The Road Less Traveled

“On the road to success, You can be sure of one thing...There is never a crowd on the extra mile.”… Everyone has heard about going the ‘extra’ mile, but what constitutes that little bit of ‘extra’ and how come only certain people are successful in traversing this outer limit most people restrict themselves from?


The difference between going the ‘extra mile’ and ‘not’ really doesn’t take much, and often-times it can constitute something so simple that it will make you wonder why everyone doesn’t implement such things into their everyday lives.


So, what does it mean to go the ‘extra mile’? You can always tell if you have accomplished and traversed this little bit of ‘extra’ because you will have evoked that ‘Wow’ factor in those around you. It might just be something as simple as taking out the trash, or just going out of your way to hold the door for a stranger, but these ‘small’ things in life are usually more meaningful than we realize. Think to yourself about at time recently when someone went out of their way for you. It can be something diminutive or it can be something on a larger scale, but these actions and expressions are usually unexpected and make for a pleasant surprise to those around you.


The most important thing to remember is that doing something a little added and extra shouldn’t be something you should think twice about. Where does this extra mile come from? It comes from you! When passing through each day of your life, your attitude and mindset should always be attuned with this type of thinking, as it will reflect in the way people view you on both a personal and professional level as. Success in any facet of life isn’t attained by being ordinary. It is only by exceeding expectations and standing out that will help you be on the fast track to getting noticed. The fundamental principal in the ‘extra’ mile dynamic is in your prevailing attitude regardless of what the situation has to offer. If you can find the opportunity in any situation, good or bad, to look at the glass half full, that alone will separate you from the rest.


A good example of this is to consider the art and act of customer service. Nowadays, it seems that the emphasis on most businesses is placed more on the visual attraction factor than on the service and customer relations aspect. Think about the last few times you had someone help you or take your order whether it was at a restaurant, shopping center, car repair shop, or fitness facility… How were you greeted? WERE you even greeted? Do you feel you were catered to and that the employee you were in contact with made you feel important? Were there any special touches added to enhance your experience? Did that person go the ‘extra’ mile? More often than not, the answer to all these questions is a big ‘No’. The sad reality of it all is that these days we have grown so accustomed to being treated this way that it is now ‘socially acceptable’ for an experience to lack any customer service or unexpected pleasantries. I, for one, hardly even expect it anymore and I’m sure when you think about it, you’ll feel quite similarly.


Working in the healthcare industry, where the focal point is on providing and bestowing customers, clients, and patients with service, I never cease to be amazed at how the focus very seldom tends to revolve around the customer, client or patient. It seems that so many healthcare ‘providers’ forget that their career rests not on providing themselves, but on the individuals who come to them for help and to improve an aspect of their life that they aren’t knowledgeable about, or can’t and don’t have the motivation to do themselves. The potential client isn’t seeking you for YOU, they are seeking your expertise, your knowledge, your experience, your help, your advice, your answers, your heart, your trust and your willingness to be a provider to them. Never forget why you got into this field as without your clients, patients and customers… there is no work and definitely no ‘career’. If you entered into this field for YOU, turn around right now and exit immediately because this is NOT about you and it never WILL be about you.


