Ruoyu Yan
Week 8: Integration

Before talking about my eulogy, I want to say that I’ve been learning a lot from Week 1-7’s reading materials.

When reading the first week’s materials, I remembered the quote “the ability to gather information, which used to be so crucial, is now far less important than the ability to sift through it” (“Why do we need to slow down our lives? ” by Pico Lyer – Moreau FYE Week One). I have thought about the same thing before. With so much information we are able to receive from our smartphones and laptops nowadays, it is harder to actually absorb information for good use because simply browsing through them takes all of our mental capacity. Therefore, it is crucial to pause, give our mind a break, and some space to internalize things we learn.

From Week 2’s readings, I love the quote “the journey to clinical psychology was a deeply personal one for Dr. Claire Conley ’12” (Domer Dozen Web Page – Moreau FYE Week Two). This simple line is inspirational for me. After reading about Domer Dozen Honorees’ stories, I noticed that a lot of them establish their career path based on their personal experience. So probably the key to achieving success is to explore a personalized path that we are passionate about instead of following what everybody else is doing. And I believe this will lead to not only a successful career, but also to a fulfilling life because then we will be able to seek meaning and happiness from our careers.

In Week 3, I learned about the definition of Joy --- “the sense of the rightness of the way in which one is living one’s life” (“Three Key Questions” from Fr. Michael Himes – Moreau FYE Week Three). It inspired me when I was reading the part explaining that joy and happiness are not the same thing because I have been thinking about the same thing lately. We have all heard so many that says “to be happy is the most important in life,” yet I always found it difficult to settle with little doses of mundane happiness in life and I wanted to seek something more lasting and significant. And the answer is joy. We cannot have joy by wanting to be happy all the time, but rather, it is about choosing a right life pat and still having faith in that path we choose even when we experience challenges and defeat. It is certainly not easy, though, to find that path. It takes time, exploration, and a lot of trial-and-errors. 

As for Week 4, I gained knowledge about career discernment. “Planning your career is much like planning for a trip. Think about a recent trip you took.  What did you do to plan for this trip?  What were some of the logistics (lodging, travel, etc.)?  What did you want to see/do on this trip? What did you pack?  How long did this planning process take you? Usually planning a trip is not a quick process - depending on the nature of the trip - but hopefully it’s also a bit fun and rewarding, especially if you end up having a really great time! (Career Development Center Web page – Moreau FYE Week Four)” I found this quote very inspiring. I had never thought of career-planning as planning for a trip, but it really makes sense. This metaphor takes a lot of pressure from me. Planning trip is a daunting work because it requires so much research and decision-making, but every time we put effort into planning for a trip, a trip would turn out great and it would bring so much joy and memories. It is the same with good career planning --- it requires a lot of work but it will certainly lead to a satisfying life.
In Week 5, I learned about the role others play in my career/life discernment. I found networking to be very useful in discerning our career path. As suggested in this week’s material (“Discerning a Life Well-Lived Irish Compass Activity” – Moreau FYE Week 5), the purpose of networking is to explore and grow in the knowledge of yourself, others, and ways of living, and it is not just about asking a person for a job or internship. Knowing more realistic information from people working in an industry is a great way to examine our interests. I found networking intimidating because people sitting next to us often have so much more experience than us, and I worried about looking too stupid to eager. However, I’m trying to grow a mindset that it is not embarrassing to know less as long as I am there to learn. My politics professor, professor McAdams has encouraged me a lot in networking with people. He was a reverenced leading figure in his field, has been the head of the department for ten more years, and I was not even among the best students in his class. Yet he loved to connect me to his former students and introduced me to new opportunities. I learned that there are people who’d love to give you a chance as long as I keep trying and showing an interest to learn. 

In Week 6, I learned that “Why” question trap us in our past; “what” question help us create a better future (“The Right Way to be Introspective” by Tasha Eurich – Moreau FYE Week 6). I love this part in the article “The Right Way to be Introspective” about asking “what” instead of “why.” I completely agree this point. I like to ask “why” a lot, always trying to find an explanation for my emotions when I’m not feeling well, but that always turned out to more frustration and self-doubt. The reason is that it is meaningless to try to 100% understand our own emotions as emotions are subtle and intricate. Instead, focusing on what to do that might make us feel better could often lead to positive changes. 
future.

Last week, I learned from Week 7’s materials that “We all need each other. None of us is an island” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” from His Holiness Pope Francis). I love this quote. Growing up I came to recognize how much human relationships matter to one’s life, and that a well-lived life cannot be without meaningful connections with other people. However, I often struggle with building meaningful relationships. I think I haven’t mastered the correct method of doing that and therefore I rarely have deep connections with other people. I’m still trying to figure it out by interacting with different people, trying different clubs, and see where and how I can build good relationships and fit into the community. 

Now here is my eulogy, as the last part of the Integration essay:
“She left something in this world. Something great.” Basically, I want to leave some legacies in this world, whatever it is. So I hope I will be able to write on my eulogy that I truly leave something great to the world. I die but that legacy persists.