Going the Extra Mile- The Classic Success Principle

by Sid Shah

In this article, I am attempting to co-relate the Classic Success Principle of Going the extra mile with three strong paradigms or contexts i) Age old wisdom from India ii) Nature’s depiction of power of Going the extra mile & iii) Dr. Napoleon Hill’s Life and Success Story.

Definition: Render more and better service that that for which you are paid, and sooner or later you will receive compound interest upon compound interest on your investment.

It is a state of mind that you must develop, so that it is a part of everything you do. There is a subtle but powerful, mental attitude connected with it.

Going the Extra Mile – As Explained in the Bhagvad Geeta

Bhagvad Geeta is considered one of the most holy books not only in India, but also the entire world. The Bhagavad-Gita is the eternal message of spiritual wisdom from ancient India. The word Gita means ‘Song’ and the word Bhagavad means ‘God’, often the Bhagavad-Gita is called the ‘Song of God’. It is very interesting to know how the Principle of Going the Extra Mile is depicted in this Book.In this book, Lord Krishna told Arjuna to “Do your duty without thinking about the outcome“. This line in itself is perhaps the best explanation of Going the Extra Mile. Lord Krishna asked Arjuna to do what’s necessary, right, and religiously correct. You cannot be sure about the outcome and therefore must not think about the consequences, when doing something virtuous. You may or may not attain the objective at last, but thinking again-again about the possible outcome will add to confusion, make you weak, distracted, and increase chances for defeat.

Perhaps, Napoleon Hill understood the wisdom of this ancient scripture while drafting this Principle of ‘Going the Extra Mile’ as one of the pre-requisites of Success.

Nature’s explanation of Going the Extra Mile and its benefits.

Everybody knows that at 990C, water is hot. Very hot. And we also know that at 1000C, water begins to boil. And becomes steam. And steam is more powerful enough to move a trainload of people. Think about it, Just one degree more, and hot water becomes powerful enough to move a locomotive.

One degree means a lot. That little extra effort can mean the difference between being a winner and an also-ran. The difference between achieving your goals and missing them. That is the power you have when you go the Extra Mile. Successful people do all that is expected of them and then, they do a little bit more.

20 years of hardship and Testing the Principle of Going the extra Mile:

The Principle of Going the extra Mile was tested and proven successful by Dr. Napoleon Hill when he decided to work for the richest man on planet earth for no compensation for twenty long years. Friends and Relatives called him a fool and told him to get his head examined at the beginning. But Dr. Napoleon Hill continued his research due to his deep-seated conviction and was therefore able to coin arguably the world’s best philosophy of personal achievement.

For all the budding entrepreneurs, start-ups and business organizations, I would like to summarize the essence of Going the extra Mile Principle in this final concluding statement:

‘If You Consistently follow Going the Extra Mile Principle with the Right Mental Attitude, this one Principle is sufficient enough to Eliminate, Terminate and Wipe Out your Entire Competition and you will undoubtedly achieve the Grand Success by Truly Starting to Think & Grow Rich.’