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To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.
– Robert Louis Stevenson Most of us, at least in the United States, equate the phrase “Be All That You Can Be” with an advertisement for the United States Army.

But it’s more than that – it should be our aim, our focus, and our destiny.

Most of us never quite become “all” that we can be – in fact, we tend to stop far short of where we should end up.

It’s sort of like a driver (I tend to see most things in driving metaphors) who starts for a destination, but somewhere along the line, gives up, pulls into a truck stop, and says to himself “this is good enough for me.”

Now, I tend to like truck stops, as a general rule. I like to look at all the trucker stuff, and I tend to buy the corn dogs and the giant sodas – but I really don’t want to spend the rest of my life in a truck stop – and in the same manner, we shouldn’t decide to spend our life at a destination that is less than our ultimate, best destination.

Our ultimate, best destination is different for every person, of course. We are blessed with different experiences, different talents, different motivation, and different desires. We have differing wants, needs, and challenges. I may choose one destination – you are likely to choose another. Your life is not mine – mine is not yours – and thank goodness it’s not.

But there’s one thing that we share in common – we all have the ability to determine our ultimate, best.

Do you really know what you are capable of? Do you have any idea what you (or I) could do if we set our minds to it?

Most of us haven’t a clue.

Many have written about Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography – how he systematically worked on improving himself – and in the process, became a great statesman, inventor, and publisher.

But think of what would have happened if Ben had “settled.” He might have become the best printer in Philadelphia – or he might have become a very mediocre printer – but it’s likely he never would have accomplished all the things that he did.

His determination to make himself better – to find his ultimate destination if you will – left a legacy that affects each of us, to this very day.

And we can leave a legacy, as well.

The key is in thinking big – realizing that with a bit of work and imagination, we can make ourselves better and stronger.

If you took a few minutes today, would you be able to determine what your “best” end would be? Maybe – but probably not, because as we become better, we learn more, grow more, and become a greater person than we ever thought we were capable of becoming.

Look back at your own life, if you will. Many of the abilities you have now, and take as a matter of course, were unknown to you when you were a child. You never knew that world existed – until you learned more about it.

In the same way, when we become better, we open up new galaxies of opportunity to our eyes. Each new experience brings new understanding. Each task mastered brings more areas where mastery is essential.

This quest – and that’s the best way to describe it – to become “all we can be” is a journey that we all should undertake – because only when we undertake that journey, and reach its conclusion, will we have the ability to affect ourselves, our loved ones, and our society is a manner that will open up new roads, new quests, new opportunities, and new possibilities.

Copyright, 2006, by Daryl R. Gibson and Salesstar.com