February 24, 2022
Moreau 
Professor Chan 

The End From My Beginning 

“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”
— Albus Dumbledore,

What are the aspects of our life that will matter when we are gone from this earth? What will people really remember about us? The truth is most of us will be forgotten entirely from the world. Our kids may speak of us for a while, keeping our name alive but overtime we will fade away. The people that are remembered are the ones that make a meaningful contribution to society. So what are we really living for? What is the purpose of what we do day after day? We must find purpose through living a meaningful life. 
A life well lived starts with understanding the life we are living. Many of us are so hyper focused on our tasks that we are blind to significant things that happen around us. It actually can cause our work to suffer.  “Whenever I finally force myself away from my desk for a day, of course, I find the opposite: the more time I spend away from my work, the better that work will be, most often.” ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau week 1) Once we note the life we are living may not be how we want to be remembered we can focus on working towards a life well lived. 
What inspires a life well lived? What makes people want to help others, improve the world or make a difference? What causes people like Lucy Driscoll, my example from the Domer Dozen, to “inspire a rising generation of women scientists and engineers who will use their skills for the betterment of society.” (https://domerdozen.nd.edu/ Moreau week 2) It is our recognition that there is something missing in the world that must be changed. Once we realize where passions are it becomes easier to identify this. 
Now that we have been inspired, what are the questions that guide a meaningful life? There are three main questions that can direct us. “What gives you joy? What are you really good at? What do the people around you really need?” ("Three Key Questions" by Fr. Michael Himes - Moreau week 3) It is important to start with the first one, what gives you joy. We will never truly feel as if we are living a life well lived if we are not enjoying what we are doing. Our activities must be paired with some form of passion to be significant to us. Next comes what you're good at? It is important to ask this second because you can be good at something but hate it, which will leave you unfulfilled. Lastly, what do the people around you need?  If you are doing something that you love and are good at but it provides nothing for others, your life is not meaningful. It is through helping others that we can truly satisfy our hearts. We can also ask others to help us look deeper within ourselves by asking them questions. For example “What issues are important to me? Or, what do you think I want to change in the world?” (Week Five Discernment Conversation Activity- Moreau week 5) Asking someone close to us these personal questions, can allow us to reach a deeper understanding, or perhaps a side of us that we didn't know was there. 
How can we use this knowledge to live a life well lived? We know what we love to do, what we are good at and what others need, so how can we apply this in our lives? One way is to search “the career paths pages (which) provide the resources to explore career possibilities, provide helpful resources, and assist you in starting on your career exploration.” ("Navigating Your Career Journey” - Moreau week 4) All of our knowledge asking those three questions can be put forth to finding a career that could fill all of those boxes.  
How can we address potential problems that might arise from our attempts to live a life well lived? Firstly it is important to realize that we have these problems. Using a tool like a journal to write them down can help us navigate these issues. When we journal  we may find more self-knowledge by “At times, asking what, instead of why, (which) can force us to name our emotions, a process that a strong body of research has shown to be effective” (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich- Moreau week 6) It is important that we are prepared to combat problems because we will certainly face them when seeking a life well lived. 
The last step in forming a life well lived is to create relationships that are genuine. To do this we need to start by putting people ahead of ourselves and technology. “Only by educating people to true solidarity will we be able to overcome the "culture of waste" (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau week 7) We have to be willing to give our time and listen to each other. It isn't through snapchat, instagram and ticktok that true relationships are formed. It is through the in person interactions that connections are formed. 
When people look back on my life I hope I can be remembered as someone who inspired others. Right now that is my ultimate goal. It would involve doing what brings me joy, as well as be something I am good at. I want to be remembered not only for my accomplishments (that I hope to achieve) but for the person I was outside of them. The people I look up to currently, are the ones who are accomplishing what I dream to, while also giving back to society in some meaningful way. Whether it is raising awareness for girls running programs in poorer nations fostering children, these are the people that are truly living a life well lived. That is what I desire to be like. Doing what I love while helping others in some way. That is when I will feel like I lived a meaningful life.