I have always been fascinated by human behavior. Growing up, I read books where I strongly empathized with the characters and analyzed their choices, attempting to gain insight into why humans behave in certain ways. The family I grew up in was particularly oriented towards logic and reason, but my empathy towards others was always encouraged by my family. When I went to college, I carefully considered my options. I chose a major that would pique my interest and at the same time lead to a career that would fill me with purpose: psychology. I focused all my energy on learning about human behavior and took many additional sociology courses to fill in the gaps of social effects on humans. I felt confident in my ability to be objective and compassionate towards others. However, I began to feel more and more overwhelmed as college progressed and blamed myself for not being able to be more calm and collected. This was affecting my grades, relationships with others, and overall health. The turning point for me came at the beginning of my senior year. There was a required seminar for a course of mine that focused on mindfulness. This workshop began my journey of reframing how I viewed my stress. Over time, I began to understand that I could have compassion not only for others, but also for myself. This personal growth was extremely important, not only for me, but for my abilities as a future consultant. Practicing self-compassion has given me the self-awareness to focus fully on others without letting my perception of myself affect my interactions. Beyond the compassion I feel for others, there are many reasons why I want to pursue counseling. A career where I can grow and progress is ideal… middle of paper… my experiences have evolved over the course of being an experienced psychology undergraduate student and mental health professional, I realize that the My next natural step is to become a councilor. I am an empathetic and compassionate person, capable of non-judgment and acceptance. This is demonstrated to me by my professional experiences, as well as life experiences. I have the skills that will allow me to work with people from all walks of life and give me a deep understanding of how to relate to people regardless of their race, ethnicity, creed, or socioeconomic status. The counseling profession will meet my needs to continually improve myself, learn new skills, and utilize my compassion for other human beings. The ability to continue to directly empower people to heal and grow in a more nuanced way would fill me with purpose and sustain my passion.