Michael Comuniello
Moreau FYE
28 April 2022
The Journey to a Life Well Lived
Personal Mission Statement: My mission is to always appreciate the small things in life. Positivity and optimism are the biggest source of energy and joy in my life and it is important to me that I surround myself with people that have similar values and interests. I hope to make every place in my life one that I both enjoy and in which I am comfortable.
I am a caring and reliable member of my family. To my siblings, I will be a loving, supportive sister and make continuous efforts to keep our connections strong. To their children, I will be a kind aunt that is generous, attentive, and prioritizes their excitement and happiness. I will be a good role model for them both academically and professionally, as well as personally and spiritually. To my parents, I will be a respectful and responsible daughter that always appreciates the love and support they have continuously extended to me. I will always be available to assist them, or even just to brighten their day in some small way whenever appropriate.
For my friends, I will consistently be a loyal, dependable, and trustworthy person. I always appreciate the people that I can have genuine and honest conversations with, so I intend to be that person for others around me. I will be the person they can go to for advice and serious conversations, but also someone they can count on to make them laugh. I will be a good example of a person that leads a life of faith and someone that is confident in themselves and their place in life.
As a student, I will continue to try my hardest at every given opportunity. I will maintain the motivation and determination that remains so important to me. In addition, I will seek to learn as growing in wisdom is what is truly valuable. My professors and mentors will recognize that I consistently put forth my best efforts and that I am a conscientious and respectful student.

I take my personal mission statement incredibly seriously and I intend to fulfill the goals I have set in the outline above in a variety of specific, tangible ways.
In the Week 5 reflection, I was prompted to ask someone close to me what I value the most in life. My father, who is likely the person that knows me best in my life, responded that I appreciate “faith, knowledge, good jokes, and sunshine”. Both him and I know that I am the best version of myself when I allow time to slow down and appreciate the little things in life, like a walk on a sunny day, a funny show, a good book, etc. I know I am happiest when I can engage in these types of activities and this makes me more willing to spread my positivity with those around me, thus I determined this goal should be at the center of my personal mission statement. Some ways I will practice this is by making regular trips to the grotto and thanking God for all the blessings in my life, doing only a little homework on Saturdays/Sundays and taking time to do activities that I enjoy, and also by setting aside part of my day to get a meal with someone at least once a day. 
Along similar lines, I will make practicing gratitude an important priority of my life. So often, we can tend to focus on the negative, but I find that when I can appreciate the small joys in life, I am not only happier, but also more intentional with my actions and thoughtful in my interactions with others. In the Week 3 reflections, the article states, “Happiness changes from moment to moment, day to day. Joy, on the other hand, is much deeper and much more central, it comes from within, and it’s a genuine rightness of how one lives one’s life.” Many people are preoccupied with multiple sources of temporary happiness, rather than finding a lasting, peaceful, and joyous state. One way I intend to shift to a more joyous state of living is by keeping a gratitude journal. I look forward to reflecting and seeing the many ways that I am blessed, and I know it will help me to live out my mission statement and to be a more peaceful, positive individual.
As outlined in the reflections of Week 1, the relationships we form with family and friends are incredibly meaningful and such an important aspect of our lives. In the article, Iyer states, “Keeping the Sabbath — doing nothing for a while — is one of the hardest things in life for me; I’d much rather give up meat or wine or sex than the ability to check my emails or get on with my work when I want to”. Although it is still important to me to perform well academically and professionally in the future, I am determined to not let the pressure of success distract me from my familial responsibilities. In order to do this, I have decided to set aside time for meaningful conversation with each of my family members. Since it is also important to me that I make time to exercise, I have started calling my friends and family on my walk to/from the Rockne Memorial Pool everyday. Not only does this allow a much needed break from my schoolwork, but it also helps me to live up to the expectations outlined in my personal mission statement.
I also hope to be an example of a faith-filled person. I was so impressed with and moved by JD Kim’s story in the Week Six reflection. To see his strong faith despite his many struggles in life was incredibly inspiring and I hope to be a similar inspiration to those around me. In order to do this, I will continue to go to Basilica Mass every Sunday during my time at Notre Dame and get more involved with Campus Ministry. I will also dedicate my time to serving others in various ways. The Week 9 reflection pointed out an important difference between serving and helping, and I now understand that we must seek to also learn and appreciate those we assist in order to truly serve them. Dr. Reifenberg distinguishes the self-righteous helping from the genuine servitude saying, “The people I had so earnestly come to serve (and whose lives I had imagined transforming) had to take care of me. I wept, partly from the illness, but mostly out of frustration at how little the vision of me sick in bed resembled the one in my head of an autonomous me helping the needy them. That equation had been flipped”. In order to specifically carry out this part of my mission I will volunteer for the Wishmakers on Campus organization while maintaining this mindset. In addition, the reflections of Week 12 also highlight the importance of learning from others while also sharing our own knowledge and it emphasizes the courage necessary to accomplish this. The article from this week states, “Wherever we work we assist others not only to recognize and develop their own gifts but also to discover the deepest longing in their lives. And, as in every work of our mission, we find that we ourselves stand to learn much from those whom we are called to teach”. I intend to practice this through continuing my working with the Engineering Leadership Council on Campus. I am the Junior Director of Transfer Students, so not only will I seek to create programming that is helpful to the new transfers with the feedback they give me, but I will also share my own experiences of Notre Dame/ any advice I have in order to create a positive, meaningful experience for both of us.
It is also a mission of mine to maintain my status as a motivated, successful student. In the week 4 reflections, the article stated, “If you are in a major you enjoy, you will be more motivated to go to class, get better grades, and overall be happier - all of that leads to better post-graduate outcomes.” It is so important to focus on the things that bring you joy and fulfillment, since that is what will ultimately lead you to success in your major/career. I hope to also form connections with my professors and enjoy the process of learning, and I intend to do this by attending office hours.
In conclusion, after having set my expectations for a life well lived, I now look forward to carrying out all the steps I have decided necessary to take in order to reach them.


Works Cited
(“Why we need to slow down our lives | (ted.com)” by Pico Iyer- Moreau FYE Week One)
(“Three Key Questions” by Father Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three)
(“Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau First Year Experience Course | Undergraduate Career Services | University of Notre Dame” MERUELO FAMILY CENTER FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT- Moreau FYE Week Four)
(“Week Five Discernment Conversation Activity” -conversation with Thomas Bowen- Moreau FYE Week Five)
(“Why Does God Allow Suffering? - Grotto Network” by Aria Swarr- Moreau FYE Week Six)
(“Teaching Accompaniment- A Learning Journey Together, Steve Reifenberg, January 25, 2021.docx - Google Docs” by Steve Reifenberg- Moreau FYE Week Nine)
(“2: Mission // Congregation of Holy Cross (holycrosscongregation.org”, Congregation of Holy Cross Mission Statement- Moreau FYE Week Twelve)