Extra-Mile: The Speedometer of Life

There is no doubt, we all put miles on our life's speedometer. It is inevitable; we cannot avoid it. But, this inevitability begs a question: when is it better to put on extra miles?

Confused? Let me explain.
Whether we go to work daily, develop our own business, or enter into or develop relationships with others, there are times when it is either necessary, or just a good strategy to do more than is required, or go the extra mile to make a difference.

Take your work environment for example. Your employer requires that you do a certain amount of work, or finish a project based on a certain yardstick of time or performance. All too often, people only do what they have to and no more. Their attitude is one that portrays the notion that they don't owe anything to the company, or what is the company doing for me. When you change your attitude from "what are they doing for me?", to one of embracing "what can I do for the company", you move away from being self-centered to become more value-added. You reflect the attitude of going the extra-mile.

Consider, for a moment, that you reflect an on-going "go the extra-mile" attitude at work. Who do you think will be more likely to get a bonus? Who do you think would more likely be considered for a promotion? Who do you think would be one of the last people to be let go when downsizing, or rightsizing comes to visit?

The same notion applies to a great many aspects of life. Often, relationships will more likely flourish when each person goes the extra mile - whether we talk about the union of two people, or whether we talk about service clubs. Who would you rather be one who is known for going the extra mile to make a difference, or the one who does enough just to get by?