Exceed Expectations

Jack Canfield's Success Principle #24

According to Jack, successful people instinctively choose to do more. As a result, they generally experience great financial rewards for their efforts. What I like about this practice, though, is that it builds self-confidence. People who go the extra mile are more self-reliant and tend to influence those around them.

Go the extra mile.
When I was a teacher, I decided that I wanted to be the best teacher on staff wherever I worked. I wanted to do this by avoiding discipline problems, so I created educational games that allowed the students to learn what other teachers were presenting through textbooks.

My games were a huge hit with the kids, and the parents were happy that discipline problems seemed to disappear when their child was assigned to my class. Over time, parents began requesting that their children be placed in my class, because word got out that it was fun!

It took a lot of time to design and make the games, but the payoff was worth it. My students were happier, learned faster, and misbehaved less than others. As a result, I gained a lot of self-confidence from my habit of going the extra mile.

Give more than people expect.
When we owned a drapery workroom, I always made something extra with the left-over fabrics. I gave customers a set of pillows, a covered bench cushion, or pillow shams to go with their draperies. They were so pleased, it was easy for them to refer their friends to me. Business grew quickly, and our reputation did, too.

Jack provides examples of outstanding hotel chains, such as the Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons, where they focus on giving more than anyone ever expects. We can all have businesses, relationships, and lives that are top-notch, if we are willing to give more than people expect.

Focus on how you can give more, instead of how you can get more.
Television producer Stephen Cannell hired film school graduates to work in his mail room for minimum wage. Many of them complained that they wanted more. He marveled at how their negative attitudes got in the way of their being promoted within his company.

One day, a 40-year-old drummer was hired to work in the mail room. Steve Beers had been earning $100,000 a year, but his wife was expecting a baby, and he didn't want to travel anymore. He was willing to take just $7 an hour to work in the mail room of Cannell's company.

Everywhere, people were talking about this new guy in the mail room. He surprised the boss by getting his suit cleaned, delivered checks for the secretary, took scripts to actors' homes at midnight, and did whatever he could to make other people's jobs easier.

Cannell noticed Beers and promoted him from mail clerk to associate producer for 21 Jump Street. In just 4 short years, Steve Beers went from making $7 an hour to over $500,000 per year. By focusing on giving more, instead of getting more, Beers came out far ahead of those other whiny kids who didn't appreciate the opportunities of starting out in the mail room.

Jack's point here is not a new concept. Jesus told his followers over 2,000 years ago, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
(Acts 20:35b) What could you accomplish if you were willing to go the extra mile? Do you have the opportunity and the personal initiative to do whatever it takes?

Today's Challenge
Choose one area of your life today, and go the extra mile to give more than you get. Volunteer to do an extra task at work, take your spouse's car and fill it up with gas, spend a little one-on-one time with your kid, or surprise your neighbor with an unexpected home-baked gift. There are so many ways that you can delight others. By giving more, you'll receive far more in the long run.