Exceed Expectations in
Everything You Do
AFFIRMATIONS
for
Meditation and Reflection
I am standing above the crowd by exceeding expectations and overdelivering on my promises.
I am enjoying the personal satisfaction and the fin-ancial rewards from choosing to go the extra mile.
I am putting in a little extra effort and providing a little more service, which makes other people happy and me more successful.
It’s never crowded along the extra mile.
—WAYNE DYER
Coauthor of How to Get What You Really, Really, Really, Really Want
How many times have you heard someone say, “That’s not in my job description,” or “That’s not what I’m paid to do”? How many people do you know who watch the clock and at five minutes to five o’clock, their computer is off and their keys are in hand?
High achievers know that exceeding expectations makes them stand out from the crowd. They can be counted on when it’s crunch time, when someone is short-handed, or when there’s a special project that requires above-average attention. They’re known as someone who is reliable, who will get the job done well, and who meets a deadline. Successful people simply do more—they exceed expectations. And the payoff is so worthwhile—they will eventually experience far greater financial rewards and immediately begin to experience a personal transformation that manifests as increased self-confidence and greater influence. Even better—they develop a deep feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment at the end of the day!
I am standing above the crowd by exceeding expectations and overdelivering on my promises.
You can choose to be a phenomenal success and excel at what you do because exceeding expectations and going the extra mile is actually a choice.
There’s a common mind-set today that doing more than you are paid to do isn’t good for the rest of the team—maybe management will begin to take it for granted, or maybe when one person steps up it will make the others look bad by comparison. One of the primary problems today facing office culture (and other cultures, too) is that people just don’t want to work harder—it’s all about them. They believe that working a little longer is unfair, that putting limits on expense accounts means they are not trusted, and that having a dress code is an infringement on their personal style and creativity. But that kind of self-centered individualistic thinking often creates a backlash. They are not a first choice for promotion, they haven’t proved that they have much loyalty or integrity, nor have they developed much influence, which excludes them from key planning and brainstorming sessions. That “me only” thinking isn’t getting them any brownie points or winning them any awards, either.
One of your greatest assets is your reputation, and going the extra mile won’t go unnoticed—by your current employer or by others who will provide new opportunities for you to grow.
I am enjoying the personal satisfaction and the financial rewards from choosing to go the extra mile.
When you exceed expectations, you will experience great personal and professional payoffs, but so will your community, company, colleagues, or family—everyone wins and everyone moves forward together.
Where could you exceed expectations and go the extra mile outside of the workplace or your business? In today’s world, it often seems that people are just too busy to help a neighbor with small repairs or pick up an empty soda bottle at the park or hold the door for an elderly person. Long gone, too, are the days when people gave up their seat for a mother and baby or helped someone with a cane to cross the street. These random acts of kindness come from the heart and from your sense of selflessness and generosity. They, too, are examples of going the extra mile in ways that brighten someone else’s day—and it doesn’t cost you anything to do so.
Plus, you get rewarded, too, since a National Institutes of Health study showed that giving of yourself activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust—creating a “warm glow” effect. Scientists also believe that altruistic behavior releases endorphins in the brain, producing the positive feeling known as the “helper’s high.”1
What can you do to go the extra mile for others? Surprise them and give more than they expect!
I am putting in a little extra effort and providing a little more service, which makes other people happy and me more successful.
1 As reported in Greater Good Magazine, published by the University of California Berkeley.