Unstoppable   Inspiring Lessons for The Unstoppable You

Lesson #3
When it's Darkest, that's when the Stars Come Out

Perhaps I owe Levi a large dose of gratitude. After all, he single-handedly forced me to change the way I teach forever. I've told this story to tens of thousands. Funny, on the day I exploded, I didn't see it that way. It was just Levi doing what he did best...being a pain in my "class."

I was given a ride back to work after dropping off a school van that day. As we approached the building, I saw Levi standing boldly in front of the school, smoking pot. You might say he was taking his own "class trip." I jumped out of the van and hauled him to the office, where he lied and denied it all. Later that same morning in my class, Levi walked by me and said, "Thought you got me", while laughing. I was at the breaking point. I grabbed him by the shirt and laid him on the work table. I had my nose one inch away from his, and I was screaming at the top of my lungs. Specks of spittle rained down on Levi's face.

I have said it for years, that those in the teaching profession are thirty seconds from losing their job each day. How? Some kid pushes your buttons on a bad day and refuses to stop, and you lose it. What you do in those next thirty seconds could determine the rest of your future. Well, on this day, I was literally about ten seconds away from slugging a major attitude adjustment on my "favorite" student. Luckily for Levi, he didn't smart off at that moment, because if he would have said anything--even help--this story would have a whole different ending. When I finished shouting at Levi, I turned to the rest of the class and yelled, "The rest of you, get busy!" Boy, they got busy. I scared them all! But when they left that day, I couldn't help but think Levi was the hero. He caused me to lose it. I pictured kids coming up to him and congratulating him, saying, "Dude, that was cool. Glad it wasn't me. Did you see that vein ready to pop out of Conrad's head?"

That was the exact moment I remembered Dad's story of twenty years ago. "Son, look for the pony." I realized there had to be a pony around here somewhere, 'cause I was up to my neck in the horse poop!

What I decided to do was give the kids something positive every Friday. Back then, I called it the thought for the weekend. One Friday, while they were lined up to leave, I told them, "When it's darkest, that's when the stars come out."

Most of them laughed and said, "So does the moon." Some looked dazed and confused. Come to think of it, that's how they always looked. There was one kid, Dale Musgrave, who got it. You could see the lightbulb come on. The others didn't have a clue.

When I was in high school, I led the league in scoring, not just my team. But during one crucial game, I went down right before halftime with what was thought to be a sprained ankle. Knowing I needed to play if the team was to have a chance of winning, coach pointed right at me in front of everyone and said, "Son, when it's darkest, that's when the stars come out!" I played the second half. After the game, I was told the ankle was separated. We lost the game, but I never lost the saying. It would become a belief and the belief would became a conviction that not only changed my life, but Dale Musgrave's as well.

Dale was a wrestler on our high school wrestling team, so talented that he qualified for state. However, the week before state, Dale broke his hand at practice, ruining his chance to compete for the championship. He went home that night with his hand in acast and his arm in a sling, and his father told him that the guy he beat at districts would take his place at state. CHSAA rules prohibit anyone from wrestling with a cast on their arm. That night, in his living room, Dale held his cast up in the air and told his dad, "When it's darkest, that's when the stars come out!"

All week long at school, classmates, teachers, and teammates said, "Tough break"--literally-- "but you've got nothing to be ashamed of." To everyone, Dale's reply was, "When it's darkest, that's when the stars come out." Those words became his power from within, and the power from within is Unstop-pable!

Because he earned the right to go to state, our school allowed him to travel the 250 miles to Denver, even though he couldn't compete but Dale had another plan. After the excitement of the opening ceremony, he turned to his coach, Roman Gutierrez, and said, "Cut the cast off. I didn't come to watch; I came to wrestle!" Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Dale was looking for the pony. Dale's pony would be the power from within, and the belief that his one good arm would beat all of the other wrestlers with two.

In that hour of darkness, a star was about to come out and would shine so brilliantly that it would light up the entire arena. On that weekend, Dale didn't just wrestle, he won the state championship, with a broken hand! Afterward, he could not even hold up the cardboard bracket of his championship matches. They recast his hand immediately. Coach Roman Gutierrez would eventually go on to win five state championship team titles, ensuring his spot in the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest high school wrestling coaches in Colorado.

When Dale got back to class on Monday, he stuck his good hand out at me. At first,being a wood shop teacher, I thought he cut himself. "What's the matter?" I asked.
"Nothing," Dale said. "I just want to shake your hand."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because, I just won the state championship, and I wanted to let you know you were a big part of it."
"How was I a big part of it?" I questioned. "I didn't teach you any moves or techniques."
"No, what you taught me is that no matter how dark it gets, my star can still shine. Thanks man!"

I'll never forget what I did next. I walked up to my desk, opened the drawer, and pulled out a letter that I had worked on for a long time. I read the words on the letter that day and thought about all the problems with my program and job, and what had just happened with Dale. Then I took that letter, tore it up, and threw it in the trash. What I threw in the trash that day was my letter of resignation. Back when I first told Dale's class "When it's darkest..." and they all laughed and made fun, I figured the heck with this. I don't need this job and the hassles. Thank God, Dale helped me to find the pony. Along with that, I would need to learn to break the chains...

The Unstoppable You lives for when it's darkest...because that's when you shine the brightest. Shine on, shining star!