Integration one The Roots of My Tree Throughout the first seven weeks of Moreau, I believe that I have grown as a person, friend, and student. I have learned how to be compassionate for others and understand that everyone comes from different areas. The various perspectives during our in-class discussions have illustrated to me the wide range of opinions and perspectives on this campus. I’ve learned to listen and accept all perspectives, even if they contradict my own opinions. I have learned a lot about other people but I have also learned a great deal about myself. I have learned what values are truly important to me and my key beliefs. I have narrowed my values into seven core beliefs. I believe that I deserve to be loved. I sometimes struggle with a lack of self-confidence. I convince myself that I am not good enough and ask myself, “why should anyone love me”. I have learned through class discussions that we all have different flaws and insecurities. In her Ted Talk about vulnerability, Dr. Brown states, “The people who have a strong sense of love and belonging, believe they are worthy of love and belonging”(“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown-Moreau FYE Week One). In the first week, Dr. Brown’s quote really stuck with me. I realized that being loved started with the self-belief that I deserve to be loved. For me, that started by accepting that I am not perfect. Through class discussion, I realized that everyone has faults and flaws that they are insecure about too. I started to gain more self-confidence and now I can proudly say that I believe I deserve to be loved. I believe that I am a work in progress. This belief might be seen as a negative thing but I actually look at it as a positive. None of us are perfect but some of us try to pretend to be. In his Ted Talk, David Brook’s stated, “There is a difference between your desired self and your actual self”(“Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy” by David Brooks-Moreau FYE Week Two). David Brooks’s words made me think about the VIA Character Strengths Survey that we https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/27120/modules/items/102678 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/27120/modules/items/105070 completed for week two as well. The survey told me that my signature strengths were curiosity, gratitude, and judgment. These were not the values I was expecting to be my strengths. I realized that those values accurately depicted my “actual self” but not my “desired self”. I strive to be a very outgoing, positive person, who brings happiness and laughter to everyone around me. I know that I am not that person yet. I am not where I want to be but I will strive to get there every day. I believe that God is guiding me on the right path. Faith and God have always been a part of my life but I would have a tendency to sometimes question God in times of trouble. In his speech, Father Pete emphasizes, “Each faith journey is unique...Remind yourself that your journey is in the loving and sure hands of God”(“The Role of Faith in Our Journey” by Fr. Pete McCormick-Moreau FYE week 5). Since arriving on the Notre Dame campus, faith has become a much bigger part of my life. I attend weekly mass and make routine trips to the grotto. Father Pete’s quote has helped me immensely, as well. With my newly strengthened relationship with God and Father Pete’s words in mind, in times of trouble, I try not to question God. I just trust he is guiding me exactly where I need to be. I believe that true friendship is hard to find and it should be cherished if it is established. In week four we learned about healthy relationships but also about unhealthy or toxic relationships. When reading about the characteristics of toxic relationships I applied the principles to my own life and realized that only a few of my relationships were truly healthy relationships. In Olivia Taylor’s article on toxic relationships, she states, “Attention is one of the rarest forms of love”(“5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship” by Olivia Taylor-Moreau FYE week 4). After reading this quote, I realized that many of my friendships are ruled by our phones. One of my friends will start looking at their phone instead of engaging in conversation. Honestly, https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/27120/modules/items/102707 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/27120/modules/items/102727 I find myself doing the same sometimes. If we are truly friends then the other person's company should be enough to entertain us. I also know that friendships can turn from slightly toxic to healthy so I will call my friends out when they are not being good friends and strive to create a better relationship. I believe that positivity is the key to success. Throughout my life, I have a tendency to turn negative. If something small happens to me I might just become negative overall. In his speech about the two Notre Dame’s, Father Grove stated, “We believe that there is no failure that grace cannot transfigure into a blessing”(“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C). At the time I read this quote, I understood what it said but it did not really resonate with me that much. However, one day in class, one of my classmates stated that they try to wake up every day and say to themselves, “Today is going to be a great day”. I decided to try this strategy out one morning, and I found that my day was way better overall. That little bit of positivity when you wake up can change your whole attitude for the rest of the day. I have now started to try to be positive about almost everything that happens to me. I have found that my life has become much better since doing so. I believe that our roots are crucial to understanding who we are. In week six, we created our “Where I am From” poems and I learned a lot about myself. I understood what experiences have had a major impact on my life and shaped who I am. In my poem, I wrote, “I am from older siblings and loving family”(“Where I am From” by Ryan DuFour-Moreau FYE week 6). This was the first line that came to mind when I started to brainstorm. I realized that my family has really been the main driver of who I am today. As the youngest child, my parents and siblings have guided me every step of the way and shaped me into the person I am. After writing the poem, I looked back at all the places, activities, and people that I mentioned and I realized that https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/27120/assignments/30499 there are many things that depict “where I am from” and they have all shaped my values and perspectives. I believe that the truth is one of the most important things in today’s society. In the world we live in there are many people out to deceive us. Whether it is news sources, politicians or anyone else, there is a war on the truth. This has put a premium on evaluating each situation and making your own decision. In the Scientific American article, as the authors discuss implicit bias they write, “There is a mountain of evidence-independent of any single test-that implicit bias is real”(“How to Think about Implicit Bias” by Keith Payne, Laura Niemi, John M. Doris-Moreau FYE Week Seven). The fact that virtually everyone has some sort of implicit bias was very surprising to me. I like to think that I treat everyone fairly and don’t have any implicit bias. Then, I began to think deeper and think about some of the examples in the article. I realized that sometimes I do have preconceived notions about people when I haven’t even met them. I made it a goal of mine to judge everyone by character. Basically, understand everyone's truth. Everyone has their own truth. We must demand the truth in our society but also see the truth of each person’s character. These beliefs are at the core of my being and I will strive to uphold them every day. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/27120/modules/items/102775