The extra mile

If you look for common factors in the lives of great people you will notice that many of them did not get where they were through chance but rather the extra push in what they did.This mad the difference and if you look around you will see many young people lacking in this today.Complacency, lack of will , lack of drive and a willingness to go the extra mile are probably reasons why they remain static in their careers and in their lives. If you cant listen to others , cant focus on what you are doing and cant think ahead then you are doomed to be one of the many mediocre people whom we find all around us. I have worked with many people and there are some who show positive qualities which I believe will take them far in life .As against this there are those who are in their own comfort zone quite happy where they are now and prepared to go through the rest of their lives quite happily.These people can survive but sadly will never realize their full potential. We never really know what we are capable of .Physically we find in times of emergency we can do what we never dreamed of doing and mentally , if we have the right mind set we will not know what we are capable of coming up with.I remember some years ago when we dealt with a boss who was a man of few words and he told us " I want a school".It was up to us to figure out what he wanted and do it for him.Thus was born Kolej Yayasan Saad in Melaka which turned out to be the kind of school which the boss wanted.It was a matter of putting ourselves in his shoes and trying to figure what he wanted and coming up with concepts and proposals for him to approve. Too often we find people who lack initiative who fail to think ahead and to be able to make real contributions to their families and companies.The one who goes the extra mile does this ...he thinks ahead , he thinks for others and would always inconvenience himself than others and he has to know for every action there is a consequence.I have staff whom I ask to do things but fail to report to me on the outcome.For me,work must be orderly and systematic just as the way we live our lives.There is the need for the culture of " do it now" above anything else.I cant stand the attitude of " later I will do it " for " later " never comes. To be there, there is no doubt the the person who goes the extra mile will always be amongst the first to be there .Its only certain categories of people who can do it and why not us?