“Don’t be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It’s the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race” — Andrew Carnegie

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “If a man is called a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’” No matter what your chosen career is, going the extra mile will always put you ahead of others. Always render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be. Building great businesses, achieving massive goals and rising to the top of your profession doesn’t just happen by accident. It happens through an incredible ridiculous work ethics and an unapologetic drive to always go the extra mile.

Hogan said, “You Can’t Have a Million Dollar Dream with a Minimum Wage Work Ethic” I have pitiably and sympathetically watched many graduates praying for a million dollar breakthrough and their work ethic is dismally discouraging. You cannot attract what you are not prepared for. What is the one thing you can do to persuade people that you are the one for the job, the one thing you can do to earn someone’s vote, the one thing you can do to persuade people to open the doors of opportunity? The answer is as simple as it is profound. The quickest way to advance your career, earn trust, persuade people to buy from you and to be first in line for new opportunity is by developing the habit of going the extra mile.

To be a master at anything you will have to first cultivate the habit of going the extra mile. One of the most phenomenal martial artist ever is Bruce Lee, referred to as “The Grand Master of Martial Art” because of his phenomenal legacy in the field of martial art. The man that blended both the traditional and modern face of martial arts rose astronomically on the wings of his core principle of always going the extra mile. He single-handedly opened the door to Hollywood to other Asian actors. The story of modern martial art will never be completed without Bruce Lee.

Lee Jun-fan, commonly known as Bruce Lee, was a Hong Kong American actor, director, martial artist, martial arts instructor and philosopher. He was the founder of JeetKune Do (The way of the intercepting fist), a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for Modern Mixed martial arts (MMA). Lee is considered by commentators, critics, media, and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century who bridged the gap between East and West. He is credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films. Lee decided to develop a system with an emphasis on “practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency”. He started to use different methods of training such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted, including fencing and basic boxing techniques. Lee was influenced by heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, whose footwork he studied and incorporated into his own style.

His habit of always going extra mile saw him lifting off the lid that has actually sealed any further addition to the traditional martial art skills. He decided to invent his own set of skills which eventually set him at loggerheads with old veteran teachers of martial art of his time. His fast and furious JeetKune Do (The way of the intercepting fist) style became so famous after his death to the extent that many martial arts instructors arguably accepted it as the face of modern martial arts.
You must be intentional in being so good at what you do. Mastering a skill takes serious time. In his best-selling book, OUTLIERS, Malcolm Gladwell opined that it takes an aggregate input of 10,000 hours to gain mastery in anything. Whether in sports, entertainment, mastering an instrument or being a good leader, you will need to always set aside time because getting better needs to be part of your everyday routine. Gain confidence; confidence comes by doing and doing. Get skilled help; a mentor or a coach. History has it that Bruce Lee usually went through training sessions of up to 12 hours at a go! In just three years he had already attained and exceeded the 10,000 hours needed to master the kung fu art to the extent that he evolved another form of martial art that was more fast and furious than the traditional martial art skills. He was a man that always refused to settle for less. His mind blowing kicks, unbelievable energy and lightning fast speed were all way beyond the ordinary.

Bruce Lee died on July 20th, 1973 in Hong Kong at the age of 32 but his legacy lives on. Fifty years after his glorious exit, it was learnt that many of the present martial art giants have their history inextricably linked to this grand master of Kungfu. Going extra mile will undeniably put you ahead of others in your field. For Bruce Lee, his philosophy, charisma and unique fighting abilities will always be a reference point in the world of KungFu. Lee’s legacy helped pave the way for new breed of action stars like Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

It’s simply not enough to just show up and do your work. Superior performance is not, never has been, nor will it ever be, the by-product of ordinary efforts. The habit of going extra mile will always put you ahead of others and also make you attract new business and new opportunities. If you want to really excel in business, school, relationship and life, go the extra mile. Give the people around you – your customers, your boss, your team, your family – more than they expect, and you’ll be handsomely rewarded with loyalty, referrals, opportunity and money. Successful people go the extra mile – and they stand out as a result. ZigZiglar said, “There are no traffic jams on the extra mile”. Apart from the lack of traffic, there is so much more to gain down the extra mile. If you don’t embark on the journey, you will never get to know what lies ahead. It’s never crowded along the extra mile.

A commitment to going the extra mile means never having to apologize for mediocre performance. The very act of going the extra mile is not accidental. Rather, it’s the result of deliberate decisions, conscious effort, and immense persistence, all directed at exceeding people’s expectations. You must always have a strong desire to over-deliver, overwhelm and ‘wow’ people with your delivery. Don’t expect superior rewards for inferior performance.

Gary Ryan Blair said, “Going the extra mile is the calling card of greatness and it represents the wisest choice among many alternatives.” Listen to any success story and you will hear of someone who worked exceptionally hard to get what they wanted. You’ll hear how they put in the extra time, did what wasn’t part of their job description, and over-delivered on what was asked of them. You’ll hear how they stuck at it until they broke through, and usually you’ll hear how it only took them a couple of years to do it. Think of what you could accomplish if you made it a habit to exceed everyone’s expectations. Imagine what doors could be open to you if you decided to be of better service and value.