Sometimes, we’re best known for what we didn’t have to do.
We all have responsibilities. Let’s face it, adulting is tough work. There are bills to pay, children to care for, responsibilities at work, volunteer responsibilities, and the list goes on and on. However, much of that stuff is expected. It’s maintaining, not ground breaking. It’s keeping things going, not necessarily moving ahead.
Often times, the thing that makes the great people great and the thing that makes the world shapers the way they are isn’t the day to day stuff, it’s the stuff they don’t have to do. It’s the extra mile when they could have stopped. It’s going from just being a parent keeping their children alive to being a purposeful parent instilling values in the home. It’s going from being an employee that wants to keep their job to figuring out a new and more efficient way to do what you do.
Our greatest asset is what we do after we do what we’re supposed to do.
Take for instance, Thomas Edison. Edison is always credited with inventing the light bulb. That’s partly true. He did invent the modern light bulb and deserves credit. What we often don’t know about Edison is that he wasn’t the first. He was just the first to perfect the filament that was used to make the bulb light up.. Before Edison, the light bulb burnt out so fast, it was useless. Edison went the extra mile. He went beyond what was common and known and still gets the credit for it. We’re still using his work every day.
What can you do?
What does it look like for you to go the extra mile today? Maybe you change how you do what you do. Maybe you chase a dream you’ve been putting on the back burner. Maybe you start something over, with more purpose. Maybe you reschedule your day for more margin.
Your greatest asset is what you don’t have to do… but you’ll be glad you did.
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