Personal Values

Personal Values
I grew up in a small town and was raised by a single mom who worked very hard to support her five kids. My mom believed that asking for help or receiving assistance would make others think that she was less of a person and would look down on her. She did the best she could but could have benefitted from the help human services could have provided. I was sexually molested when I was a kid for many years. I spent years in counseling as a teenager. I was also a teen mom at sixteen. I had so much help from many different agencies in the human services field that I was able to experience a variety of different social workers. For as far back as I can remember, I have wanted to help others and make a difference in a life. Seeing my mom struggle when she didn’t have to, experiencing abuse first hand, and being a teenage mother helped me choose this field. I chose the human service field because I feel I have a lot to give to others. I want to help others and give them the quality of life they deserve and help them see that they deserve help. I would like to be the kind of human service professional that does not judge someone before they meet them or because piece of paper says something about a person. I have been judged and treated badly and I have also had the opposite treatment from human service professionals. I feel that this field needs people who can treat others with empathy, genuineness, acceptance, and competence. To me, being a helper means doing all you can to better someone’s situation without actually doing it for them. Many people need help in different areas: advice, information, a listening ear, I have learned to help others through my mom, church, husband, kids, friends, and strangers. My mother was always willing to help people in need in whatever way she could. One of her favorite sayings was, “Do unto others as you would like to be done to.” I have witnessed first-hand the help that others give.
When I was young, we had two house fires and lost almost everything both times. People from our church gave us so much and provided meals, clothing, beds, and so much more. After our second fire I volunteered my services at our church and begin to give back by baby-sitting in the church day care. I helped with clothing and food drives and helped with fund raisers for people from the church who were in need.
My husband and I have helped each other over 14 years. I have learned kindness, patience, and so much more than I can put into words. I have for kids with very different needs. My oldest is bi-polar and my middle children are ADHD. I have learned from them so much about mental illness from them and continue to learn. I have learned that it take a community of people to help with helping them.
My friend’s through the years have taught me that just giving them what they need does not work in most cases. The more you give the more they expect, but when you help them to stand on their own, you build a relationship that will last a life time. And the respect that is earned is worth more than any thank you in the world. Strangers have shown me not to judge others. A first look can be deceptive in some cases, but give someone 10 minutes and your whole view can change.
The values that I believe in play a very important part in my life. The belief’s I have are important because they shape the way I live my life in a way that I think is desirable to me and those around me. Self-respect, trustworthiness, communication, and honesty are at the top of my list for values. Self-respect is important to me and my life. Whether you are overweight, not as attractive as you’d like, or whatever it is, belief and acceptance of yourself will allow you to help and accept others the way they deserve. It is what is inside that matters the most. Acceptance of yourself gives you confidence and you can help others to be confident. That can change a person’s life.
Trustworthiness is just as important to me and my life. I try to surround myself with people I can trust. As well as being a person others can trust and rely on. To me trust is a must in any relationship and cannot thrive as it should without it. I know that when others can trust me that they will feel comfortable to ask for help or confide in me.
When it comes to communication, I feel that with proper communication there can be a solution for any problem. I also think that you can make a person feel important, secure, and loved through proper communication and that is all most people can ask for. With communication I feel I can succeed at any think. My family would fall apart without communication.
Without honesty, none of the values above would be possible. Honesty is very important in my life. In my marriage, without honesty, we would not have been together as long or still in love. When it comes to my kids, teaching this value is important. It allows me to let my children grow and become independent. In school it gives me a sense of well-being and makes me feel proud to know that I have done my best with a honesty that other respect and look up to.
As a human service professional, I hope to work with families. I would like to help when they have fallen on a hard time. I’d like to assist in keeping children in the homes but to protect them above all. I hope to assist them with finding services they may need and counsel with them when it arises. I feel I would be comfortable in working with families of all types.
I think that I would have a hard time working with those who have abused their children or others’ children. I do not think I would judge them for it because, I think in most cases, they themselves are in need of help. No one can really walk in someone else’s shoes and understand why they have done what they have, but I think I could try. I know that it would be very hard. I am a strong, hard-working, empathetic person with good values and a lot to give to others. I have a family of six and a very full life. Sometimes, with school, it can all become overwhelming. I think I need to work on time management and wellness along with further education before I can help others the way they need. I look forward to making mistakes and learning from them and working to become the best human service professional I can. I have just started out in my education in the human services field, but hope to become a family social worker in the next two or three years. I feel my values will be greatly beneficial to me in this field. The life experiences I have had and the people who I have learned them from will allow me to help those in need. And, hopefully, make their lives better the way mine was made better with the help of the social workers in my past.