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Most people work for someone or some organization. From the perspective of the employer, their employees represent an investment – an asset of the company. From the perspective of an employee, their employer is a means to an end. That end is a paycheck.
A select few, however, are in it for more than a paycheck. They go the extra mile. They do more than their job description. They pursue responsibilities that go beyond their job description. And here’s the little known secret to success that only a handful of employees have discovered – going the extra mile is an investment in themselves.
When you do more than your job requires, you grow. As you grow, you become more valuable. Not just to your employer, but to every competitor in your industry. The more you go beyond just earning a paycheck, the more you learn, the more new people you come into contact with and more your stock rises.
Going beyond a paycheck and your job description, shifts the investment from your employer to you. It’s an investment in yourself. And the more you invest in yourself, the more opportunities you create for yourself.
That was one of the hallmark’s of the Big Company Climber-self-made millionaires in my Rich Habits Study. One of the self-made millionaires in my study started in the equivalent of the mail room at a pharmaceutical company he worked for. I interviewed him because he had risen to the 2nd in command at his company in New Jersey. He’s now worth in excess of 8 million dollars. He somehow discovered that little known secret of success.
If you want to be a success in life you must invest in yourself. You must take on responsibilities that push you outside your comfort zone. This discomfort means you are growing. When you go above and beyond your job description, you are no longer an investment of your employer. You become your own investment.
