than solely relying on major achievements to give life meaning. An example of this is to have a good social-work life balance. A text by Ruth Graham in “Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” says something to this account. She wrote, “The concept is to intentionally think about your own death every day, as a means of appreciating the present and focusing on the future” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). I tend to put too much pressure on myself and on long term goals I have, mostly academic related, to give life meaning. I also tend to only think of myself and how situations affect my life, rather than how my life can affect others in a positive way. I learned this in the video “5 Minutes: a Grotto Short Film,” when Dr. Jihoon Kim says, “When the hardships or unexpected things happen to us, we often focus on the things that we do not have” (“5 Minutes” Jihoon Kim - Moreau FYE Week Six). By using these sources, I now think that I should instead do things to make life, on any given day, meaningful. I will do so by integrating service in my life. I will effectively communicate ideas to those around me, with courage, strength, wisdom, and an open mind. Outside of work, I will be an observant and considerate neighbor and individual who seeks to understand perspectives she does not personally relate to. I will make a meaningful contribution to the lives of others through acts of service in everyday life. I will succeed in a career that intertwines with direct service to others. In my community, I will act with responsibility for contributing to a more healthy and productive environment for those who are directly impacted by it as well as those who will experience the same environment in the future. I will foster deeper relationships with people based on genuine connections and trust, by growing my emotional maturity. Throughout the course of the semester, I have discovered the importance of emotional maturity. Especially being so far from home for longer than I have ever before, along with all of what comes with life in a completely new environment, my mental and emotional health was put to the ultimate challenge. Prior to arriving at school, I practiced things like self reflection and other forms of mental health exercises in order to best prepare myself for these impending struggles. Father Hesburg once said, “Well of course we can all do better if we worked harder but it’s like holding a man underwater and saying why don’t you swim” (“Hesburgh: The Documentary” by Jerry Barca - Moreau FYE Week Two). In hearing this, I realized that I could never fully be prepared for the obstacles I would face. However, with consistent efforts, I had a better sense of myself, my values, and my overall mental and emotional well being. The video “Why the only future worth building includes everyone” set a similar message when Pope Francis said, “Power is like drinking gin on an empty stomach… you lose your balance and you will end up hurting yourself and those around you… Through humility and concrete love, on the other hand, power… becomes a service, a force for good” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). I came to understand that there are things that I cannot control. Therefore, an open mindset and outlook on life allows me to both welcome personal growth and foster new and genuine relationships with others. People in one’s life are not only important to consider and serve, but vital to a meaningful life. Steve Reifenberg wrote that relationships with others and the simple act of service is meaningful and rewarding in a way that is intrinsic and unique to human interaction. He wrote in “Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” saying, “Even though I had landed on their doorstep with plans to be “their helper,” they accompanied me” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). His point is also similar to one I made in my Allyship Reflection assignment when I wrote, “I will make more of an effort to continue to be an ally by participating in activities such as those described above without the prompting of an assignment, but rather as a personal goal to understand and support others” (“Allyship Reflection” by - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). Therefore, I want to take care of my relationship with myself first, then share myself with others through service. In my interactions with others, I will be vulnerable and empathetic to foster meaningful relationships that are founded on respect and care. I will follow through with my mission with consistent and conscious efforts to see effective change. Through past experiences and lessons learned both in and out of the classroom, I have discovered a lot about myself and how I want to represent myself in the world. However, a mission statement should be ever changing, as I continue to grow and learn more. All of the chaos of life makes it difficult to consistently be productive, especially with the restraint of time. As Pico Iyer wrote in a text, “In the age of movement and connection, space… has been annihilated by time” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). However, I