Moreau First Year Experience Integration #3 4 March 2022 My Life Well-Lived Thinking about a life well-lived can be daunting and intimidating, but it also puts my life into perspective by reminding me to focus on things that matter to me now and will matter to me in the future. One characteristic of a life well-lived for me is being able to inspire, mentor, and lead others. I have always said that I hope to one day not only serve others using my skills, but to empower others to do the same with their skills, so that the effect is exponential. This correlates to my career and work aspirations because as someone who wants to go into business, I want to make sure I am working for a company that gives back and focuses on social responsibility. In his TED Conferences speech, Pope Francis emphasizes this value of impacting others by declaring, “the more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly” ("Why the only future worth building includes everyone" by Pope Francis – Moreau Week 7). Moreover, I also want to make sure this is a value I instill in my personal relationships and life. I want to be remembered as someone who took time out of my day to help and inspire those around me. Father Hesburgh summarizes it well when he said that “as a priest, [he] wanted to help others find their own strength, even in the greatest of suffering” ("Hesburgh" by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley – Moreau Week 2). Leaving an impact, no matter if it is on one person or a million, is something that is important to me because it means I lead my life with purpose and service. https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 If I want to be someone who can mentor and lead others, another aspect that I believe will characterize a life well-lived for me is taking risks and seizing opportunities. Similar to how the Meruelo Career Center suggests that “the only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters,” I think this is an important principle to apply to my own life, whether it is career related or not ("Navigating Your Career Journey" by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development – Moreau Week 4). Personally, putting myself outside of my comfort zone can be difficult for me, but I also think it can be so rewarding; therefore, I believe living a life well-lived includes trying new things I am interested in, traveling to new places, and embracing new experiences. Moreover, I have always been someone who wants to live in multiple different cities because I think culture and experience is different everywhere you go, and I want to experience as much of that as I can. Additionally, I also want this mindset of going after opportunities and risks to apply to my work-life. I hope my work life is modeled after the “Three Key Questions” article that exclaims “vocations lead to vocations,” and there is no point “where you can say that [you] do not have to ask any more questions” ("Three Key Questions" by Father Michael Himes – Moreau Week 3). I want to be live a curious life, which means I want to keep asking questions, keep learning, and keep adapting. I want to be remembered as someone who did not settle and went after opportunities. While my mind might change because I might find a company I love, as of right now, a life well-lived for me is getting experience in multiple industries or areas of expertise. Hopefully, experiences during the summer or internships will also help expose me to different careers and interests. Overall, a life well-lived for me means not going into ‘auto-pilot’ mode, but instead being continually present in the moment. A life well-lived requires me to ask myself if what I am doing day in, day out is making me happy and if it is challenging me to live up to my fullest potential. https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/468567?module_item_id=144085 The relationships and people that I am surrounded by is the most important indicator of what it means for me when I think of a life well-lived. First, a characteristic of a fulfilling life for me would be creating and having a family that I am surrounded by at the end of my life. I am extremely close with my family, and they are the most important thing to me, so extending and growing my family is something that is essential to my life well-lived. Beyond just a family though, I also think a life well-lived includes creating tender, giving, and respectful relationships with not only with people I feel close to but also to the people who I might disagree with or not get along with. While finding “mutuality” can be “hard won,” it is also something that is extremely important and worth it ("Jurisdiction" from Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle – Moreau Week 7). In my life, I want to do my best to bridge the gaps between hate and misunderstanding. I realize it takes time, effort, and patience to find common ground, but I think it is an important aspect to instill in my life and others’ lives. Creating connections with people that I might not agree on everything with is important because it helps foster respect, compassion, and learning. I believe relationships are the true goal in life because human connection is not something that can be replaced. How you treat others is a reflection of character, and I want to be remembered as someone of good character, who tried her best to create fulfilling relationships. Speaking of relationships, a life well-lived will encounter negative or bad relationships, but I think being able to grow and learn from those relationships can enhance my life. Within my relationships, I want to be remembered as someone who was authentic, compassionate, positive, and determined. I want people to remember me as someone who was not afraid to stand up for myself and my beliefs but also respectful enough to listen and understand others’ beliefs. One video we watched this semester talked about how we should https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/523987?module_item_id=168024 “focus on what we can do for others or what we can do already instead of what we cannot do and what we do not have yet” ( "Five Minutes" by Aria Swarr on Grotto – Moreau Week 6). Sometimes, it is easy to get caught up in my own life, stress, and problems that I forget to focus on God, the things I should be grateful for, and how I can help others. I think to lead a life well- lived, I want to carry myself in a compassionate, appreciative manner, instead of hyper focusing on things that are out of my control or unfair. Finally, a life well lived for me is being able to persevere when I fall down and help others do the same. I want to be remembered as someone who never gave up on themselves or others and always kept reaching for their goals. https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022