why go the extra mile?

We are already so busy, why go the extra mile? Won’t that just give you yet more to do and have you feeling even more pressurised than you possibly already are?

On the contrary, going the extra mile is not necessarily about doing more. It is firstly about your state of mind, and how you feel, that causes you to want to go the extra mile in the first place. Going the extra mile then is effortless. And as a result, it brings you peace of mind and a sense of satisfaction that fuels your spirit.

Have you come across someone who is happy with what they are doing – the "whistle while you work" type of person who does just that little bit extra? How did that make you feel?

I would say that it invariably made you feel good or better than before. Good vibes always have a way of rubbing off on others. (Bad vibes too, but that is a separate story!)

Think about the times when you felt really good about yourself. Didn’t you smile more, weren’t you more giving than at other times, didn’t you take more joy in what you were doing, and didn’t you do just that little bit extra just because you felt good? And didn’t that make you feel even better about yourself?

Going the extra mile raises the quality of your life and that of others around you. It reflects your inner thoughts – your beliefs and how you are feeling - and the way that you live your life.

It's In The Details

If going the extra mile feels like a hassle for you and you don’t want to do it, that’s OK. We only ever want to do what feels good for us. Spend some time instead reflecting on what you could change in terms of how you are thinking or the action that you take to have you feeling better within yourself.

Going the extra mile doesn’t have to mean big things. It could be just a smile or a friendly hello to brighten your own and someone else’s day. Or perhaps a heart-felt "thank you" for the simple things you may usually take for granted. It’s about just that little bit extra – just because you feel good about it yourself.

I had recently taken my trousers to the dry-cleaners. It had a missing button which was fixed without my requesting it. When I collected my trousers and noticed, I told umpteen people I knew to take their dry-cleaning to that particular outlet. Going the extra mile translates beautifully into excellent customer service and referrals!

On the occasions when we have the experience of someone going the extra mile, we feel uplifted. What a wonderful surprise! After all, it was simply a small button on my trousers that had been replaced without my asking. I think that this is what is meant by the phrase, "God is in the details".

What Goes Around Comes Around

We live in a world where everything that goes around comes around. What we get back is in direct proportion to how we feel about what we think and do. Go the extra mile whole-heartedly. Do it purely because it pleases you. Then watch out for even the smallest of good things that happen for you and acknowledge it with gratitude. What comes back may be in financial form, or not. Be open to it.

If you adopted a total mindset of prosperity and abundance right now, knowing that everything that you think, feel and do comes back to you, what might you be doing differently?

Action Points

1. Go the extra mile simply because you feel good doing so.

2. Ask yourself, "If I were the other person, what would I, as the other person, want me to do and which I would feel good about?"

3. What could you do, starting today, to take better care firstly of yourself, and then of others?

4. Change your focus and focus on the positive aspects of everything in your life.

Quote

"Your success in life will be in direct proportion to what you do after you do what you are expected to do. Remember, there are never any traffic jams on the extra mile" - Brian Tracy

Back to Abundance Reminders Articles