Going that extra mile

How many of us as children dreamt about who we wanted to be when we grew up? Some of us wanted to be doctors, singers, teachers while others could never really nail it down. For some, it took many trials and errors before “the dream” job finally took shape in their minds.

Circumstances also play a role in deciding whether we at all can accomplish these dream jobs; for one thing our external environment may not always match our inner wishes.  And different individuals whatever their background and wherever they may be can experience this conflict.

Lack of financial or family support may also frustrate one’s cherished dreams. Occasionally, the sheer fear of stepping out of one’s comfort zone and leaping into the dark may be the stumbling block.

Above all, we can only try! A wise man once told me, “if you don’t try, you will never know” and I have always kept that in mind. And when you do decide to do something, you do it whole-heartedly, with no reservations. If something needs to be done, you do it either 100% or not at all otherwise it’s not going to be worth it in the end.

Now this is all easier said than done, as many would certainly agree. But that’s just the hard lesson that we all experience at some point in our lives. We end up doing jobs just to make ends meet or managing to move just one step closer to that dream job.

However, in course of our journeys in search of our daily bread or while chasing our dream job, we may learn some valuable lessons. Those for instance who work in the service sector, especially where generous clients can tip them, learn very quickly that by going that extra mile, by for instance being over courteous or jolly or particularly helpful they can earn more than what they had earlier that day.

One particular incident comes to mind. I was working at a hotel in USA, as a front office assistant. Almost towards the end of my evening shift, a lady came down from her room asking if she could have a cup of tea. The restaurant and room service had already closed for the evening, but I offered to make her the cup of tea and bring it to her room; I had gone out of my way to oblige her.

It happened I wasn’t particularly busy and was only waiting for my shift to end. Making a cup of tea wouldn’t have killed me. I set up everything nicely on a tray with an assortment of tea bags and biscuits and took it to her room. She smiled and thanked me for my service and I wished her a good evening.

Moments before my shift ended, the lady came down again to thank me; this time her hand gesture indicated she had something for me. I held my hand out, took the note she gave me and put it directly into my pocket. I thanked her while insisting I was only just doing my job.

I didn’t look at the note until I was about to leave. It turned out to be a $100 bill! I couldn’t believe my eyes! What a reward for one cup of tea, the equivalent today of approximately 160,000 Tanzanian shillings. What a glorious cup of tea!

The lady’s generosity was phenomenal! It made me realize that even if our dream jobs elude us, we need not be miserable doing our current job. We may at times need to carry on with the less satisfactory jobs in order to be pushed later towards our dreams or at least with luck succeed in winning a $100 bill for a cup of tea!

One of the ways of reaching there could perhaps be by going that extra mile!

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