Foreword

All. ..that you see I will give to you… (Genesis 13:15).

As we find ourselves in the midst of personal, social, and global change, people experience more fear, anxiety, and hopelessness than ever before. Astronomical job layoffs, family breakups, teen violence, crime, absence of spiritual values, lack of job security, and soaring suicide statistics have created a sense of urgency within people to search for the path to a better life.

In my humble opinion, Maximizing Your Potential by Dr. Myles Munroe—recognized internationally as a religious leader, philosopher, and motivational speaker—provides much needed answers.

Not only does he base his principles on the Bible, which is the greatest resource for pursuing one’s greatness, but he also lives the message that he writes about.

Born in a Third World country, surrounded by poverty and hopelessness, at the age of 16 Myles Munroe made a decision to be all that God intended him to be. Not only is he a best-selling author and a speaker in great demand, he also travels around the globe teaching from his life experiences and consulting with heads of nations and major corporations. He is a talented singer, songwriter, and composer, and plays several instruments. He is a gifted painter, pastor of the largest growing congregation in the Bahamas, and a devoted husband and father. He is spiritual counselor to celebrities and high profile people from all walks of life, including me and my wife, Gladys Knight- Brown.

Maximizing Your Potential gives you the keys to having the “authority” and dominion given to you by God over every area of your life.

It will give you the methods to discover your life’s purpose and develop a closer relationship with God.

Maximizing Your Potential leads you to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” and, whatever your goals are—whether they’re to get your life out of a rut, save your marriage, restart your career, redirect the lives of our youth, and find peace of mind, good health, and financial success—“all these things” and much, much more “shall be added to you” (Mt. 6:33 NKJV).

As we rapidly close this century, Maximizing Your Potential will be used for years to come as a torch to lead us out of the tunnels of mediocrity, fear, and despair.

…All that I have is yours (Luke 15:31 NKJV). “This has been Mrs. Mamie Brown’s baby boy” —Les Brown

Preface

The greatest threat to being all you could be is satisfaction with who you are. What you could do is always endangered by what you have done. There are millions of individuals who have buried their latent talents, gifts, and abilities in the cemetery of their last accomplishment. They have settled for less than their best. I believe that the enemy of best is good, and the strength of good is the norm. The power of the norm is the curse of our society. It seems like the world is designed to make “the norm” comfortable and “the average” respectable. What a tragedy!

A quick glance at history reveals that the individuals who impacted their generations and affected the world most dramatically were individuals who, because of a circumstance, pressure, or decision, challenged the tide of convention, stretched the boundaries of tradition, and violated the expectations of the norm. Few great things have ever been done within the confines of the accepted norm.

In essence, history is always made by individuals who dare to challenge and exceed the accepted norm. Why follow a path when you can make a trail? It is incumbent upon each of us to ask ourselves the following questions: Have we become all we are capable of? Have we extended ourselves to the maximum? Have we done the best we can do? Have we used our gifts, talents, and abilities to their limit?

Please note that the maximization of the abilities, talents, gifts, and untapped potential that lay dormant in the lives of individuals who have impacted their generations was occasioned by the pressure created by circumstances and situations beyond their control. Unfortunately, the majority of the people on planet Earth will never go beyond “the norm” unless the “abnormal” develops. It’s as though ability needs responsibility to reveal and expose itself.

I believe it is our Creator’s will and desire that we decide to commit and dedicate ourselves to, and determine within ourselves, to achieve the full maximization of our potential. Once again the questions are echoed: Have we fully utilized our abilities, talents, and gifts? Have we settled for the norm? Have we done our best? Have we allowed others to place limitations on our potential, or have we created self-imposed limitations?

It is essential that you come to grips with these questions because they are related to your personal fulfillment and your contribution to the human family, and to the pleasure of your Creator. You have been endowed by your Creator with immeasurable treasures of ability specifically designed and tailored to accomplish everything your God-given purpose demands. You are equipped with all you need in order to do all you were created to do. However, the releasing of your potential is not up to God, but you. You determine the degree to which your destiny is accomplished. You determine the measure of your own success, success that is established by the Creator’s assignment for your life.

