Macy 

Mrs. Finan
Moreau FYE
21 April 2022
Capstone Integration
	When creating my mission statement, I felt like it was extremely easy. My goals have been the same goals I have been telling myself to do since I was younger. Be a good person. Help others. Become rich and use the money to give back to the poor. I have been telling myself these things my whole life, but I feel like I never really understood what they meant. And to be quite honest, I’m still not really sure what they mean. And my definitions of them could totally change in 10, 20, or even 50 years. But the thing is, I am okay with that. This Moreau class has helped me take a deeper look into what each of those statements means to me right now. I have also realized that I don’t have to know what these are going to mean to me in the future. All that matters is how I can use the knowledge and experiences I have now to live a good life.
	While I wholeheartedly recognize the importance of giving and serving others, this semester has made me realize that I cannot do that without first taking care of myself. Pico Iyer says, “The need for an empty space, a pause, is something we have all felt in our bones; it’s the rest in a piece of music that gives it resonance and shape” (Week 1). There have been times this semester where I would be enouraged by my friends to hang out, even when I feel terrible and my social battery is running extremely low. I would end up waking up the next few days feeling even worse. I have learned that taking a step back, resting, meditating, and simply taking some alone time allows me to be more present with the people I am with.  Because I am more present, I develop deeper connections with my friends rather than feeling drained around them. Something I would add to my mission statement is putting time aside to check on my mental health so that I can go out and radiate happiness. As Psychologist Anthony Grant says, “people who possess greater insight- which he defines as an intuitive understanding of ourselves- enjoy stronger relationships, a clearer sense of purpose and greater well-being, self-acceptance and happiness” (Week 6). If I can radiate happiness, that adds another level to my mission of giving to others, for I am doing it with joy. 
	Being a good person isn’t just something that happens overnight. It is a constant effort, something that takes the courage to act every day. As Father Michael Himes says, “Two key virtues are crucial to give oneself away: wisdom and courage. Wisdom is more than knowledge, and wisdom preeminently knows that the other is other” (Week 3). Wisdom is developed through experiences, and I feel that as time goes on, I can learn how to serve others even better than I know now. When I was younger, I would always find things I wanted to do for others, but would forget to act on it. I need to hold myself accountable when helping others, using every day as an opportunity to help someone else in a minor way. Pope Francis says, “None of us is an Island, an autonomous and independent ‘I’ separated from the other, and we can only build the future by standing together, including everyone” (Week 7). Professor Reifenberg says something extremely similar saying “Accompaniment inverts the impulse of “how do we help them?” into an assertion—“we’re in this together”(Week 9). The biggest step for me is finding the courage to help others rather than letting each day pass by. Recognizing that they are just humans trying to make the most out of their lives, just like me, has made it a lot easier to approach new scenarios and put myself out there.
	Coming to a school like Notre Dame is special. It is not simply a higher education built to produce the wealthiest and most educated people on the planet. A part of Notre Dame’s mission statement says, “The aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice” (Week 10). It is a place that inserts love, faith, and giving into its teachings, while also providing an incredible education where students can thrive. I can honestly say that coming here has changed some of the goals I had originally focused on, and my experiences have helped me discover the values that are most important to me. The Merulo Family Center for Career Development says, “You have to know yourself first - your values, interests, personality, and skills (VIPS) - before you can make effective career choices” (Week 4). I used to have this strict blueprint of how I wanted my life to go. I would go to a good college and get my degree, then get a good job where I would make a lot of money, get married, buy a big house, live a happy life. But the truth is I have no control over any of that. While I won’t be able to control how much money I have in the future, I can control how I want to make a difference. And it doesn’t have to be some crazy change that influences thousands. The little things I do right now will contribute to my overall impact, and if I can influence the lives of just a few people in a positive way, I feel certain that will give me more joy than any fancy car or extravagant house would. 
My experiences here have made me realize what I value most in other people- and how I want to reflect those values in everything I do. My core values are trust, honesty, and sincerity. I want to be someone that people can rely on, someone people can come to for advice and be vulnerable with. This school has made me realize my core values are what will lead me in the direction God wants me to go. I truly discovered this after talking with my friends for the Week 5 Moreau assignment. Hearing how they felt about me made me realize what aspects of myself I wanted to keep, and what aspects of myself I wanted to improve. The Congregation of the Holy Cross says, “As disciples of Jesus we stand side by side with all people. Like them we are burdened by the same struggles and beset by the same weaknesses” (Week 12). In order to discover my biggest weaknesses, I need to put myself out of my comfort zone, and surround myself with new experiences and new people where I can grow and learn from different perspectives (Week 11). I enjoy putting myself in uncomfortable situations, but determining my weaknesses in new scenarios is sometimes hard for me. By keeping my core values at heart and uncovering my weaknesses, I will slowly develop the wisdom I need to live a fulfilling life.
	I know that I am not going to have a perfect life. As a kid, I used to dream about a future where everything was just the way I wanted it to be. But the hard truth is that life does not go the way you want it. I am going to struggle. A lot. But as Father Hesburg says, “It is impossible to have a complete and honest human story if one doesn’t speak of human failings as well as human successes” (Week 2). My failures are what will make my successes valuable, for if everything comes easy, what is the point in trying? A good life will be filled with bad experiences. I am not going to let those bad things determine who I am as an individual, nor will I let them stop me from living a good life. Although my perspectives may change in the future, acknowledging what my mission statement is now will set me up to live a good, honest, and fulfilling life.