12 April 2022 

A Dive into Development 

My goal in life is to cultivate close relationships, create a foundation of truth and openness, and pursue meaning in life through intellectual curiosity in my everyday life. As a brother, son, and friend I believe that close relationships that are founded on truth, open communication, and concern for others are key to developing meaningful relationships that have a real impact on the day-to-day lives of myself and others. I believe that building strong relationships in which there is mutual respect and care for each other provides the foundation for all people to pursue deeper meaning in their lives through different avenues such as hobbies, service, and careers. Furthermore, I believe that finding meaning through the everyday activities I do is crucial fulfillment of my own potential. I believe that a constant effort towards intellectual knowledge and close relationships with those around me is evidence of a life well-lived. One guiding principle that I strive to follow is, “to whom much is given, much is required”. I believe that the constant effort to take advantage of the opportunities by providing opportunities for others is an ongoing process that is part of the greater good of life. Ultimately, the pursuit of the continual struggle for deeper connections with others, truth, openness, and intellectual curiosity is what roots a life well-lived (Moreau Week 13). 
In week one, I focused on how I could learn to self-reflect in order to better understand myself. I think this week was important for me because it helped me to define the things that were important to me and the things I could do in order to move closer to those things. One of the main things that I identified was that I believed it was important to “[place] limits on the newest technologies” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer, Moreau Week 1). I found that by taking time off my screen I could focus on the things that really mattered. Taking time away from technology allowed me to not only understand myself better but develop closer relationships with those around me. 
In week two, I focused on the importance of what I did in my free time. Although I believe it is important to find meaning in our work, I also believe that it is equally important to find meaning in the things that we enjoy in our free time. Although for (name of author) she found meaning through “back to her community through volunteerism”, I have found recently that spending time with family and giving back is where I can find purpose and fulfillment in my life ( Domer Dozen by Tia Paullette, Moreau Week 2). 
 	During week three I took time to focus on what core values matter in a life well-lived. In a way, by identifying these values, I was able to identify goals for myself. Identifying the values that are important to me, made it easier to choose the people I wanted to surround myself with, the things I did, and who I wanted to become in the future. One of the things that resonated with me this week was a quotation from Sister Teresa that said “Suffering and death are facts of life; focusing only on the “bright and shiny” is superficial and inauthentic”  (Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die by Ruth Graham, Moreau Week 3). This focus on death helped me to identify one of my core values of making the most of the time we have.
In week four I focused on the importance of curiosity in my life. Since I was little, curiosity and learning more about the things around me have always influenced how I approached the school and the other activities I did. However, during this week I reflected on how I could turn my curiosity inward. One of the quotations that I focused on this week was “The only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life!”(Navigating Your Career Journey Moreau Week 4). I learned that learning more about myself, and the things that are important to me was also essential to a meaningful life. The more I understand myself, the better I can guide myself toward the things that are important to me. 
During week five, I mainly focused on the importance of self-improvement. During the interview with my mother, I discovered some of the limitations that self-reflection could have due to our inability to recognize certain behaviors. When talking about self-improvement with my mom I focused on the question “what is something hard to say, but something that I need to hear?” (Discerning a Life Well Lived Moreau Week 5). Something that I realized I needed to be more cognizant of was my tendency to be unforgiving and push others away. Although I learned that this was something that I needed to work on, I realized that self-improvement could not only come from self-reflection alone and that allowing myself to self-reflect with others was also very beneficial. 
In week six, I focused on how to think about self-reflection and improvement in the right way. I learned that “Why questions can draw us to our limitations; what questions help us see our potential” (The Right Way to be Introspective by Tasha Eurich, Moreau Week 6). Rather than only focusing on why we felt certain things, it is important to simply focus on what we are feeling in order to properly address these things. If we only ask “why” questions self-reflection has the potential to do more harm than good as we begin to blame ourselves. 
In week seven I focused on the importance of building meaningful relationships that extend past the superficial. One of the quotations that I focused on this week was “Happiness can only be discovered as a gift of harmony between the whole and every single component” (Why the only future worth building includes everyone by Pope Francis, Moreau Week 7). I think the important thing I took away from this week was that strong relationships were key to supporting my happiness. 
Related to my focus in week seven, in week nine I reflected on how I could positively respond to suffering. One of the key insights that I drew from this week was that “children can be incredibly resilient, especially when given structure and love” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg, Moreau Week 9).  
. When we have a network of meaningful relationships to support us, it allows us to respond more effectively to times of adversity. When we know we can depend on others, it allows us to have a more positive outlook during times of struggle. 
	Although I spent a lot of time reflecting on the importance of relationships, in week ten, I focussed on the importance of self-acceptance. One of the main quotations that stood out to me was “You think if people knew the real you, they wouldn’t love you either” (“Growing up Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh, Moreau Week 10). Without a basis in self-acceptance, it can make your relationships with others very difficult. The key to healthy relationships is the ability to be comfortable with yourself. 
	In week eleven I focused on my value of intellectual curiosity and the things that limited my ability to explore different opinions. The quotation that stood out to me during this week was “if you're online or, you know, only talking about politics to the people who are exactly like you, there's no point of thinking of a person on the other political party” (“Passion Isn’t Enough” by Eitan Hersh, Moreau Week 11). I thought it was really interesting how echo chambers significantly limited our ability to recognize the other side. As someone who wants to continually learn, I realized that it is important to find groups of people who disagree with me in order to expose myself to new opinions and perspectives. 
	Lastly, in week twelve I focused on the unconscious biases that existed in my own life. One of the comments from Martin Luther King Jr. that drew my attention was “I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they don’t communicate with each other, and they don’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other" (“I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something” by Dean G. Marcus, Moreau Week 12). I think this quotation was particularly important for me because I come very homogeneous background. I think it is important for me to recognize that many of my biases stem from a lack of communication with people with different experiences and perspectives.