Let me illustrate this with a personal experience. A few years ago I was privileged to purchase a name-brand video player/recorder for my family. As I arrived home with my purchase, I eagerly anticipated the exciting process of installing this wonder of technology. My children joined me as I sat on the floor of our living room to open this new treasure for our home. With unrestricted haste, I ripped open the carton and dislodged the machine from its Styrofoam packing, ignoring the manual booklet that fell to the floor beside me. Then, using the basic knowledge I had obtained from others whom I had observed installing similar machines, I proceeded to show my skill and wisdom. After connecting a few wires and turning a few switches, I was ready to test my expertise. I

took a videocassette, placed it in the machine, turned on the television, and bingo—play. As the picture appeared on the screen, I felt a sense of pride and personal accomplishment. Turning to my son and daughter, I said, “There it is; we’re in business.”

We sat and watched for a while; then something occurred that changed my life forever. The inquisitive nature of my son began to work. He drew closer to the video machine, pointed to the row of 12 buttons, and asked, “What are they for, Dad?” In my attempt to show my fatherly wisdom and adult advantage in knowledge, I leaned forward and examined the buttons. I quickly realized that I was unable to explain any of the functions indicated by the buttons except those of pause, rewind, stop, and play, and I found myself exposing my ignorance to my young children.

I learned a lesson that day that would become a major pillar in my life. Since I had ignored the manufacturer’s manual and refused to read and follow the instructions contained therein, I was unable to utilize, maximize, and fully appreciate the full potential of the product. I was settling for less than full capacity. I was a victim of living according to the standards and observations of others. In essence, the performance of the product was restricted by the limitation my ignorance had placed on its functions. This limitation of performance can also be extended to those who read the manufacturer’s manual but refuse to use the functions inherent in the construction of the product. Therefore, they never experience the full potential of the machine. They only desire to experience the minimum.

In reality, this experience perfectly describes the lives of most of the nearly six billion people on planet Earth. Many live on only four functions: play, stop, pause, and rewind. Day after day they go to jobs they hate, stop to rest in homes they despise, pause long enough to vent their frustration, and then play the games people play pretending to be happy.

What a tragedy! They never experience the joy of the other functions of their lives, such as developing and refining their skills, fulfilling their God-given destiny, capturing their purpose for life, making long-range plans, expanding their knowledge base, increasing their exposure through travel, and exploring the limits of their gifts, talents, and abilities. They have chosen to accept the fate of the millions who have resigned themselves to a normal life, with normal activities, in the company of normal people, striving for normal goals, at a normal pace, with normal motivation, with a normal education, taught by normal teachers, who give normal grades, and live in normal homes, with normal families, leaving a normal heritage, for their normal children, who bury them in a normal grave. What a normal tragedy.

I am convinced that our Creator never intended for us to be normal—that is, to get lost in the crowd of “the norm.” This is evidenced by the fact that among the 5.8 billion people on this planet, no two individuals are alike; their fingerprints, genetic code, and chromosome combinations are all distinct and unique. In reality, God created all people to be originals, but we continue to become copies of others. Too often we are so preoccupied with trying to fit in, that we never stand out.

You were designed to be distinctive, special, irreplaceable, and unique, so refuse to be “normal”! Go beyond average! Do not strive to be accepted, rather strive to be yourself. Shun the minimum; pursue the maximum. Utilize all your functions—maximize yourself! Use yourself up for the glory of your Creator. I admonish you: Die empty. Die fulfilled by dying unfilled.

This book is written for the “normal” person who wishes to exceed the norm. It is for the “ordinary” individual who has determined to be “extra-ordinary.” It is for the individual just like you who knows that somewhere deep inside, there is still so much you have not released: so much yet to do, so much left to expose, so much to maximize.

Live life with all your might; give it all you have. Do it until there is nothing left to do because you have become all you were created to be, done all you were designed to do, and given all you were sent to give. Be satisfied with nothing less than your best.

Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might unto the Lord.