Name: Course: Moreau First Year Experience, FYS 10102-106 Instructor: Prof. Catherine Wagner Date: April 22, 2022 Capstone Integration Prompt: How do I pursue a life well-lived? Title: Rising by lifting others - Guide to living a fulfilling life Personal Mission Statement: To live a fulfilling life by being a force for good and a light to others, in a way that every aspect of my personality and identity serves as a guide and inspiration to aid them in finding their purpose, realizing their dreams, and living a life well-lived. This I believe, will help me leave my footprints on the soil of time and thumbprints on the pages of life. I will achieve this mission firstly by involving God in all I do. Also, by working diligently towards self-development across various dimensions, and finally, by setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound) goals and working conscientiously to achieve them (Dikko, Personal Mission Statement). A few weeks ago, I wrote a letter to my younger self. In that letter, I talked about what a life well lived entails and shared my definition of leading and living a fulfilling life, a meaning I arrived at this semester. I defined a life well-lived to my younger self as “one that involves leveraging one’s knowledge, talents, skills, opportunities, and resources to be a force for good by striving to create a positive impact on those around them” (Dikko, Integration Three). IMPACT! That’s the word I want to focus mainly in this capstone reflection as I articulate the plan I have developed for pursuing a life well-lived. As highlighted in my mission statement, creating impact, and transforming the lives of individuals and communities is the core goal I would love to achieve. Recently, I have been pondering what success would look like when it comes to this. What metrics would I be using to hold myself accountable? During my reflection, I recalled some wise words I heard sometime at an event this semester. The speaker explained that there are two types of success – vertical and horizontal. Vertical success, he explained, is when an individual focuses his/her/their goals and wins on themselves and themselves alone. After achieving one goal (for themselves), they try to accomplish the next exclusively for themselves, and end up getting stuck in that loop. On the other end, horizontal success entails lifting others as you rise. Gauging how much of an impact you are leaving behind even as you continue to excel and achieve your goals. While there is not necessarily an issue with being focused on either, I think it’s best to balance those two kinds of success. That talk made me reflect on the Grotto Video by Dr. Kim, the scholar who has a disability, and how he viewed success based on how he helps others learn from “his growth, knowledge, and experiences” (Dr. Kim). Dr. Kim seemed to have figured out a way to balance the two success types, and “seeing others not struggle with things he struggled with, after they learned from his experiences, was one way he gauged his impact.” This would be one effective way for me to measure success in my impact creation journey. Throughout this semester, I have solidified my understanding of what a life well-lived entail. I have also developed a strategy to aid me in my journey toward living a fulfilling life. The tactics, in summary, includes the following six steps – Believing, Reflection, Mentorship, Exploration, Planning, and Action. Firstly, I must BELIEVE that I am capable of living a fulfilling life and achieving greatness. This is the foundation of it all, and once that belief is solidified, it will forever help me eradicate self-doubt and gain the confidence to act when needed. Just like Dean Marcus Cole's family gave him a reason to survive and overcome the obstacles he faced during the unjust pullover encounter (Cole), having a solid set in place will be an inspiration I can always rely on to continue moving forward and not give up in my journey of pursuing a life well-lived. The next step is to REFLECT. Pico Iyer, in his article "Why we need to slow down our lives," pin- pointed the "need for a pause, and how it helps gives more life and shape to whatever we are doing" (Iyer). In my pursuit of living a fulfilling life, I must continually take a moment or two to reflect on my previous approaches, thinking about what went well and identifying areas for improvement. Dr. Blaschko advised in the Big Questions video, where he explained the difference between "the bubble" and an "echo chamber" that "we must learn to be intentional about the information we expose ourselves to" (Dr. Blashko). One way to improve intentionality is through reflection. Reflecting on previous experiences will help me vividly identify critical influences that have fueled positives and negatives in my life. This practice will help me make better decisions in the future. Reflection will sincerely help me in developing weaknesses and converting them into strengths. For instance, some conversations about racism turn out to be complicated. Dr. Robin D'Angelo, in his text, explained that factors like "segregation, entitlement to racial comfort, arrogance, and many others, are some reasons why it is hard to have conversations on that matter with some individuals" (D'Angelo). Therefore, one needs to be well prepared going into such difficult conversations. I sometimes shy away from those kinds of conversations when they become super-heated or tough. Through reflection, I can analyze previous experiences and work on a more practical approach to handling such