Are You Going The Extra Mile?
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I want to ask you today one thing…Are you going the extra mile? What do I mean by this? I mean taking the time to improve everything that you do on a consistent basis.
Here are some tips on GOING the extra mile…
1. Be EARLY. (Not on time).
As my band director said in high school,if you’re on time, you’re LATE. This statement is completely true and most people don’t think about this one fact. If you arrive to your appointment at the specific time, then you really are late. You don’t have time to mentally prepare for the task at hand. You need at least 10 to 15 minutes to get in the right state of mind.
To be effective, you must be FOCUSED on the task at hand, not worrying about the time. Suggestions for being early are to leave a few minutes earlier to account for traffic (if you are presenting something), listen to some relaxing music on the way to whatever it is that you are doing (classical, jazz, techno, any type of music that you really enjoy).
I also recommend you take several deep breathes to clear your head.
2. Ask the deeper questions.
This is HUGE. I know when you first start out building relationships with people you might ask, How are you? etc…BUT now if you want to go the extra mile, start to notice EVERYTHING you can about the people you come into contact with.
For instance, instead of me asking “How are you?” to someone named Imir Fadul(that is a fake name) I would definitely ask them where they are from and how to pronounce their name, etc.
Now, whats the difference between how are you and that question I just asked? The question I just asked made him THINK and I can bet you most of the people that he’s come into contact with have never bothered to ask him questions like that.
Also, if you see some content that the person that you are trying to build a relationship with, ask them deep questions about their content. For instance, if I saw an article specifically on SEO (search engine optimization), then I would ask him how many searches of a keyword do I need to target in order to get in the top ranks on Google. See the difference?
3. Following through with your commitments.
Whether it’s simply telling someone,”Hey I’m going to run to the store to get a few things” or “I will get you that information as soon as possible” FOLLOW through with your commitments. Nothing is more agitating than someone telling you they are going to do something and you never hear or see from them again. This happens a lot.
I struggle with this myself because I’m such a busy person, but I am working on this. I suggest a planner (whether it be a written or mobile type) to keep up with everything that you must do. I know it’s essential to have these because it is impossible for the human brain to remember everything that needs to be done.
4. Always set your aim HIGHER than you think is possible.
Why are we programmed at such a young age to think certain things are not possible? Is it the media? Is it our parents? Is it our peers that we hang around with that tell us these things? It simply amazes me at the people who think certain things are just impossible and can never be done. Let’s take for example the recent Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram. He made history last night by becoming the first player from the University of Alabama to win the trophy. He has a rough up bringing and from what “society” says, he’s suppose to amount to be a nobody. Well my friends, he defied the odds. He has a quote that he said before they presented the trophy, he said,
“Anything is possible to those who have a strong will” – Mark Ingram
I firmly believe that because he became not only the first person from University of Alabama to win this, but also he became the third sophomore in history to ever win a Heisman. I know the race for this was close but he ended up winning. It’s all about your will and mindset. He made up his mind that he was going to be successful no matter what adversity he encountered.
5. Learn to become a LEADER.
A good way to look at life is that the followers of life will always complain about the situations and perhaps even play the blame game on the other person. LEADERS in life are ALWAYS looking for solutions to their challenges (notice I didn’t say the word problem here as it isn’t a part of leader’s vocabulary) Awake the leader within in you and start doing your own thing. How do you become a leader? Start hanging around people who are. Their characteristics will start to rub off on you and people will begin to follow you 
Suggested reading on this subject is The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership Workbook By John C. Maxwell. This book is incredible for developing your leadership skills.
Bottom line: Take the necessary steps to GO the extra mile. Don’t let anyone stop you from achieving your dreams and surround yourself with successful people.
Speak soon – Ryan
Filed Under: Personal Development
Daryl Whicker (18)
Amanda (8)
Aaron Wyssmann (6)
eric goldstein (6)
Theresa Moss (5)
Andre (3)
Kathy Jodrey (3)
Great advice Ryan! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Ryan for all of this great information. I agree with every point! You always over deliver with your blog post’s
I love the book 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership Workbook By John C. Maxwell.
Thank you for sharing. You’re a true leader!
.-= Daryl Whicker´s last blog ..Do You Have An Interview Process? =-.
