Chapter 50 Being Initiative and Going the Extra Mile.
I can never forget 2 incidents, told by Mr Napoleon Hill in his book The Master Key to Riches. The first event took place some 80 years ago, when Mr Charles Schwab (One of Americas great industrialists) arrived in his private rail-car, at a station near one of his steel mills in Pennsylvania, USA. On this early frosty morning, he was surprised by the greeting of a young lad with a notebook. The youth introduced himself as a clerk named Williams; he had seen the telegram and had rushed there voluntarily, hoping to take some instructions or run some errands. No one had sent him, and obviously he was keen to offer extra service without pay.
That night, young Mr Williams was on the train with Mr Schwab to New York City, brought along to be one of his assistants! The youngsters career grew from strength to strength and years later, he went on to become the president and a large shareholder, in one of Americas giant pharmaceutical companies.
The second incident involved an old lady who walked into a store in Pittsburgh, USA, years ago. She appeared to be loitering, waiting for the rain to stop. Shop assistants ignored her, but a young clerk greeted her and brought her a chair. Later, when the rain stopped, he escorted her to the street and bade her good-bye. That old lady turned out to be the mother of Andrew Carnegie! (Another great American industrialist who donated his vast fortune in the early 1900s.) She returned to Scotland, contacted this young man, gave him substantial business, and eventually made him a partner in a company.
I could go on with more stories, but believe me, the world abounds with such happenings, and I have seen some myself. Even in Asia, some of the wealthiest magnates were ordinary businessmen who, in their younger days, served and impressed their superiors, benefactors or national leaders. It really pays to be initiative and to go the extra mile! The reason for such rewards is obvious. By giving more than usual, you get ahead of others, you get a raise or promotion, and you win customers, revenues, personal or public favour.
Where your gains are less tangible or immediate, dont be discouraged. The great R. W. Emerson said, „If you serve an ungrateful master, serve him the more. Put God inyour debt. Every stroke shall be repaid. The natural law of compensation will reward you in other ways later, and God will see to that. Moreover, you are gaining experience in the process. Always give people more than they expect, and do it cheerfully; you have nothing to lose. Going the extra mile puts you miles ahead of your competitors and the common crowd. Napoleon Hill said, „If a man performs no more service than that for which he is paid, then obviously he is receiving all the pay for which he is entitled. Regine, wealthy and influential, said: „I learned fast that you get nothing for nothing. So work hard, but work intelligently, and remember too, to pause and „sharpen the saw.
Colonel Sanders is another example. Before he built the giant KFC network, he worked in a petrol station. He recalled: 'Sometimes I didnt finish working until 1 or 2 oclock in the morning. Then I opened again at 5 a.m. Most gas stations didn't open until 7, and I sold more gas between 5 and 7 in the morning than the other stations sold all day.
The renowned inventor Edison said, „I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work. Great inventors didnt leave their marks in history without the ability to „get cracking. Entrepreneurs who built huge successes took initiative, and made things happen along their paths. Workers who reached the pinnacles of giant corporations wouldnt have got there without giving that extra touch and service. A salesman who sees 3 extra prospects a day always reaps some extra rewards. No job big or small, could be done without someone lifting a finger. Charles Dickens reminded us too: „This is a world of action, not for droning in.
There you are, you can think positive thoughts and read books on success all your lives, you can study and get your Masters and Doctorate, you can have vast knowledge and contacts, but you will never get anywhere, until you take initiative and act.
If you want to get somewhere, dont be any of the 2 kinds of people who would never succeed: One will not do what he is told, and the other will not do anything more than he is told! Often these people procrastinate and blew their chances and precious time away. Procrastination is a paralysing habit, curable only by personal initiative and action. The Lazy Jim story was a fine example of these, which led to success.
The world is teeming with accomplishments that sprouted from creative ideas and seizures of opportunities. The ideal time doesnt exist or wait around for you, it is just an excuse for laziness. If you want to succeed, the ideal time is now, this very minute. People who got ahead knew this; they could always find the opening and the time to take initiative, make things happen and advance themselves. They did this while others were waiting, sleeping, or complaining: „We just didnt have the time.
With all the above, need I say more? Have I not changed your mind and touched your heart? My departing words to you are: Your welfare will not improve if you do nothing about it. In life, do not wait for your ship to come in, row out to meet it!
"Things may come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hustle." Abraham Lincoln.
"Things don't turn up in this world until somebody turns them up." - Garfield. “
With will-power, ideas and a willingness to work two hours longer than others, it is not difficult to make money." - Bernard Brochard.
"The average man dedicates 25% of his energy to work. The world rewards the person who gives more than 50%, and does anything for those rare individuals who give 100%." - Andrew Carnegie.
"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy makingmistakes and becoming superior." - Henry C. Link.
"The initiative of a mere minority has yielded unparalleled results. What tremendous horizons loom if we fully develop the initiative of the majority!" - L. P. Shield.