A classic example I run into almost everyday (and one you have all heard or seen before) is right at the gym I, myself, train at. Just the other day when I was there (typically, I am there at or around the same times each day and see the same trainers working as well), I saw the ‘Infamous’ trainer I just love to constantly revert back to. Once again, he was with a new client who looked in obvious need of a lifestyle change. She was very overweight and very awkward when it came to how she was training and it was pretty evident working out was completely new and foreign to her. The trainer, on the other hand, could have cared less and found more interest in watching the silent football game highlights replaying on ESPN on TV than in the fact that his client was practically vying for injury with her horrible, uncorrected form and posture, accidental Valsalva maneuver, and inability to lift the too-heavy weight he had handed her. The only time his eyes would divert from the TV or his arms would uncross from across his chest was when his phone would go off and he’d actually LEAVE his client’s side to text or talk. (F.Y.I. to Potential Clients and Faithful Readers: If your trainer EVER finds texting or ESPN more important than you… it is absolutely time for a new trainer.) Just as well, this sad excuse of a ‘trainer’ must have yawned once every five or so minutes. This is just unacceptable and each time I see this happen, I feel my blood pressure rise and the need to rip out my hair is almost unbearable. Although I find it absolutely appalling and atrocious to watch, I also get a tremendous amount of motivation and a reality check as to why I am in this industry and why it’s so important to speak up about these issues. No one deserves to be treated like this and it makes me sick to my stomach that they are sharing the same job title as me and the genuine people around me, and that they are getting a paycheck for treating people this way. I admit, when I am at a gym, I watch what goes on around me and I let it make me a better person, professional and healthcare provider (…and I remind myself to have faith that someday an end will be put to this eventually.) You should too.



Going the extra mile doesn’t have to be something extravagant or something you have to have to go out of your way to do. As you can see in the example above, being ‘extra’ordinary is sometimes as simple as just doing what’s expected of you. Nothing more and nothing less. It’s a sad thing, but the most mediocre and common gestures you wouldn’t normally think twice about are less common than you think these days, and going the extra mile doesn’t have to constitute much in most cases. Simple things like being appreciative or saying ‘Thank You’, smiling or waving, and just carrying a positive attitude are all small things that take absolutely no effort on our behalf to do. Holding a door, helping someone to pick up something they dropped, or just paying attention to your client for an hour of time they are paying you for. Why is this so difficult for some people to do?


On the other side of the spectrum, I have learned to take these events and turn them into appreciation and gratitude for the people who are constantly going the extra mile each and everyday. I meet these people regularly and am surrounded by them on a daily basis as well. I have the honor of working with the most influential, positive and amazing people I could ever hope to meet who consistently give their all to each and every person they come in contact with. These people devote their lives to other helping others and to give and share their talents and experience to the people who seek their expertise in those specific areas. It is truly humbling to be around people who go out on a limb every chance they get to make a difference in the lives of each person they touch. They live by their own example and treat people the way they would like to be treated. They are in this industry for OTHERS and give selflessly in lieu of the people they are dedicated to servicing. These are the true ‘professionals’ in the industry and they are the ones who make themselves stand out simply by doing what is expected and then adding their own special touch. One of my former Fitness Managers was a perfect example of this analogy. An amazing trainer already, his added touch to every session was such a simple gesture that he was specifically known for around the facility. I even was told about this during my initial training. His extra mile?... Waiting for each of his clients before the hour. At the door. Before each session. Then walking them to the door, and opening the door for them proceeding each session. He was always on it, never late, always smiling and always anxious to meet and greet each client when they walked through the door. And I kid you not… He was praised to no end because of this and people actually recognized this about him and spread the word.


Faithful Reader, it doesn’t take a lot to go the ‘extra’ mile, but the sad part is; few of us ever dare to go beyond what is expected of us. Think for yourself about the situations, people and places you have experienced and think about the special touches that you have encountered personally. Now ask yourself how these situations resonated with you. How did you feel after the experience and was it not unforgettable? Would you rather revisit a place that hardly acknowledged you and/or treated you poorly, or one that made you feel like you mattered and that you were important? Well… this is EXACTLY the same for you versus the rest of the world. There are thousands upon thousands of people in your profession right now. Why should people come see you when they can go anywhere else and receive at least mediocre service? How are you going to make yourself stand out?



The difference between going the extra mile and not is pretty small, but that little push can honestly make so much difference in your personal and professional life. In fact… Your career could depend on it. What’s going to separate you from the rest, and are you willing to go down the road less traveled?


Until next time, Faithful Reader…


“No one ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction.” –Charles Francis Adams


“The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does.” –Napoleon Hill


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