The Extra Mile – Be More Than an Ordinary Individual 

By Vincent Kituku  

Did you know that what we perceive as extraordinary results are actually achieved by people who did a little bit more than what is ordinary? 

The Bible has numerous examples of people going the extra mile. In Luke 5:18-19, we read, “Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” 

Taking a sick person to where he or she can get help is an ordinary humanitarian act. It is commendable. But the men who took the sick man to Jesus did more than what many of us would do in similar circumstance. When it became obvious that they were not able to present their patient to Jesus, they climbed to the top of the roof, opened some portion of the roof up and lowered the man to where Jesus was able to see him. That’s what going the extra mile is all about! 

There is resolve not to give up even when there are obstacles. There is need for courage and determination, especially where there are real and/or perceived reasons for throwing in the towel and going home. You do what must be done to take care of a desperate situation. 

We read another example of going the extra mile in Luke 19: the story of Zacchaeus. The Bible says that he was “a chief tax collector, and he was rich.” He wanted to “see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.” Many of us would consider that as a limitation and reason for not trying. 

But here is what he did. “So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.” A government official running to climb a tree like a small boy – that is what is extra ordinary. 

Here are some insights to ponder: 

1. Nature compensates those who go the extra mile.
2. Those who go the extra mile are perceived as indispensable.
3. Going the extra mile leads to spiritual,personaland professional growth. 
4. When you do more than expected, you are likely to become self-reliant.
5. You build self-confidence when you achieve more than what you or othersexpect.
6. Going the extra milepermitsyou to negotiate for better terms in many aspects of life. 
7. People who go the extra mile are likely to makea huge differencein their own lives and in the lives of others. 
8. When you go the extra mile, it becomes easy for others to join in and work with you.
9. Going the extra mile helps you develop definiteness of purpose in life, a crucial aspect that separates achievers from the rest.

Always remember, you are the only one who can permit yourself to go the extra mile. 

Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku, motivational speaker and author of “Overcoming Buffaloes at Work & in Life,” is the founder and executive director of Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope, a non-profit organization that raises tuition and fees for poor orphans and other children from poverty-stricken families in Kenya. Contact him at vincent@kituku.com or (208) 376-8724.