Week 14 Capstopne Intergration Three


So originally my mission statement was focusing on the spiritual side of things. After
contemplating heavily on what that means for me I have changed a few things but ultimately it is
the same. I believe that when it comes to determining what values are important to me in terms
of living a fulfilling life, I’ll have to truly understand the meaning of the various different values I
have. I often don’t even know where to start in terms of listing the values.It wasn't until this
semester that I sat down and actually thought about what I consider to be a well-lived life. I
believe that how I grow spiritually throughout the course of my life is at the very center of living a
life well-lived for me. How strong has my faith become as I near the end of my life and have
overcome numerous challenges? In keeping with this theme, I recently had an interaction or,
more accurately, an insight into some events that are taking place in my life at home. I am the
youngest of three children. Two of my siblings do not have a college education and are not living
the lives that my parents or God desire for them. As a result, I believe it is critical to remember
that "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10). And just a few weeks ago,
this quote came to me out of nowhere, and I know it to be true on a far deeper level. And it
pertains to my life and the lives of those around me, and I believe it reflects why my siblings
aren't doing so well. So, with all of that said, my biggest takeaway is that if I continue to
strengthen my faith and grow closer to God, I will gain wisdom in all areas of my life. There are a
few examples I’ve discovered throughout these past 13 weeks that I believe will help animate
my life for the next 3 years in terms of strengthening my faith and growing spiritually. For Week
1, the overarching theme was about unwinding or decompressing. The reading by Pico Lyer
really resonated with me. Specifically the way Congressman Tillman puts emphasis on
unwinding and relaxing the body. It was also pleasing to see how “Meditation” has so many
positive effects on our mental and physical health. For me, “Meditation” or the recognition of
God's presence always does the trick when I am feeling anxious and overwhelmed. This aligns
with my mission statement. By following and applying this mission statement I believe others will
see it coming to pass, meaning that others will see the spiritual growth. A concrete example of
this could be me attending campus bible study gatherings to dive deeper into practicing and
applying the things I learn from those sessions. In week two the Hesburgh Video really depicted
how I would want to live a fulfilled life. Throughout the video was see multiple moments where
hesburg really shows how selfless he was. I believe that trying to be as selfless as he was is
how my mission statement will animate my life. Primarily putting others before myself on any
occasion is how I believe I can show how important  my mission statement is to me. In week 3
we discussed how to guide a life well lived. I came across one particular reading that stood out
to me and at first gave me a very unsettling feeling.The headline of Ruth Graham's piece in the
New York Times, "Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die," was initially
off-putting to me, but after reading it, I realized what she meant. She essentially wants us to
keep the fact that we will die someday in the back of our heads so that we can live each day like
its our last. For me this is applicable to my mission statement because If I am able to remind
myself each morning that my time is limited here. I will be even more motivated to be who I want
to be and who God wants me to be. It  will become easier for me to grow spiritually knowing that
my clock is constantly ticking.  As a result of this some examples of how this will appear in my
life will be me ardently seeking to know God. In week 4 we talked about the many different ways
to feel like you have lived a life well lived. The major focus of this week was how we can feel
fulfilled with th career path we have chosen. The reading called “Navgating your Career



Journey” stated that planning our career was almost like planning a trip. I personally feel like
deciding what I want to do for the rest of my life isn’t as easy as planning a trip. I do know that
whatever my career will be, whether it be me pursuing being a pastor or anything of that nature
it will involve me doing something that pleases God. It could be in any area. My main point here
is that even if my career involves me setting behind a desk, My mission statement while be
animated through how I influence others to choose the path of God and as a result of that I
believe this ai another example of how the spiritually growth can occur. Week 5 to me kind of
goes back to week 4. What I mean by this is in week 5 the main focus is what role others play in
discernment. I say it applies to week 4 because other people can help me know if I have
choosed the right career path and on top of that, If I am sticking to my mission statement and
living it out day by day. So this would look like me considering and valueing other peoples
opinions in certain situations. In week 6 we discuss what our own personal obstacles are when
it comes to a living a life well lived. Their is one big obstacles for me and the video by Aria Swarr
is a perfect example of it.  In the video he talks about his experiences and what lead to him
being in a wheelchair. The main takeaway for me from the video is how despite his
circumstances he chooses to be positive and linflucence other to do the same. This is one
obstcacle I struggle with because I often time really dwell on the negative and just have a poor
mind set about certain things. I believe by applying his approach to negative situations to my
personal life I will be able to strengthening my faith even more and stay on track with my
mission statement. In week 7 the main focus is relationships of a life well lived. I would argee
that good fruitful relationships is key. Finding a group of friends that are just as invested in
growing spiritually as I am is how I can try to accomplish this mission in the next 3 years. Moving
on to week 8 we talked about defining a life well lived wher I wrote my own eulogy. As a result of
my mission statement I think a concrete example of me applying it to my life would b eme
becoming more involved into the community and impatcing it positively. In week 9 we discuss
responding to suffering. I was drawn to a quote that said “ they simply did, in the moment, what
needed to be done.” For me this is something I aspire to do, to be able to be their for other
regardless of their background. In week 10 the main topic is embracing humanity. We see
examples of this in the reading by Dr.Robin D’Angelo. “Race really doesn’t have meaning to
me”, I choose this quote during that week and it is part of what it means to grow spiritually. It
means embracing everyone and all of our differences.  In week 11 we conversed about growing
in wisdom. I was really interested in the video by Dr. Paul Blascho where he said “ We need to
be Intentional about the information that we expose ourselves to, seeking out intelligent people
with whom we disagree and attempting to fully understand their arguments.”  Stepping out of my
comfort zone will allow me to gain wisdom by meeting new and very intelligent people who will
contribute to be strengthening my faith over these next few years. In weeks 12 and 13 we dive
into how we can act with courage and create our owen personal mission statements. We see in
week 12 the reading by Marcus Cole he talks about his experiences and how he is being
courageous now. Developing the courage to be more self less and put other before myself will
allow me grow even more spruitally and I can apply over the next 3 years by doing small selfles
acts throughout campus. Last is week 13 and this is when I created my own mission statement.