think that if time is spent intentionally and with planned, consistent efforts, then I will see tangible results. Another part of my mission is to constantly reflect on myself, my actions, and my values, because one person or idea can never be fully correct and right. I came to realize this in a class discussion in my university seminar class, when a student was able to completely change my mind on an idea. Dr. Robin DiAngelo wrote in “Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism” that, “our socialization renders us racially illiterate” (“Why It's So Hard to Talk to White People'' by Robin DiAngelo - Moreau FYE Week Ten). Her point is similar to a comment made by Eitan Hersh in a podcast when he said, “You know, you've already read the newspaper. You've already listened to all the radio. What possibly more could you be getting from this?” (“Passion Isn't Enough” by Shankar Vedantam - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). I think that these sources emphasize the need to be conscious of how human and media interactions are influencing my values, and be conscious of the fruitfulness of what I take in everyday. I will be aware of my surroundings and always question what I am doing and putting into my mind and body. I will consciously put my beliefs into small practices in order to see tangible change. I will actively work towards my goals, finding ways to accomplish and integrate them with my aspirations in living a good life. I will live as both a dreamer and realist, as I value creative aspirations and realistic expectations. I will be an organized planner and critical thinker, with emphasis on effective and tangible results. Overall, my mission is to advocate for others through learning, service, and communication, in order to serve those in my life, my community, and myself, in such a way that is lasting and significant (“Mission Statement” by - Moreau FYE Week Thirteen). Works Cited by Week “Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One “Hesburgh: The Documentary” by Jerry Barca - Moreau FYE Week Two “Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three “Around we go: the developmental process of making career decisions” by D.A. Luzzo and L.E. Severy - Moreau FYE Week Four “Discernment Conversation Activity Reflection” by - Moreau FYE Week Five “5 Minutes” Jihoon Kim - Moreau FYE Week Six “Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven “Integration Three” by - Moreau FYE Week Eight “Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine “Why It's So Hard to Talk to White People” by Robin DiAngelo - Moreau FYE Week Ten “Passion Isn't Enough” by Shankar Vedantam - Moreau FYE Week Eleven “Allyship Reflection” by - Moreau FYE Week Twelve “Mission Statement” by - Moreau FYE Week Thirteen Works Cited Barca, J., et al. “Hesburgh: The Documentary: University of Notre Dame.” Notre Dame Magazine, 10 Apr. 2019, https://magazine.nd.edu/stories/hesburgh-the-documentary/. Bordallo, Colleen. Allyship Reflection. Moreau FYE, 2022, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wynYMz-VBI2uysm_nlPzIeb6z7b2TDVm0dYab6 dAB5s/edit?usp=sharing Bordallo, Colleen. Discernment Conversation Activity Reflection. Moreau FYE, 2022, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ghIfIb7x_VyeIzAOCqWuhTdvKToKPq2aker2KAf CG5U/edit Bordallo, Colleen. Integration Three. Moreau FYE, 2022, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1opV32ZZtehZdw6xBbK5GnlVboNLaonIeNOBDx xz24EE/edit?usp=sharing. Bordallo, Colleen. Mission Statement. Moreau FYE, 2022, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VK3rOwAj8rd6fS54zH-JHIYeTXhIxfDyk9k30-m ZQbg/edit?usp=sharing Dr. Robin DiAngelo, and The Good Men Project. “Why It's So Hard to Talk to White People about Racism.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 6 Dec. 2017, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-its-so-hard-to-talk-to-white-people-about-racism_b _7183710. Francis, Pope. “Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone.” His Holiness Pope Francis: Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone | TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript. Graham, Ruth. “Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 May 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html. Iyer, Pico, and Einarsd́óttir Eydís. Why we need to slow down our lives? TED Books/Simon & Schuster, 2014. https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ Kim, Jihoon. “5 Minutes.” Grotto Network, 10 Nov. 2021, https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/. Luzzo, D.A., & Severy, L.E. (2009). Around we go: the developmental process of making career decisions. In Making career decisions that count: a practical guide (3rd ed.) (pp. 1-12). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ Reifenberg, Prof. Steve. Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together. The Observer, 25 Jan. 2021. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH -Rs30/edit Vedantam, Shankar. “Passion Isn't Enough.” Hidden Brain Media, 10 Feb. 2020, https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/.