ryan l.

As counselors, yes, we have a job to do, but often there are situations where we have no pull, no sway, no leverage. Greater success in this profession will come when you learn how to identify the situations you cannot change among the ones you can, and figure out how to work with what you can to make a program work.

For a while in my young career I was getting lost in the emotions of situations I couldn't change instead of focusing on the things I could and, more importantly, should.

Don't make the same mistake. Clients won't always listen or agree–even if you know you and your team are right–and it took me a while to really get that.

Sorry if this seems like an overly simplistic idea to most, but when you're starting out there's so much you must become technically proficient at that it's easy to forget all that other stuff.