Capstone Integration 
April 24, 2022 
The Mission Statement to a Life Well Lived

	As my time in the Moreau First Year experience has drawn to a close, I believe I have attained many important life skills and learned many important life lessons to help me continue the remaining three years of my academic journey. In week 13 we were asked to use these lessons and skills to form a personal mission statement on how we wanted to live out the rest of our lives. Mine went as followed: 
I will strive each day to improve myself and become the best version of myself. Success is not defined as being superior to others, but as being superior to your previous self. I will continue to recognize my mistakes and failures, and view them as opportunities for growth and learning. 

I will treat all people around me with equal respect and will intervene in moments of injustice. All people must be treated with respect as all lives are important and all lives hold value. If I see a situation where another person is being treated unfairly or unjustly, I will put forth my best effort to assist them in overcoming any oppression they may face and eliminating hate. 

I will seek out an occupation that is both fulfilling to me and helps me to positively impact society. I will have a job where I am challenged and enjoy solving the problems which I may face. I also hope to have a job in which my work adds value to society and can improve the lives of people around me. 

I will never take the small moments for granted. It is quintessential to live in the present and not overwhelm yourself with the stress or uncertainty of the future. Instead, I will focus on the small joys of my everyday life and cherish the memories and laughs I have each day. 

In my pursuit of happiness and a good life, I will always keep a light heart and an open mindset. Life always presents struggles and challenges, but I will always make sure to remember to pay attention to the silver linings and be optimistic for the future. We are only given one life, so I will choose to spend it in good spirits. 

