I enrolled in the Army right out of high school in the mid 80s.  The “Be All That You can Be” Army campaign was going strong. I can’t remember if I joined because of that motto.  Pretty sure it wasn’t.  Back then, for me, it was all about independence as fast as I could get it.  I wanted complete freedom to do  what I pleased, when I pleased.

Well, basic training, quickly dispelled my self imposed myth of freedom from rules and curfews.  Not only could I not come and go when I pleased, I was even told when I could and couldn’t eat.  I thought I was having a nightmare and would soon wake up in my old house to the sound of my mom calling me for dinner. Those were the good ole days.

I will say that the Army, with all of its strict rules and regulations, did teach me to be all I could be.  I came to realize that they were not trying to make my life miserable for the sake of misery, but there really was a method to their madness.

You see, to be all you can be, takes sacrifice and self discipline.

What does it mean for you to be all that you can be?

Take a moment and think about that.  For me it means, every gift and every talent that I have, I am actively engaged in using it to serve others.

You see we were not put on this earth for the pursuit of our own gain, but rather we were placed on earth to serve one another with the gifts that God gave us.

So often times, we get caught in the trap of seeking monetary gain for everything that we do.  I’m not saying that we should not seek a way to support ourselves. But what I am saying is that we should have a healthy relationship with money.

Being all that you can be is not determined by how much money you can make, but rather by the lives that are changed because of the value you have added to their lives.

I believe that if you pursue serving others and adding tremendous value to their lives, the money will soon follow.

To me, that is how you can “Be All That you can Be.”