Ryan Kwapniowski's FLP Portfolio
Personal Mission Statement
In the end, I want to know that I lived my life and continuously grew by opening up and learning to love. I want to take every chance to step up and realize ownership of who I am and what i've done by becoming more confident and taking more risks. I hope to develop my relationship with God and strive to put a smile on the faces of those around me by reaching for my dreams and becoming who I was meant to be because I know "the best is yet to come".
Reading this mission statement from September of 2013, I can't help but notice how far I have come in almost everything I hope to accomplish. That I lived my life: I want to make sure that I leave no stones unturned. Everything and anything I want to achieve in my lifetime is possible and I just need to make it happen for myself because things in life are not passed down to you on a silver platter. To grow by opening up and learning to love:One of the hardest things for me to do is recognize other peoples want and desire to be included in my life. I often at times fail to realize that for people to be able to feel apart of my life I need to be open and tell them what is going on and how they can help me. By doing this, I hope to one day be able to find love. This has often been a struggle for me because I continuously have a fear of the unknown and the future. I have forever longed for children of my own and know that one day that could be possible gives me great power and happiness. To take a chance and realize ownership of who I am: Risk is not my biggest friend. Fear often stops me before I even have the ability to take a chance on things and to have the ability to be confident and say this is me and I am fully capable is one of the qualities that I feel I have gained through this and other experiences. To develop my relationship with God: Going to a Jesuit Catholic Private University facilitates in the whole faith department, but I am overwhelmingly thankful that I was given an opportunity to view Christ in different lights. I found a friend who attends weekly Lutheran Services with me which were more traditional than the contemporary services I was used to at home. To strive to put smile on others faces: I have not only recognized the importance of my happiness, but also of other peoples. There are greater and bigger pictures in the world that we don't understand and to see the smile of another person is to see a piece of the puzzle. Reaching for my dreams and becoming who I was meant to be: Ultimately, when I do what I love and do it for other people, my passion and my love will rub off and hopefully inspire others. God has a plan for each of us and I know that the Freshman Leadership Program was in the plans for me and I am so thankful that He gave me all the opportunities and resources to be able to make all my mission and goals come to life even though I know with his plan, "the best is yet to come"!
"Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless."
- Jamie Paolinetti