The Animation of My Mission Statement

It is my mission to thrive, live humbly and happily, help, serve, protect, and grow in wisdom and compassion. As a child of God I am called to imitate Christ in all of my actions, no matter how small, and to stand up for any injustice I see. It is my duty as a human being to help protect and care for my fellow human beings, as well as this planet that we were given. I strive to be dedicated to living a joyful life, and doing things that make me happy and that also make a difference, not just what makes me money. Charity, generosity, and loyalty are virtues that I strive for on a daily basis. Every day must be devoted to learning and wisdom, as it is through both that I grow and thrive and become the person I was meant to be. Education of not only myself but also my fellow human beings must also be a priority. It is through teaching others that we are able to fully learn and know ourselves. Unconditional love and compassion are my top goals, and are something I try to practice in all moments of my life, regardless of how difficult and challenging it might be. I believe that forgiveness and open-mindedness are the only ways to embrace humanity fully and to create a better world. Finally, I realize that we are all on different and separate journeys, heading towards the same goal, and it is my duty as a Christian to walk with my fellow brothers and sisters through their suffering and hardships. 

I plan to live my life following this mission statement for the rest of my life, but especially throughout these next three years at the University of Notre Dame. Living out a mission statement, especially this one, is not easy. There will be many times where this mission statement is extremely difficult. Some virtues are extremely hard to practice in general, but especially for me. When I come into contact with people who have done some very bad things and feel little to no remorse for their actions, I struggle, and will struggle, with demonstrating compassion, forgiveness, and kindness towards that individual. I recognize how hard it is for me to forgive and to show kindness towards people because I am someone who is a perfectionist and struggles with wrongdoing. I am a person who believes wholeheartedly in justice and making sure that everyone is treated fairly and gets what they deserve. And it is hard for me to demonstrate compassion, forgiveness, and kindness to someone who has done terrible things and doesn’t see that they were bad or feel guilty for them, because it doesn’t feel like they’ve earned those virtues from me. However, I will try to overcome this by reminding myself that virtues are a gift. They are given freely, without any strings attached, regardless of what the receiver deserves or earns. As Father Hesburgh said, “We may have ha[ve] our disagreements but at the end of the day we [are] all fishermen." (Video: "Hesburgh", by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley, Moreau FYE Week Two). This mission statement will also be hard to live out for me because I am a person who, for the majority of her life, has been motivated primarily by the greater good. I believed, and still believe for the most part, that the happiness of one should not outweigh the happiness of the many. The wants, needs, and desires of the one should not be put before the wants, needs, and desires of the many. So, I often put others before myself to an extreme point. I struggled with the realization that balance is necessary, that I should strive for my own happiness, not just striving for the happiness of others or to make a difference. Sometimes it is ok to be selfish, and to not be fully regulated by doing what is right or good for the majority. I try to think about the question “what are your obsessions?” ("Three Key Questions", by Fr. Michael Himes, Moreau Week 3). I think that by reminding myself, daily, that by striving towards my own happiness, I am able to do a better job at helping the many, I will be able to have an easier time at sticking to my mission statement. 

Despite my mission statement being somewhat difficult to achieve, I think that there are many ways in which I am able to live it out on a daily basis. I plan to keep moving forward, and not get stuck in the past. [blank] said that “asking ‘why?’... cause[d] the participants to fixate on their problems instead of moving forward.” (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)”, by Tasha Eurich, Moreau FYE Week 6). By moving forward, I am able to thrive. By going to mass on a weekly basis and participating in Communion, I am able to continue and practice my faith as a child of God should. My mission statement calls for me to stand up to injustice. I can do that by being kind to others, in all that I do. I try to always keep in mind and live by the quote, ​​“I must do something.” (“Dean G. Marcus Cole: 'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.”, by Marcus Cole, Dean of Notre Dame Law School, Moreau FYE Week 12). I can also say something to someone if they make an unkind/unjust comment, whether it simply be a “hey, that wasn’t super nice”. I can also stand up to injustice by keeping myself informed about what is going on in the world around me, and informing others from reliable sources. I can also stand up for injustice by supporting other people and other groups who fight injustice, whether that be by donating money, voting, or attending events. I do this at church when I donate money to help outside causes, or when I provide a donation to the International Justice Mission. When I vote I select candidates that I believe are working the hardest to combat justice. I attend events at Notre Dame, as well as events outside of Notre Dame, that revolve around peace and what we can do, as well as what others are doing, to promote peace and combat injustice. As a follower of my mission statement, I try to protect and care for my fellow human beings. I remember that “we are all children of God” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone”, by His Holiness Pope Francis, Moreau FYE Week 7). I do this by participating in service and volunteer work. I help prepare meals to deliver to those in need, and I donate clothes to those less fortunate. I try to protect others by standing up for people who cannot stand up for themselves. I also chose the career and majors I am in to try and protect others. I want to be an international human rights lawyer so that way I can protect women, children, and other people who cannot protect themselves and to get them the justice they deserve. While I am not there yet, I still strive for that goal by majoring in Global Affairs with a concentration in civil and human rights so that I can one day more directly protect others. I try to care for my planet by not eating meat, both for humanitarian reasons and environmental reasons. I recycle and reuse as much as I possibly can, and I limit the amount of electricity I use by not turning on my lights during the day until it gets dark. I also live out my mission statement by putting as much hard work and focus as I possibly can into my education. I take classes that I am interested in and that I think are important and useful, and I do my best to learn as much as I possibly can through them. Through that I am able to grow and thrive. I also tutor others who need help in regards to their education, so I am able to live out my belief that the teaching of others is a priority because it helps the world and helps us know more about ourselves and the world. I practice all of the virtues that are a part of my mission statement on a daily basis just by communicating with others and demonstrating those virtues in the way I converse and conduct myself around others. Finally, I support others who are suffering or experiencing hardships by being an active listener, and demonstrating empathy towards their pain. I will do, like Steve Reifenberg said, “what need[s] to be done.” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together”, by Professor Steve Reifenberg, Moreau FYE Week 9). 

I think my mission statement will be strengthened as well as challenged while I am here at Notre Dame. There are many people here from all over the world, from many different walks of life who are going to have different mission statements than me and question why I have the mission statement that I do. But being challenged by others also helps me strengthen my mission statement, as I am able to look at other perspectives and counter argue or improve my mission statement through those outside perspectives. These outside perspectives also help me avoid bubbles, which can “become echo chambers when groups give up on tolerating diversity of opinion.” (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber”, by Dr. Paul Blaschko, Moreau FYE Week 11). I also think my mission statement will be strengthened here at Notre Dame because there will be many opportunities to practice my mission statement. There are clubs, organizations, and activities on campus that will allow me to fulfill my mission statement, whether that be through service, volunteering, or simply community. Overall, I believe that Notre Dame will be extremely beneficial to me and my mission statement. 

In conclusion, I plan to live out my mission statement, and to allow it to guide my life. While this may be difficult, I believe that it will be fulfilling, and I am already making progress and living out my mission statement in a number of ways. Finally, being here at Notre Dame will help to strengthen my mission statement and allow for me to improve and grow in living out my mission statement.