The Cambridge Dictionary definition of "going the extra mile" goes "to make more effort than is expected of you".
Which sounds correct, plausible, easy to understand... and yet pretty vague.
Expected by whom? Under which circumstances? Once in a while or every single day? In order to achieve something or to avoid something? In what capacity?
Just like everyone has a different way to imagine and to go for an adventure and a "good job" can refer to many diverse scenarios, going the extra mile can mean actually going above and beyond for a project, a gig, or a loved one, or giving everything on a daily basis, as a way of life, because you are "that type of person", or even just...
doing the bare minimum on a day where waking up in the morning already feels like an insurmountable task.
Going the extra mile can be buying someone flowers, or doing in three hours the work of two days, or just... not doing anything and letting things take their own course and embracing the results no matter what.
The moment you realize that you can set the bar differently depending on your needs and on the circumstances, everything changes.
How it changes, it's (as usual) up to you.
Coaching question of the day:
"When do you usually go the extra mile?"
Which sounds correct, plausible, easy to understand... and yet pretty vague.
Expected by whom? Under which circumstances? Once in a while or every single day? In order to achieve something or to avoid something? In what capacity?
[Your extra mile can look different and be different
every single time, every single day]
Just like everyone has a different way to imagine and to go for an adventure and a "good job" can refer to many diverse scenarios, going the extra mile can mean actually going above and beyond for a project, a gig, or a loved one, or giving everything on a daily basis, as a way of life, because you are "that type of person", or even just...
doing the bare minimum on a day where waking up in the morning already feels like an insurmountable task.
Going the extra mile can be buying someone flowers, or doing in three hours the work of two days, or just... not doing anything and letting things take their own course and embracing the results no matter what.
The moment you realize that you can set the bar differently depending on your needs and on the circumstances, everything changes.
How it changes, it's (as usual) up to you.
Coaching question of the day:
"When do you usually go the extra mile?"
Tags: Coaching question, Self-coaching, Self-awareness, Going the extra mile, Reframing
What to read next:
Visiting the blog for the first time? Aloha!