other than that, you may stop short of the goal. You can, in
fact, not live up to your potential. Maybe you answered the
call but at some point gave up. You started down the road
but decided to retire or settle, and at some point, you let go.
You settled for good when you were called to greatness.
In the movie Finding Forrester, Sean Connery plays a
writer in his latter years of life, a recluse, confined to his
home, who doesn’t care much for visitors. This doesn’t
bode well for the young college student who tracks him
down in search of a mentor. At first, Forrester dismisses the
young man—in fact, he cusses him out and chases him
away. But eventually, the two become friends, and the
young man finds his way in life largely due to the
mentorship. At the very end of the story, the old man
realizes that although he wrote a best-selling novel years
ago, his purpose wasn’t over once he achieved a surprising
amount of fame.^8
The same is true for us and the way we pursue our
callings. Success isn’t the goal; legacy is. Ultimately, we are
called to call others; we are given gifts to be given away. All
that to say: when you find yourself at the pinnacle of
personal greatness, you may just be getting started.
The Lesson of Stephen
King’s Desk