Legendary storyteller Mark Twain told about a man who died and met Saint Peter at the pearly gates. Immediately realizing that Saint Peter was a wise and knowledgeable individual, he inquired, “Saint Peter, I have been interested in military history for many years. Tell me who was the greatest general of all time?”

Saint Peter quickly responded, “Oh that’s a simple question. It’s that man right over there.”

“You must be mistaken,” responded the man, now very perplexed. “I knew that man on earth and he was just a common laborer.”

“That’s right my friend,” assured Saint Peter. “He would have been the greatest general of all time, if he had been a general.”

Beware of giving yourself a similar “general court martial” by shortchanging your potential. All of us are created with the equal ability to become unequal. Those who stand out from the crowd like Pope John Paul XXIII or the Apostle Peter have learned that all development is self-development.

Remember, growth is an individual project and the crowd will eventually stand back to let a real winner shine through.