situations if they occur, developing my conflict management skills and self- awareness. The power of mentorship lies in the fact that some people out there have been through experiences similar to whatever I am going through. Whether to not they managed to win their individual battles, they for sure have lessons from their navigation of the situation and experiences with overcoming challenges they faced along the way, which will guide me in the right direction towards achieving my goals and even surpassing them. Therefore, the next step in my strategy list is MENTORSHIP. I am super grateful for my mentors and even more thankful for their invaluable advice and guidance. During my major discernment process earlier this semester for instance, I decided to answer Father Himes's "Three Key Questions," one of which asked, "Is this vocation/ role/ profession/ way of life that you are considering something you are good at?" (Father Himes). In finding an accurate answer to the question, I integrated the help of my mentors, and they helped me vividly see that the career path I am currently on is a perfect fit for me. There are many ways others can mentor us. One of my personal favorites has been through books. For instance, Father Ted Hesburgh is one of the influential figures whose legacy and leadership style I respect and admire. Father Jenkins, the current President of the University of Notre Dame, when talking about Father Hesburgh's life in the Hesburgh film, said, "He could talk across differences; created trust, created mutual understanding. That's the kind of leader we need today. It is the kind of leader Father Ted was" (Father Jenkins). By studying his works, I can learn more about Father Ted's life and his journey towards creating the impacts he made. As I continue to grow as a change-maker and leader, I will try to engage more with materials that talk about leaders that embody specific leadership traits that I want to develop and deliberately try to learn from them. This leads me to my next step in pursuing a fulfilling life – EXPLORATION. Exploration comes in various forms and dimensions and can mean many different things. It is essential in helping us make the best decisions. We can explore the lives of others who have lived a well-lived life like Father Ted. We can explore our skill sets and passions and many more. The “Navigating Your Career Journey” text by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development explained that “exploration helps us learn more about ourselves” (Meruelo). I found this to be true this semester, as I explored different career possibilities during my discernment process. Also, in completing the Irish Compass Activity, I explored several careers and industries, connected with Alumni working in sectors I am interested in, and learned about opportunities in those fields (Irish Compass Activity). Through that process, I learned a lot about my interests, skills, and talent and decided to double major in a dual degree program, contrary to the initial plans I had before the discernment. Exploration will help me identify new areas and opportunities for growth as I go on my journey of living a life well-lived. Finally, I need to take ACTION to achieve the goals I have set out to accomplish. This is one of the most important, and maybe most difficult, step in the strategy list. I came across some wise words that basically explained that if we do find it challenging to act or get stuck in the process of taking action, we should not be hesitant to ask for help. Sometimes, the tasks we must accomplish are not things we have to do alone, which is why relationships are a vital aspect of a life well-lived. Asking for help requires humility, which is very important to anyone who seeks to make transformational impacts. In a TED talk, Pope Frances said, “Tenderness is not weakness, it is fortitude. It is the path of solidarity, the path of humility. The more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly” (Pope Francis). This goes both ways; just as we sometimes need others to walk with us in our journey, we must also learn to be beside others. In describing accompaniment, Professor Steve Reifenberg explained that “It is a reciprocal relationship. One cannot accompany without being accompanied; in the same way, someone cannot be a good friend without being open to friendship” (Reifenberg). Therefore, we should always be willing to accompany others in their pursuit of a life well-lived, even as we strive to achieve ours. WORKS CITED “Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One. “Hesburgh” Video – Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley – Moreau FYE Week Two. “Three Key Questions” by Father Micheal Himes – Moreau FYE Three. “Navigating Your Career Journey” by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development – Moreau FYE Week Four “Irish Compass Activity” – Moreau FYE Week Five. “5 Minutes,” video by Aria Swarr, Grotto - Moreau FYE Week Six. “Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences - Moreau FYE Week Seven “Moreau Integration Three” by – Moreau FYE Week Eight. “Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Professor Steve Reifenberg – Moreau FYE Nine. “Why It’s so Hard to Talk to White People About Racism” – Dr. Robin D’Angelo – Moreau Week Ten. “How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko, ThinkND – Moreau FYE Week Eleven. “I am George Floyd. Except I can breathe” by Dean G. Marcus Cole – Moreau FYE Week Twelve. “Personal Mission Statement Activity” by – Moreau FYE Week Thirteen.