Integration 3 March 4, 2022 Moreau FYE Integration Three Throughout my time at Notre Dame, we have spent a large amount of time discerning what a well-lived, successful life looks like. My greatest rumination on success has come from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. This novel prompted me to define my own version of success. It encouraged me to think about what I wanted out of life and about what joy meant to me. Although I am young and know my judgments may change, I found that the quote, “If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, no one can tell you you’re unsuccessful,” truly encompasses what’s most important for me. This novel changed the way I look at my future and the way I picture my career and life prospects. Additionally, Outliers also gave insight on how to achieve our personal goals, as well as what other societal aspects are in play. Gladwell said that “The outliers in a particular field reached their lofty status through a combination of ability, opportunity, and utterly arbitrary advantage.” He comments that society puts altogether too much emphasis on an individual’s ability in achieving success. So much is due to opportunity, and I feel that we have been given a great opportunity with a spot here at Notre Dame. I hope to take advantage of the wonderful and abundant fortuities here to achieve my definition of success and live a well-lived life. For me, the first aspect of a well-lived life is leaving the world better than I found it. In this manner, we can all learn from Father Hesburgh, who did amazing work inside and outside the Notre Dame community through organizations like the National Science Board and the US Commission of Civil Rights. He encouraged others to work together for the common good, and this consistently inspired his well-lived life. (Week 2) I can emulate Father Hesburgh in my own life in several different ways, whether that be through my career, service projects, or simply being a good person. I first want to help others through my career as a doctor. Ultimately, after acquiring many years of experience and the resources to do so, I hope to work in underserved areas both locally and abroad and provide healthcare to areas with undeveloped or unstable healthcare systems. I also would love to work in health policy with the United Nations; my sister is currently working with the World Food Program Italy, and it seems very fulfilling and beneficial to others. I also feel that I can leave the world better than I found it through everyday actions. I can give my seat to others on the bus, smile at people I pass on the street, and pick up trash from the sidewalk. Prioritizing generosity, kindness, and inclusion in my everyday life is important to me, and I feel that over time it can have a large impact. In these ways, I hope to have a net positive impact on the world and on others, and ultimately make the world a better place. The second aspect of a well-lived life is looking forward to waking up and experiencing each day. In high school, I had a conversation with one of my favorite teachers about career prospects and the balance between financial security and happiness. I remember her saying that although her financial situation was not ideal, she woke up every morning and truly wanted to come into work. This had a large impact on me because it was such a rare sentiment among the adults that I knew. This was evident in her teaching as well; students could tell that she truly cared about what she taught and about her students. In this way, I feel that success is partly defined by the joy we find in what we do. I am very interested in healthcare as a system and how we can improve it, especially in the United States. I hope to explore this more through the minor “Health, Humanities, and Society,” but I am not yet sure how to incorporate this into my larger path. I will definitely keep exploring, but I do believe that I will find satisfaction and fulfillment as a doctor. Another aspect of joy is being happy with who I am as a person. I believe that we find confidence when we focus not on loving ourselves, but on loving being ourselves. We should focus not on constructing a person that we feel is worthy of love, but on finding joy in expressing our true and natural selves. Social media can easily hinder this, as we are constantly bombarded with ideas of who or what society thinks we should be. In this area, I hope to take after Kevin Kelly in that “I continue to keep the cornucopia of technology at arm’s length… so that I can more easily remember who I am.” (Week 1) I learned in psychology that people with a stronger self-concept have higher levels of happiness. Without so many conflicting ideas on what a fun, happy, successful person is, I can better maintain my true self and have a stronger knowledge of who I am. Finally, I feel that an important aspect of enjoying daily life is hope. As human beings, we are going to struggle. We are going to have tough days and difficult experiences. I can overcome these by maintaining faith in the future, and knowing that things always get better. This will prevent me from focusing on the negative and leaning into adverse emotions. This is essential to a well-lived life because it will increase overall joy and peace. Ultimately, if I can truly look forward to waking up each day, I will have lived a well-lived life. A well-lived life is also full of meaningful, joyful relationships. I love people. I love meeting new people, talking to people that I’ve known for years, getting to know the deeper parts of people, and laughing with people. Good people can make all the difference. I hope to continue to be surrounded by people I care about and people that care about me. Throughout my life, even in the most difficult times, I have found that if I have people in my corner, everything is okay. These platonic, familial, and romantic relationships truly are the foundation of a fulfilling life for me. My time at Notre Dame has shown me the importance of vulnerability and honesty in such relationships; I have become closest with the people that I share the most with, which was especially shown when I had the conversation about the future with my friend. (Week 5) Deep conversations lead to deep friendship, so opening up is essential. I am happiest when I am with others, so my well-lived life is one filled with people that I can laugh with, cry with, dance with, and smile with. It is also important to me to experience all that the world has to offer. I want to travel and immerse myself in different cultures and environments. I get so much joy from visiting other countries, hiking to natural wonders, and spending time learning about different communities and ways of life. The earth is such a vast and diverse place, and I want to experience as much of it as possible. I feel as though it is waiting for us to explore, and I’ve only just barely begun. At Notre Dame, I have been immersing myself more into Spanish culture through language classes and the multilingual reading club, and it is very fulfilling and exciting. I want to make memories and have stories to tell, to write about, and to remember. I want to take risks, get out of my comfort zone, and live without fear. While going to new places and situations can be scary, this is where we grow the most as humans. One of my favorite authors, Glennon Doyle, said that “If you can't beat fear, just do it scared.” I love this quotation because it shows that anxiety and apprehension should not and cannot stop us. We are capable of doing difficult things, even if it means doing them afraid. As such, I want to take advantage of the beautiful place that Earth is, and the beautiful diversity of thought and community that humans have created. While I am sure that my definition of a well-lived life will grow and change as I get older, these core principles will remain the same. In this way, Notre Dame acts as “a place to go from” in that it prepares us to go into the world and live the best life possible, no matter what that means to each individual. I am so excited for the next three years and for the world beyond.