Thanks for the tips Ryan, they are truely helping me to become a better person and leader.
Hi Ryan,
Great advice you gave here, especially the one about being late. I relate to that one the most because I have always hated having to be anywhere at a given time. (Must be pyscoligical residue left over from school days!)
Keep on pumping out the value!
.-= Theresa Moss´s last blog ..Social Media Etiquette – Quick Tip =-.
I’m all about being EARLY! This
point is so HUGE… most opportunities
come from just showing up at the ‘right’
time.
Thanks brotha man:)
.-= Eric Goldstein´s last blog ..Creating Abundance In Your Life and Social Media =-.
I think overall Business is an ART itself. The form of highest self-mastery you can attain in business is INTEGRITY. I read today from Donald Trump’s book “Think Like a Champion,” Integrity is what carries you forward in business, It’s as simple as keeping a word or remembering what your words were.” And building highest form of integrity requires that you build it brick by brick. One brick at a time. And what you outline above are perfect example.
I’ll be honest with you one thing I’m going to master everyday is being early. That’s a little bit of my weakness.
I enjoyed your blogpost today Ryan!
Keep up the GOOD WORK!
I’m truly honored to know you
Love Light & Blessings
.-= Therese Miu´s last blog ..A Special Tribute to Jim Rohn His Life a Masterpiece (September 17, 1930 – December 5, 2009) =-.
Ryan,
Buddy those are some great points my friend. I definitely need to work on #1. I think I was running late to my own birth and I still continue to do it. Thanks for the great reminder.
Aaron Wyssmann
.-= Aaron Wyssmann´s last blog ..3 Principles of Success & Ambition…Laid Out by Benjamin Franklin =-.
Ryan, this is a great post. I love the fact that all 5 are practical, actionable points.
You are going an extra mile my friend… and as Wayne Dyer once said, “It’s never crowded along the extra mile”.
Thank you Ryan.
Peace & blessings,
Andre
First of all, I love all the responses. Thank you ALL for commenting/ retweeting/etc..
@Mandy – Thank you for your kind words. I really do appreciate it. Look forward to seeing what you’re gonna do in 2010
@Daryl You’re so inspirational. Thank you for reading and always being supportive. We’ve got a lot of stuff to do. Look forward to our conversation today.
@Kyle – You are more than welcome. Our Think and Grow Rich conversations are really gonna change a lot of stuff for both of us
@Theresa – Well, you need to start being early missy! (jk) Am I gonna have to keep tabs on you? I thought it was suppose to be the other way around :p
@Eric – There’s a quote that reminds me of what you were talking about, it states “Pessimists see the difficulty in every opportunity while the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty” Just something to keep in mind
@Therese – Its funny how we all just CONNECT in this world isn’t it? It’s truly a blessing to know you as well. I love what you’re doing and I’m looking forward to our JV soon
@Aaron – Thanks my friend. It’s something a lot of us (even myself) struggle with. I like to arrive “fashionably late” to things but I gotta change that. haha. Enjoyed our conversation last night. I know you and Aaron are gonna become great friends.
@Andre – I love that quote. I’ve never heard it before but I do love Wayne Dyer. He had a series on TV that they showed a while back. I don’t watch too much TV but I did happen to catch it and it was INCREDIBLE. Thank you for your comment
Hey Ryan!
Great, crucial points!
The obvious that easily gets missed is being early.
Luckily its one of my pet peeves of the world so I make sure that I’m always early.
Thanks for stretching the extra mile!
.-= George Fourie´s last blog ..How To Protect Your thatMLMbeat Blog With Your Own Domain Name =-.
Hey Ryan! Awesome advice! Thank you for sharing and reminding us of these keys to ultimate success by going the extra mile. Keep up the great work! Your always pumping out valuable info!
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Coming To You Live From My Closet… =-.
Hey Ryan. Great post! Thanks for the amazing wisdom and insights. I totally agree with your idea of being on time actually means come prepared for the appointment / meeting.
It is critical to being successful and accomplishing great results. The other point about leadership, and I use this with my team is eliminating negative words like problems from our vocabulary. I have even gone so far as to remove the word challenges as well and replace it with opportunity to grow and learn something new. Thanks again.
Make it a great day!
God Bless,
-ed