By Bradley Pfeifer | Barstow City Counselor, Walker County

My name is Bradley, I’m a sixth year counselor from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and I’m a second-year medical student. Many of my professional goals revolve around teaching others how to empower themselves by figuring out how to start mastering their own thoughts, emotions and behaviors — rather, studying psychology.

So why study psychology? I tend to equate the question to: Would you rather understand others or only understand yourself? Good news, though, psychology teaches both understanding of ourselves and others. Psychology is a subject that you can use in every field, and will only enhance your performance in school, in athletics, in social situations and in your future career. Psychology teaches how to effectively interact with others.

Many of the patterns in which one thinks are solidified by the age of 22 — however, this age is extended with the more schooling we endure. Which means the best time to learn is right now. This is called a growth mentality, but I like to call it the “Not Yet Mindset,” meaning you understand you’re a work in progress and constantly improving yourself along the road to your goals. One day you’ll reach your goals and achieve your dreams, but not yet, as we all have to keep learning if we want to get there.

Have you ever dreamed of changing the world? Psychology also largely underlies the practice of effective and engaging leadership. I believe being a leader is nothing more than making the choice each morning to be the best person you can be that day in the service of others. To make that choice to be a leader, it is easier when we understand ourselves and how our brain works. If leadership isn’t your thing, don’t worry, that’s a normal thought for more than half the population. But psychology and leadership are still just as important because both are simply self-discovery.

In my psychology special discussions (there’s four, check out your manual for more details), we’re going to explore personality science, how to figure out both your/others’ personality, some introductory neuroscience, social (group) and political psychology, morality and decision making, as well as — most importantly — the science of happiness. You don’t need any experience in psychology to attend, just a willingness and openness to learn something new, as well as a passion to become the best person you can be for both yourself and for others.