What Heroes Do Best

This Monday let’s kick off the week with a spark of inspiration and an activity to get us motivated and inspired.  

Take a moment to reflect on one of your heroes...

• What does having that hero mean to you?

• What qualities do they embody that inspire you?

• How has their story or example impacted your own life?

I have a few heroes, but my ultimate inspiration has always been Michelangelo. As an art major in college, I was captivated by the artist’s brilliance. His words, “The sculptor’s hand can only break the spell to free the figures slumbering in the stone,” still echo in my mind. For me, this beautifully captures the essence of our work as educators and counselors.

Just like sculptors, we help free our students from the challenges that confine them, empowering them to create their own path and their destiny with questions and support.  As solution focused counselors, we seek that out constantly, by focusing on what they want and freeing them from the problems that hold them back.

Today, more than ever, our students need us.

They are constantly searching for heroes—whether they realize it or not. Unfortunately, they sometimes look to less-than-ideal sources, such as social media influencers or celebrities, who don’t always make the best decisions for themselves. These figures can shape their perceptions and behaviors in unhealthy ways. 

Think about the students you work with.

There might be one who feels invisible at home because their parents are too busy to connect. Another might be grieving a loss and feeling lost as a result. Still others may have lost their drive, believing that their efforts at school don’t matter because they lack encouragement at home.

This week let’s act and be even more heroic. 

Choose one or two students who you know are struggling to stay on track. Invite them to talk with you. Start by sharing a personal story—a time when you felt stuck and managed to move forward. Mention someone who inspires you…a hero.  Just be a human talking to another human and sharing something special. Then, shift the focus to them.

Ask them about someone they know who has overcome struggles and kept going. It can be someone personal or famous. Help them recognize how those examples can inspire their own journey. Ask them to think about those heroes as they go through that day.

Check back in a few days and ask, “What’s going better?” If they don’t know what’s better right away, wait and be patient. 

Because here’s the truth: Heroes never give up, and neither should we.

Let’s make this week about being the kind of hero our students need.