The Power of the Extra Mile: Where True Greatness Begins

Give more than what is asked, do more than what is demanded. Go the extra mile.

It’s an injunction made famous by no less than Jesus Christ, in his Sermon on the Mount: “If anyone compels you to go one mile, go with them twain.”

In Biblical times, a Roman soldier could command anyone who was not a Roman citizen to carry their weapons and supplies for one mile.

You could be on your way to an important event, in the company of your children or busy making a living – regardless, you would need to drop your belongings or tools and carry the soldier’s luggage, losing precious hours in the process.

So imagine the soldier’s consternation when you willingly choose to carry their pack an extra mile.

“You really don’t have to do this”, is what they are bound to say. Live your life and career so you hear this exclamation often.

If all we do is what is what we are compelled to do, we are poor indeed.

The first mile is owed, the second is bestowed. The first is mandatory, the second is voluntary.

The first mile belongs to others. The extra mile belongs to you and you alone.

It is therefore always in the second mile where character, nobility and greatness lie.