The first part of my mission statement addresses the importance to continually improve and grow into the best version of yourself. A quote from this semester which relates to this scenario comes from the week 3 material from Fr. Michael Himes, a theologian from Boston College in his article titled, “Three Key Questions.” He said, “Dissatisfaction (restlessness) is not a bad thing...indeed it’s the best thing about us.” It’s what constantly moves us forward, makes us grow, expands our horizons, and deepens our perceptions. It’s a very healthy, a very important, and a very valuable thing!” ("Three Key Questions" adapted from Fr. Michael Himes- Moreau FYE Week 3). In this quote, Fr. Himes addresses the importance of never being satisfied with our current states, and using this to drive ourselves forward towards learning and growth. This is something I completely agree with as I believe complacency can be a very dangerous thing. Over the next three years, I will make sure to reflect upon my performances in school, as well as my own mental state and my relationships with others. When I am dissatisfied with the state of how things are, I will use this as motivation to make a change so that I become superior to the previous versions of myself. However, I will also recognize that progress and growth are not always an easy thing to achieve. During week 4 of Moreau, we were asked to explore a source given to us from the Meuro Family Center for Career Development. When discussing success, advice was given which said,  “As much as we present it with arrows from one step to the next, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not always linear; these steps don’t take place in a nice, neat order” ("Navigating Your Career Journey” - Moreau FYE Week 4). Using this advice, one goal of mine over the next three years and into the course of my life is to start keeping a journal or log on my feelings of the progress I believe I am making. This way, when I feel unsure about how I am improving myself, I can review the things I have done in the previous weeks to remind myself success isn’t always linear, and I can hold myself accountable for making the changes I want to see in myself. 
The second section of my mission statement was all about standing up to any injustice I see and making sure I am treating all people with the respect they deserve. Throughout the second semester of Moreau, one of the most important topics we discussed was how to deal with injustice and what we can do to try and present it. One of my favorite quotes from this semester came from the Fr. Hesburgh documentary from week 2. In response to a student who was upset about the current political state in the country, Fr. Hes said, “...Then do something about it, it's your country, it's your problem” (“Hesburgh” -by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley- Moreau FYE Week 2). These words are some that I kept in mind when I was crafting my mission statement and I will ensure I continue to keep them in mind if I am ever faced with a situation where injustice is present. 
Over the course of this semester there have been many materials and quotes which have resonated with me on how to make the world a better place and how to eliminate hate. The first one I would like to share comes from week 11 when we explored echo chambers and how to avoid them. An echo chamber is an environment where information is presented in a close minded fashion where alternate opinions are not allowed. During that week we watched a video from ThinkND which shared the words, “Bubbles 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 believe one of the biggest sources of separation and disrespect comes from lack of perspective and information. For these reasons, in order to ensure I am always respecting others like my mission statement says, I will always keep my mind open to diverse opinions and will evaluate whether or not my information sources are trapping me in an echo chamber. In addition, if I ever notice a situation in which I see someone else refusing to take alternate viewpoints into account, I will move forward in encouraging them to explore more sources and escaping their possible echo chamber. 
The second part of my mission statement also deals with the idea of standing up for others and helping to eliminate hate in the world. During week 9 of the course we looked at a peice by Professor Steve Refenberg about accompaniment. In his writing he said, “Solidarity with the poor means not to try to be the voice of the voiceless … This is NOT the goal. The goal should be that those who have no voice today will have voice and will be heard,” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by  Professor Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week 9). I will work to incorporate these words into my mission statement and into the course of my life as I stand up for the people around me. Growing up as a white man in the United States it has been very apparent to me that I possess privilege that many others don’t have. I think a critical aspect to my life is making sure I use this privilege in order to help the less fortunate around me. Many people are in situations where they do not have the ability to have a voice or stand up for themselves, and if I ever encounter this situation I will not try and be their voice, but instead I will use my resources to give them the respect and the voice which they deserve. 
Lastly, one thing that is important to me is reducing the amount of hate I see around me. In week 12 we looked at a writing piece from Dean G. Marcus Cole in response to the muder of George Floyd. When discussing hate he said, “One thing that each and every one of us can do is to end the cycle of hate by ending the separation that leads to it,” ( “Dean G. Marcus Cole: 'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.” by Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week 12). As a part of my mission statement I am going to work towards eliminating any hate in my life and any hate I see around me. To do so I will work towards creating strong bonds with people around me and never discriminating or causing separation. In order to stop hate at its source it is essential to be inclusive towards everyone and recognize that we are all members of the human race even though we may be different from each other. 
The third section of my mission statement discusses how important it is for me to find a job which is both fulfilling to me and allows me to contribute to society. One of my life role models and most important people in my life is my Dad who gave me important advice for our Moreau week 5 assignment in was to find an occupation which I thoroughly enjoy and not to worry about the salary which comes along with it (Moreau FYE Week 5). Over the next three years I am going to use platforms such as LinkedIn as well as other Notre Dame resources to research job opportunities. I am not sure of what direction I want to take my career in but as a part of my mission statement I will work to find the perfect job for me. Subsequently, I will also make sure to find a healthy work-life balance. In week 1 of this semester we watched a TED talk from Pico Lyer about the importance of finding a means to escape the stress of your daily life and focus your energy towards relaxation. In his talk he said, “The more time I spend away from my work, the better that work will be” ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). These words inspire me to make sure I am present outside of my work, and in order to better my productivity and quality of my work I will also focus on eliminating stress and finding peace. 
The last two sections of my mission statement revolve around the idea of leading my life with a light heart and having an appreciation for every day I live. One of the most moving pieces we interacted with this semester came from week 6 from a video from The Grotto. In the video a man who is disabled shared how he still has gratitude and appreciation for life. In the video he said, “So as I began just thanking God and being more positive about the things that I had already, I was able to do things more gladly, and with gratitude and joy and hope,” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week 6). These words have helped me to realize that if a man in a far more unfortunate situation than me can still have appreciation for life, then I should always be able to keep a positive and open mindset. Whenever I experience hardship or inconvenience during my next 3 years of college I will make sure to take a step back and be grateful for the things I do have. More moving words came from our week 7 material from a TED talk from Pope Francis. In his talk he said, “...Life, even in the middle of so many contradictions, is a gift, …love is the source and the meaning of life,” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone”  by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). I will always remember these words in the back of my head in order to maintain an appreciation for life. Our time on Earth is very short and it is essential to recognize the gift of life and not to be caught up in the bad things or inconveniences we face. 
I know that if I work to follow this mission statement and keep the lessons I have learned from the Moreau course, I will be on my way to leading a life well lived. My last quote from our materials comes from week 10 from an article from the Grotto about embracing humanity. The quote said, “You can’t convince yourself God loves you, but you can ask Him to show you” ("Growing up Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh - Moreau FYE Week 10). To me this quote means that we must always keep faith as we move forward. In order to lead a life well lived we must recognize the gifts God has given to us and have an appreciation for all things and all people we encounter.