Moreau 4/29/2022 Moreau Mission Method: Will’s well lived life I believe that the key to a life well lived is surrounding yourself with loving, life-giving relationships. When I am supported and encouraged, I become the best version of myself and can help others live their lives well too. I believe that the ability to truly listen is the most important asset I can have. When I listen to others, I can better understand their viewpoint and learn from them. I believe that success is based on the impact I have had on others. I can find success even in the smallest of interaction, if the other person I interacted with walks away better than he/she was before. I believe that I should never stop improving, learning, or growing. The age old saying “you learn something new every day” holds a lot of truth. I believe that fun and laughter should take place in my life everyday. Work and seriousness are extremely important but if I don’t slow down to enjoy life every once in a while I am going to miss it. Finally, I believe that if I follow the beliefs above and practice them daily at the end of each day I will be able to look back and say that I am the person I want to be. My mission starts with who I surround myself with. I thought back to earlier in the year when we read Father Greg Boyle’s book and listened to him speak in class. He not only is a great role model but also imparted the importance of surrounding yourself with people of diverse perspectives that will make us more well rounded better people, specifically his story about the prisoners sharing the meal; “Alone they didn’t have much but together they had a potful of plenty” (Week 7). My mission statement embodies this lesson of sharing our gifts with others. As Father Hesburgh wisely says; “We do not prove something by tearing it down. We prove something by building it up” (Week 2). I believe that my mission statement when followed correctly sets me on the right path to live a fulfilling life surrounded by loving relationships with friends and family. Listening is a large part of building up others as well as improving ourselves.“Because mainstream sources — schools, textbooks, media — don’t provide us with the multiple perspectives we need” (week 10). As we read in week nine we can learn from everyone even the places we least expect it “They accompanied me – especially the kids – as they taught me Spanish, and as they helped me understand the complexities of their lives and the possibilities for finding some paths forward, which we began to work on together” (Week 9). The missionary learned from the children even though he was the one there to teach and help them. This is because he was forced to listen and learn from them due to his illness. He found that the children were not much different than him; “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; like them we are made new by the same Lord’s love” (week 12). We can learn alot from others, especially those who have been on this earth longer than us because they have lived through many of the adversities we face and can offer advice. This is another great reminder that we never know it all and there is always room for improvement, just like my mission statement says. Our lives are not defined by our jobs or career or how smart we are, I remember from one of the career discernment discussions we heard; “There is no ‘best major’ out there - but there is a ‘best major for you” (Week 4) and “The more time I spend away from my work, the better that work will be, most often” (Week 1). I believe that work is important but it is equally if not more important to stop and enjoy the life we have been given every so often. “Joy always pushes us forward. It’s an impulsion, a pressure to move forward, to do more, to extend oneself more deeply, more richly, to open one's talents even more widely than one had before'' (Week 3). Fun has its place in each of our lives and can bring meaning and purpose to it. It also can be great motivation that can improve our work lives and our relationships with others. Finally, I believe in standing by our mission statements. However, that does not mean shoving them down other people's throats. “In sports fandom and in the kind of shallow way that people engage in partisan fandom, that second step is never made. There’s never a goal to convince a Yankee fan to come to the Red Sox” (week 11). I really enjoy this sports metaphor and think it is a great reminder to be respectful to others' opinions even if we disagree with them. We can not grow ourselves nor help others on their path to live a life well lived if we shut out and belittle their ideas and opinions. Overall, I believe that reading and practicing this mission statement each and every day will help me pursue my life well lived here at Notre Dame and beyond. Works Cited “https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ ” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1 Father Hesburg - in the movie Hesburgh - Moreau FYE Week Two Three Key Questions (adapted from Fr. Michael Himes) - Moreau FYE Week Three “https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/” - Moreau FYE Week Four “https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/” - by Tasha Eurich Moreau Week Six https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40380/files/523817/download?download_frd=1 = by Greg Boyle Moreau FYE Week Seven https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing - by Steve Reifenberg Moreau FYE Week Nine https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bdVnfLDrJUJhd-4UtYb_kfRpcFgOoOeY7O1WT8_d3iw/edit - by Dr. Robin DiAngelo Moreau FYE Week Ten https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/ - by Eitan Hersh Moreau FYS Week 11 https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ - by Dean Marcus Cole Moreau FYS Week 12