Beliefs That Make Me Who I Am Moreau Integration Assignment: I believe that I am the only one who can live my life (Week 1) Now that I’ve been at university for several weeks now, I can clearly see that I am responsible for my own life. No one is going to hold my hand through studying, no one is going to wake me up to get to class on time. I am the only one who can make those decisions for myself. I am truly an independent adult now and that means I need to do stuff myself. From week one, we talked about vulnerability. Drawing from Brene Brown, who says that being vulnerable will result in joy and excitement. I know that I will need to push myself out of my comfort zone to be able to live my life because I am the only one who can do that. (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brene Brown) I believe that my qualities make me strong (Week 2) In class, we got to talk and share our top five traits that we got from taking the quiz. It was interesting to see how different everyone’s traits were. Sure, many had one or two of the same, but no one has all of the same five. From this lesson, I realized that even if my traits are different than others, they still make me strong and who I am. Everyone is living their own lives so everyone is going to have their own traits. One of my traits was prudence, which sounds not like a good one. But I am thankful for that trait because even if it makes me sound like an old lady, it makes me strong. From week two, David Brooks talks about Adam 1 vs Adam 2. “Adam 1 is built by building on your strengths. Adam 2 is built by fighting your weaknesses.” Is a quote that I found interesting, and I hope to continue to grow in both to make me strong. (“Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy?” by David Brooks). I believe that cultivating a relationship with God is crucial to a happy life (Week 3) One of the big deciding factors for me (and many of my classmates) is that I wanted to grow my faith here. After spending many weeks here, I have felt such a loving and supportive presence all around me. Whether it’s going to the grotto with my team, attending my dorm mass every Sunday night or even walking around campus, I am happy to say that I am a child of God and because of that, I am living a happy life. From week three, Father Pete talks about how figuring out your path and faith is a self-journey that only you can embark on. How we deal with irritating and unfair “knots” will help us grow as individuals into the person God created us to be. I think with God’s guidance, I’ll be able to do all things. (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” from Father Pete McCormick). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be I believe that I forge life-giving relationships by being a good listener (Week 4) I have learned in my lifetime that people like to talk about themselves, they like to be heard. I think being able to show someone that you care by listening to them talk about their day or rant is such a powerful way to bond that I believe being a good listener will result in those strong relationships. At the same time though, you want to be able to have that reciprocated. It’s tiring to constantly be asking about their day but not have it be asked back. So being able to see that might be the case then it would make sense to find a life-giving relationship somewhere else because it’s not a friendship if it’s one-sided. The Red Flag Campaign talks about being able to recognize these toxic/unfair relationships so being able to register that is important. Starting to create a relationship starts with showing empathy and being able to give your time to hear them out. ("Healthy Vs. Unhealthy Relationships" by The Red Flag Campaign). I believe that I grow by pushing through challenges. (Week 5) It is quite apparent that college life is tough. Already, I have had to face many challenges and I know there will be more. But at the same time, I am stronger than I was when I started. Challenges are hard but if I can “Trust the power in you.” (Harris) then I will be able to grit through these challenges to come out on top. The experience you engage in whether they are positive or negative are all things that you can learn from to help you grow. When something challenges you, there’s a moment where you need to decide if you want to stay on those hot coals or not. (“2021 Laetare Medalist Address from Carla Harris). I believe that life isn’t all about work (Week 6) Based on the poem that we wrote, I can happily say that my childhood was really great. A lot of those memories and experience have shaped me into the person that I am today. I had so much fun, and I hope that I can continue to be able to live vicariously through my childhood self and know when to slow down, pull back and be able to take a breather. So, I don’t want to feel like to be happy I have to be successful through work. Being able to apply an appropriate balance is vital for this idea. (“Where I’m From by George Ella Lyon). I believe that my community should be able to except everyone (Week 7) Stereotypes, assumptions, and opinions plague our world and the only way to get rid of them is to have these deep conversations about treating everyone with respect and fairness. People are so quick to jump to conclusions and are unable to hear the full side of the story. Cancel culture is really something that is dangerous, and people need to understand that we are just people. Our community needs to be able to except everyone because we are all trying to live and coexist; we need to expect ever as they are because we would want that treatment for us too. (“How to Destroy Truth” by David Brooks) https://drive.google.com/a/nd.edu/file/d/0B93cIKOnINCLS1JpUzZ5Q1JseGs/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/a/nd.edu/file/d/0B93cIKOnINCLS1JpUzZ5Q1JseGs/view?usp=sharing https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28308/modules/items/106107 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28308/modules/items/106107