A Mixture of Good and Bad Events in a Family - Personal Statement Example

Part I My life has been a mixture of good and bad events. All of them have shaped my thoughts and outlook of the world around me. Most of the good times were spent during my childhood when life used to be fun with few problems bombarding me from all angles. Most of childhood was spent either with friends or family and playing was the order of the day. Spending summers on vacations with my family counted to be the best of times. We travelled to Asia, Europe and Africa and in the process made many international friends many of whom we still communicate. This exposure to different countries, cultures and languages made me appreciate the diversity that the world has to offer. As a result I am able to speak, although not as fluently as English, a number of influential languages for example French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and a bit of Zulu. In travelling one comes across other people’s beliefs and traditions some of which seem primitive to the western world standards while others seem quite sophisticated. At times one is led to question their own beliefs on whether they are strong enough or even superior to others. As a Christian, meeting strong believers in Islam always felt like we were in completely different worlds based on the outlook that these religions give to followers regarding the world around us. It is also through travelling and interacting with different people that one best notices their biases and fears. Before the family started going on international vacations, it was hard to comprehend the fact that other countries especially in the third and second worlds could be beautiful or enjoyable to live in. It was a big shock to realise that some African countries and others in Asia are quite beautiful and people there treat visitors with utmost respect and dignity. I would be biased on products manufactured from these countries but I realised that theirs are not as chemically produced as ours are. Agricultural products for example from Asia and Africa tend to be sweeter and more natural as farmers use minimum technology and few chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides. Some of my fears are centred on a variety of animals. Coming into contact with anything that has wings or scales can make me have a heart attack. It is ironical that I love turkey and chicken meat more than I do beef or pork. I also love to watch birds fly but I would flee if one came near while the same case applies to reptiles mostly snakes and African crocodiles. Above all fears is the fear to wrong others intentionally. I have grown in a family where respect for one another was highly valued. Fearing to hurt others automatically leads to respect to people and humanity in general. I believe in Santa which is one myth that I have held on since childhood. Morality is another key aspect that my family instilled in us. Due to the strong attachment with the church, I have maintained high moral values. I have also come to appreciate that material wealth or ones socioeconomic status is not as important as self respect and respect for others. Being an American I have strong affiliation to American culture which revolves around respect for our country and, although not in line with the former, occasionally dropping at a fast food restaurant for a burger. As a result of the realisation that happiness does not emanate from material wealth I now cherish more the impact of my actions on others than on myself. In this regard money earned takes a backseat and at the end of the day the issue is always how positive and beneficial my actions were. Turning the world into a better place to live in for all humanity is my lifelong goal. I believe that to make the world a better place everyone must first of all make responsible choices in their lives and take full consequences for their actions. Although some issues like abortion are controversial it is good to have a definite stance on them from a morality standpoint. The world is a harsh place to live in and no one gets away with wrongs committed to others, which is pretty much the reality we all have to face one time or another. Counselling requires a professional to engage in intimate work with their clients. As such a professional is supposed to be fully self-aware. A counsellor is not supposed to have emotional attachment with the relationship they share with the client. In detaching themselves emotionally counsellors are able to cope with personal challenges as counselling progresses as well as establishing own limitations. Being fully self-aware facilitates complete and comfortable disclosure by clients. It is after this that the counsellor can effectively communicate with their client in a supportive manner. In expressing self awareness a counsellor will show empathy and full understanding while still being detached emotionally from the counselling process. My blind spot may relate to having conscious hidden agendas. This can potentially result to pushing the client to give partial information which is largely unethical instead of letting it flow out of them freely as counselling progresses. Overcoming a blind spot is hugely hooked to how much a counsellor is self-aware. A counsellor is supposed to uncover their deep-seated issues through some form of self counselling and make necessary changes in their personal lives. This also helps to create a high level of counselling safety for both the counsellor and the client. Creating this safety requires both the counsellor and the client to appreciate the underlying issues that could potentially harm both parties. The counsellor has more control over this than the client and they create counselling safety by first controlling their emotional attachment and secondly by controlling the extent of disclosure by the client. Not all information is relevant or necessary and direction and guidance are important to derive only the required information which will drive the counselling process forward and in a professional manner. Part II People have certain behaviours that they constantly wish away. It is the will and determination to eliminate them that eventually bears fruits. Personally, I attempted to change my smoking habit and to eventually break away from it completely. Quitting cigarette smoking is relatively hard and it takes several small and painful steps. I started by cutting down on the number of cigarettes I took per day which was easier at the beginning as I eliminated seven. Beyond this I was to do away with one packet which proved difficult. For me to cut smoking from 3 packets a day to 2 took me approximately 6 months. This means I was not determined enough to quit but to cut on intake. It is at this time that I involved my family and friends and told them of the choice I had taken and that I was finding it hard to continue. They were at first delighted to hear the efforts already made that far. As a matter of fact this appreciation of steps I had already taken made me regain considerable strength to push ahead. A number of support groups were proposed and I picked one which was near my residence at the time. It however took me more than a week to actually walk myself in the building to seek help. The support group was quite helpful and by the end of that first week I had dropped another packet. I was however having symptoms of sickness due to the sudden drop but overcoming that was a sure way towards full recovery. The support group pushed me further and in exactly 10 months I had completely quit smoking. This experience actually helped me understand myself better and appreciate the strength in intervention and prevention strategies. If it were not for the support group, I am not sure the habit would have stopped. I also acknowledge that prevention strategies are better and that such habits need to be campaigned against. The support group made it feel like we were walking the rough road together and that if I lagged behind, I would be failing all the members. This feeling made me push harder and harder everyday and eventually I conquered the monster I had harboured in me for years. This experience was an eye opener in many ways. One is that everyone has their weaknesses and that help or intervention of others is necessary in overcoming them. It also made me aware of the strength that collective responsibility has on behaviour change. It made me feel that I was not fighting the battle alone and when someone else emerged a conqueror we all felt rewarded and eager to reward others in return. This has also helped me to appreciate that a client’s problems can take a long time to heal irrespective of how small they are and that patience is the key towards success in a counselling process. Read More