Going the Extra Mile: Separating from the Pack

By: Ethan Brisby, Executive Director SHIFT Enterprise Academy

This morning I read a few pages in The Compound Effect, best described as a book that helps readers better understand how small changes in your behavior can have a “compound effect” on your desired outcomes. Today’s word was related to going the extra mile, and that is what I want to discuss with you today. 

Going the extra mile is the idea that a person can achieve success or reach an important milestone by going beyond what is being asked of them. On the job, you are asked to make 10 sales calls, but you instead make 20. In school, the professor asks you to read a chapter about marketing. You read two chapters and then spend an hour conducting online research into the topic. These are the ingredients of going the extra mile. 

What happens when you go the extra mile is that the universe aligns itself with your energy. In life, you get out of it in exact proportion to what you put into it. So if you underperform, you can expect less than desirable experiences. Whereas if you over perform you can expect your results to be in absolute alignment with your inputs. In my classroom, I like to tell my students, if you want a big fire, you need a lot of wood, but if you only want a small fire, you only need a little bit of wood. It is up to you. 

Now, there is something to be said about going the extra mile, but what we have to know about this is that there is a difference between being active and being effective. It is not just enough to be doing “something,” it is important that you are going the extra mile in the right direction. This is where we go back to goal setting and prioritizing your time. Some people think just because they are busy in various activities that they should get the same results as the person who is intensely focused on a single goal or the same results as the person working smart by leveraging the talents of those around them. 

So then, as you go into your day and remainder of this week, ask yourself what am I doing right? Consider what actions you can take right now with what you have to march in the direction of your dreams, your business goals, your life goals, or whatever task it is you have in your heart. It is easy to watch sports and realize which players have gone the extra mile over an extended period of time. Of course some people are more naturally gifted than others, but hard work beats talent, whenever talent fails to work hard. Do yourself a favor, put the work in, go the extra mile; finish the race.  

The moment you feel yourself getting tired, it is at that very moment that if you keep going you will be going the extra mile. So help you God.