start a fire.

What if I told you that one of the most sustainable and lasting forces in the world isn’t nuclear power, coal power, hydrodynamic power or wind power…

In tenth grade one of the toughest teachers I ever had the privilege of learning under gave me a final grade of 91 for biology.  At the time, a 91 was a B+, only 1 point away from an A.  I begged and pleaded for some extra credit or something to bring my grade up one point to sustain my A average to keep me in the running for valedictorian. 

She did not concede.

She gave me exactly what I earned and I was furious. I studied, took notes, paid attention intently and the highest I could get was a 91…TWICE.

I asked her to show me my grades so that I could average them myself.

The results were the same. I was devastated. I felt that she could have just given me that extra point and it wouldn’t have been a big deal.

Afterwards she told me that she really wanted to give me that extra point because she recognized my effort but she would be robbing me of a valuable life principle…

Life doesn’t give you what you don’t earn.

At the time, I did not take this lesson kindly.  I hated her so much because I thought it was personal.

3 months later, randomly, she stopped me in the hall and asked me if I ever spoke anywhere; an open mic, at church, at an assembly, etc.

I told her I hadn’t.

She then asks if I would be willing to speak at her church to her teens because she believed I was an amazing speaker.

Talk about being floored.

This teacher, who I believed was responsible for me losing out on valedictorian, believed in me enough to speak to a group of teens that she was responsible for leading.

It wasn’t until that moment that I truly realized why she never cut me any slack.

Why she refused to take it easy on me with my grades.

An overwhelming level of respect and admiration flooded me and it finally clicked…

She wanted the absolute best for me.

She showed me that my feelings have nothing to do with the results.

No one cares about your tears, work harder.

To know and believe that this teacher who was so hard on me for the sole reason of making me better believed that I was a good speaker encouraged me to such an exponential degree.

As a matter of fact, I am still living off of the encouragement she gave me so many years ago.

It is the power that is generated through the purposeful and intentional encouragement that comes from those that seek to see you succeed.

It takes no money to encourage.

It takes nothing external.

All it takes is to see the mere spark in a person that you have the ability to influence, and pour all the gasoline on it.

The fire that burns from the fuel of encouragement is a fire that cannot be contained.