Roger Staubach, Hall-of-Fame football player and former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, once stated, “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” It’s that road less traveled that passes by the doubters, the naysayers and the folks who have no intentions of looking beyond the status quo. It extends past the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” folks who lack the vision or the desire to explore other possibilities.
What many fail to recognize is that it’s in that extra mile that the greatest rewards can be found. There’s something oh-so-sweet about finding or creating a better way, about taking chances knowing you may fail and, perhaps most importantly, never giving up until exhausting all of the possibilities. Then trying one last time anyway.
There will always be folks who are perfectly content just showing up, putting forth minimal effort, then clocking out. They’re generally the ones who arrive late or leave early, take extended lunch breaks and spend much of their time socializing around the water cooler, playing games on their computers, and exploring the latest social media updates. And on a really productive day, they may actually succumb to a little work. They collect their paychecks, rinse, and repeat. These are basically the people who live by the Advertising 101 mantra: “What’s in it for me?”
They’re also among the least fortunate.
Because something magical happens when one switches mentality from “What’s in it for me?” to “What’s in it for you?” When replacing taking with giving—volunteering, helping those less fortunate, putting forth that extra bit of effort at the office—amazing things result.
Show up. Step up. Make the magic happen. There’s plenty of room in that extra mile.
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