If I could be someone else for a day

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If I could be someone else for a day, I wouldn’t pick a celebrity or a billionaire. I wouldn’t want to be a famous athlete or a powerful politician. If I could choose, I would be a high school counselor.

That might sound like an unusual choice, but it fits who I am. During my years in corporate America, the part of the job that gave me the most satisfaction wasn’t the reports or the business results. It was helping young people grow and move ahead. I always enjoyed spotting potential in someone who didn’t yet see it in themselves. Watching a young person gain confidence and begin to believe in their own future was always more rewarding to me than hitting any business goal.

If I were a high school counselor for a day, I wouldn’t want to spend it buried in paperwork. I’d want to sit down with students and talk about real life — the kind of practical understanding that makes the difference once school is over.

I think a lot of young people today are growing up without enough guidance. Social media gives them a picture of life that looks fast and easy, where success happens overnight and everyone seems to have it figured out. Real life doesn’t work that way. Real success comes slowly, and it comes from habits that most people never see — discipline, patience, and responsibility.

I know that because I was fortunate enough to have people in my life who showed me those things early on. That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because someone along the way passed down the right values.

I wasn’t successful because I was more clever than the people around me. In fact, school was a struggle for me. I had dyslexia before people talked much about it, and reading and comprehension were real challenges. There were times when it felt like I had to work twice as hard just to keep up. I was never the top student, and I certainly wasn’t the most academic person in the room.

What made the difference in my life was the example set by my parents. They showed me what responsibility and work looked like through their actions. I learned early that effort mattered, that you kept your word, and that you handled your obligations. Those lessons stayed with me long after school ended and became the foundation I built my life on.

I never earned a four-year college degree, and because of that I knew I had to prove myself through performance. I had to push a little harder than the person standing next to me. I learned to show up early, stay late, and be dependable every single day. Over time I discovered that steady effort can take a person further than natural talent alone.

Along the way I was fortunate to work with strong leaders who opened doors for me that otherwise would have stayed shut. Some of them saw potential in me and gave me opportunities I might never have had on my own. Those chances changed my life, and I never forgot what it meant when someone believed in you.

If I had a day as a high school counselor, I would try to pass those lessons along.

I would tell the student who struggles in school that grades don’t define their future. I’d tell them that some people take longer to find their strengths, and that hard work and reliability can carry them a long way in life. I’d want them to know that struggling early doesn’t mean failing later.

I would tell the student who feels lost that nobody expects them to have everything figured out at seventeen. Life unfolds step by step. The important thing is to build habits that move you forward — showing up, doing your best, learning from mistakes, and treating people well.

I would tell the student who believes college is the only road to success that there are many good paths in life. A person willing to work and learn can build a solid future whether they follow a traditional path or not.

Most of all, I would want each student to leave that office with a little more confidence than when they walked in. Not false confidence, but the kind that comes from understanding that their future is still in their hands.

I’ve always believed that one good mentor at the right time can change a life. Sometimes all a young person needs is one adult who listens, understands, and believes in them.

If I could be a high school counselor for just one day, that’s what I would hope to be — that one person for as many kids as possible.

Because when I look back on my own life, the biggest difference wasn’t talent or perfect grades. It was the people who guided me, the values I was taught, and the opportunities that came from someone taking a chance on me.

And every kid deserves at least one person like that.