Free Be All You Can Be: A Challenge to Stretch Your God-Given Potential by John Maxwell

Goals aren’t met by accident.
    A purpose also makes us extraordinarily observant. It makes us more sensitive to people and needs around us. We will look for opportunities to move forward.
    Having a purpose enables us to sacrifice beyond the call of duty. We’re willing to lay more on the line. And last, having a purpose allows us to expect more than we ordinarily would.
    What I’m really saying is this: Purpose makes the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary. A person with a purpose does things out of the ordinary, above average. Personality doesn’t make a person extraordinary. Neither does intelligence nor education. What makes a person extraordinary is purpose—the consuming desire to accomplish something in life.
    There was only one reason for David to charge Goliath: He had a purpose. The God of Israel was being ridiculed by the Philistines because the Israelites were afraid to tackle their problem. Was their God not able to help them? When we’re confronted by the Goliaths in our lives, what is it that makes us want to attack? Our first step should be to identify and examine our causes.
    Not long ago, I picked up an article about a doctor who had studied the care of the elderly. He found that people who lived to be over one hundred years of age all had one thing in common. Now, I expected to read about healthful diets and disciplined exercise programs—subjects that make me uncomfortable. But that wasn’t it; the one thing these centenarians had in common was purpose. They each had a positive outlook on life. The future looked bright; they had a reason to live.
S TONE N UMBER T WO —C OUNT THE C OST
    After we check our cause, we need to pick up the second stone with which to fight a Goliath: Count the cost. What’s it going to cost me to tackle this problem? When God measures a man, he puts the measuring tape around his heart, not his head. David not only knew what he wanted, which was Goliath, but he knew what he had to do to achieve his goals; he knew what it was going to cost him.
    To defeat Goliath, David had to pay a twofold price. Number one, he had to pay the price of criticism. When he charged his giant, he was going to be criticized.

Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when [David] spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” (1 Sam. 17:28)
    Notice that the criticism leveled at David came from his brother. While his enemies laughed at him, his friends and relatives criticized him. They said things like, “You don’t belong here. You’re too young. You’re too inexperienced. You’re proud.”
    I’ve found that before any great accomplishment is achieved in reality, it’s believed in the heart. If we need to hear the applause of the crowd before our Goliath is down, we will never slay him. We have to begin our attack in the face of criticism, believing that the applause will come later.
    In addition to criticism, you should count on some loneliness, too. I want you to notice that when David charged up the hill, he didn’t charge up there with an army. They were all in their tents with their knees knocking. I can picture them, hundreds of heads peeking out their tent flaps, probably ready to run in the opposite direction when David was destroyed. And I can see David, steadfast in purpose, moving up the hill alone. When you face your Goliaths, you won’t be backed up by an army either. You will have to face them by yourself.
    When I think of loneliness, I think of an Olympic competitor. He displays his personal skill, while the world just watches. No one jumps out of the stands to run with him. I think of Christopher Columbus when he wanted to sail due west to Asia, believing that the world was round. “Oh, no,” everyone else said, “the world is