Week 14- Capstone Integration 3 My Life in the Next Three Years I think that everyone has a duty to themselves to be joyful in what they do. According to Father Michael Himes, joy is “the sense of the rightness of the way in which one is living one’s life” ("Three Key Questions" by Father Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week 3). To have a sense of joy, we need to know where we are going in order to feel right about it. It is helpful for us to “step farther back and stand still [so] that we can begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means” ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Ayer - Moreau FYE Week 1). Having learned a lot about myself over the course of this year, I think that what I pursue in my next three years at Notre Dame can be summarized in the “motto” – if you will – of the Notre Dame’s Domer Dozen: “faith, service, learning, [and] work” (Review the recent and previous honorees of the Notre Dame Alumni Association's "Domer Dozen" by the University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week 2). I have come a long way this year in my personal faith. In fact, most of my modest development in my faith has come in the recent weeks and months. I have begun attending mass with my friends in order for us to form a bond together through God, something that can deepen and add meaning to any relationship. I have taken some lessons away from my time in the chapels of Keenan, O’Neill and Siegfried Halls. One is that talking to God is a must, as evidenced by Jacob Walsh’s story where he learned that “you can’t convince yourself God loves you, but you can ask Him to show you” ("Growing up Gay and Catholic” By Jacob Walsh - Moreau FYE Week 10). Other than embracing God, another thing that mass has taught me is the importance of embracing each other, which is also emphasized by the Congregation of Holy Cross: “Our mutual respect and shared undertaking should be a hopeful sign of the kingdom, and they are when others can behold how we love one another” (“Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross” by the Congregation of the Holy Cross - Moreau FYE Week 12). https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40306/files/475736/download?download_frd=1 https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://domerdozen.nd.edu/ https://domerdozen.nd.edu/ https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://holycrosscongregation.org/holy-cross-resources/constitutions/2-mission/ https://holycrosscongregation.org/holy-cross-resources/constitutions/2-mission/ Looking ahead, I will use my next three years to grow closer to God as I move into adulthood, for there is no relationship more important than the one with the Lord. Examining the “service” aspect of the Alumni Association’s morals, this is something that I began to learn last summer. I had always considered myself on the more selfish side of people, but I think that wherever I stand now, I have moved significantly in the direction of generosity and caring. I have learned that “you may ask for assistance, but you can also provide assistance to others” (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z1bZTNU9tpjCnuC9iDFLjslYaX0v4XpBwClh_GynKfo/edi t by the University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week 5). Helping is just as important as being helped. Witnessing Steven Reifenberg’s experiences in Chile with being cared for, in which he explained that the people there “cared for [him] with incredible grace” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” By Professor Steven Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week 9). Being kind, caring and encouraging is free, and that is something I have started to realize over the past year. In my year with the Notre Dame Swimming and Diving team, I have had a lot of opportunities to help and uplift my teammates, and I would say that, moving forward, I can do an even better job of that. Learning is immensely important to me. Luckily, I was blessed enough to come to Notre Dame which “fosters the development in its students of those disciplined habits of mind, body, and spirit” (https://www.nd.edu/about/mission/ by the University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week 13). I believe that these four years are all about learning, although not just in the formal classroom setting. Personal growth is necessary in college as well. Part of what we have to discover about ourselves is “why we are the way we are” (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by TedED - Moreau FYE Week 6). As I have already talked about, my personal growth this year has been substantial, and undoubtedly I will have a lot more growth throughout the rest of my time here at Notre Dame. My friends are extremely important in all of this, as “they're there to serve [our] own emotional and intellectual needs” (“Passion Isn’t https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z1bZTNU9tpjCnuC9iDFLjslYaX0v4XpBwClh_GynKfo/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z1bZTNU9tpjCnuC9iDFLjslYaX0v4XpBwClh_GynKfo/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing https://www.nd.edu/about/mission/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/ Enough” by Hidden Brain Media - Moreau FYE Week 11). In relation to friendships, something I have learned here is that we must “surround [ourselves] with people who make [us] happy.” (https://docs.google.com/document/d/15GXc3FipiZKoTW5bLNwnTFGCQYlnRFIlCVOiDzxvU-g/ edit by - Moreau FYE Week 8). Moving lastly toward work, I diverge from many people in that oftentimes I enjoy work. It makes me happy to be extremely productive, likely because that allows me to have free time to do whatever I choose. Striking that balance is key to “happiness, [which] can only be discovered as a gift of harmony between the whole and each single component.” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” By Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). If I am the whole, every part of me working together is a very exhilarating experience. Staying focused enough to work harmoniously is my biggest challenge, and that will be something I have to work on throughout the rest of my time at Notre Dame. In conclusion, knowing that “these steps – [growing my faith, improving at serving others, growing my knowledge of the world around me, and learning how to be a more efficient worker] – don’t take place in a nice, neat order” (https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ by the University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week 4), I have to treat every day like another chance to become a better version of myself. If we wake up every day trying to be better than the day before, our lives will be filled with purpose, happiness and fulfillment. https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/15GXc3FipiZKoTW5bLNwnTFGCQYlnRFIlCVOiDzxvU-g/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/15GXc3FipiZKoTW5bLNwnTFGCQYlnRFIlCVOiDzxvU-g/edit 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://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/