Nicholas Dolphin
Apr. 18, 2022
Integration 4 


My Mission: The Future
My mission is to serve others and to be a steady rock for friends and family to lean on in times of strife.  

I will keep an open mind when dealing with others.  I will put an emphasis on patience and listening, rather than enforcement.  Sometimes, listening to what others need is the best way to be of service.  I will practice being patient when others are difficult to deal with, even though that is difficult for me.   

	I will strive to broaden my knowledge, learning not only from others, but from my own mistakes.  I will share this knowledge with others, such as my future family and co-workers.  In doing so, I will leave my mark on the generations that come after me. 
	
	I will stay true to my faith, for it has shaped me into the person that I am today.  Using faith not as a weapon to do harm, but as a guide to live a good life, I will lead by example. 

	I will use what I learn at Notre Dame to be a force of good in the world.  I will uphold the Notre Dame golden standard in all that I do in my work, family, and social spheres.  

	Finally, I will follow my heart for all decisions.  I will not regret making difficult decisions, as these are what will move my life forward.  I will stand by my choices even in the face of adversity.  I will also admit when I am wrong and use these mistakes to learn for the future.  















	


The question of, “What is a life well-lived?” is difficult and deeply personal.  Many people cannot discern this answer until they are late into their life, but it is never too early to start thinking about such a meaningful question.  My first year at Notre Dame has affected my mission statement profoundly already, and I know that over my next three years at Notre Dame, my mission statement will continue to evolve. 
	The first part of my mission statement discusses patience.  I have always struggled with this virtue, whether it be with friends from school or with my younger siblings.  To live out my commitment of patience, I plan on becoming a Resident Assistant for my dorm when I am a senior in college. Not only will this allow me to give back to the Notre Dame community, but it will also be a perfect opportunity for me to practice the virtue of patience.  The idea of becoming an RA stuck out to me when I read the Week 7 Moreau course quote from Pope Francis.  He says, “The only future worth building is one with everyone.” (“TED Talk” by His Holiness Pope Francis- Moreau FYE Week Seven).  To successfully build such a community, patience is a key virtue.  As an RA, to build a community with everyone in the dorm, I will have to be patient with students who may not understand the value in building a healthy living community. 
	Along with patience, my mission statement values gaining knowledge.  I talk about learning from my own mistakes, which is something I find extremely valuable.  A prime example of learning from my mistakes would be altering my study habits after a failed exam.  Many times, the first exam in a class does not go exactly how I want it to, but by being willing to change how I study, I can come back better prepared for the following exam.  I can also apply learning from my mistakes to social settings as I learn how to treat others with respect always.  Most specifically, will not grow short with people if they are slow to understand something.  I will also focus on not being so sarcastic with people that I meet, as sometimes they do not undrestand my sense of humor.  By learning from my mistakes, I will grow in wisdom.  I will surround myself with different views, and use my mistakes and the lessons others teach me to become a more well-rounded individual. (“How to Avoid and Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko- Moreau FYE Week Eleven.)  
	My mission statement also highlights passing down knowledge to future generations.  During my junior and senior year, I plan to become a teaching assistant in different chemistry labs to help younger students learn difficult content.  Being a vocal leader in a classroom setting will get me out of my comfort zone.  This was practiced in the Acting with Courage assignment in week twelve.  In the same way that I shared my story with others, I will be able to offer younger students my experiences in the lab and work with them so that they can reach their full potential.  (“Acting With Courage”  by  - Moreau FYE Week Twelve)  Along with acting with courage, being a TA in the lab also directly deals with accompaniment.  While I want to help the younger students understand what they are doing, I cannot be the one to force them to learn.  I have to listen to what they are struggling with, and then, with them, devise a plan of action so that they can get the most out of the lab.  (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Professor Steve Reifenberg- Moreau Week Nine)
	Finally– and perhaps most importantly– my mission statement says that I will follow my heart.  This may be a difficult task at times, but with practice, I will be able to do it.  Self-reflection will be of the utmost importance, as this is the only way that I will be able to truly hear what my heart is telling me to do.  The best example of this would be my decision to go out for club swimming next year.  It took many nights of silence where I was lost to realize that I was really missing the physical and mental demands of the sport that once played such a big role in my life.  (“Pause for Reflection” by McDonald Center for Wellbeing- Moreau FYE Week 1)  Without reflecting on what my life was missing, I never would have come to the conclusion that I was missing swim.  This journey in realizing that I needed to swim in my life started back in week three of Moreau when the question, “What gives you joy?” was posed to me by Father Himes. (“Three Key Questions” by Father Himes- Moreau FYE Week 3)  It was a difficult question, but using the self-reflection techniques that I had learned earlier, such as meditation.  Normally, going on walks around campus has helped me unravel difficult questions that I am wrestling with.  Other aspects of my life that give me joy, including spending time with my girlfriend and family, along with swimming, reminded me that I had to actively pursue these engagements to get joy. 
	In my eulogy, I wrote about focusing on my work and family life balance.  (“’s Life Well Lived” by - Moreau FYE Week Eight)  While I enjoyed writing my eulogy, I believe that the mission statement and plan for action above are much more encompassing of the life that I want to live.  It is interesting to see how much my goals have changed, even in half a semester at Notre Dame.  I am excited to live out my mission statement in my college years and beyond.  I know that if I stay true to my values, my eulogy will be meaningful.