The Extra Mile.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about doing more than is required.

There are a few movies I've taken the time to watch more than once, and "Office Space" is one of them. There is one scene in particular that popped into my head just now. I think it articulates the principle of doing more than is required and caring more than is expected, so I'd like you to visualize the scene with me if you would.

In this scene, we are in a dimly lit restaurant called Chotchkie's. Joanna, the waitress, has been pulled aside by Stan, the manager, who wishes to talk with her about how many buttons she has pinned to the suspenders of her uniform.

Stan: We need to talk about your flair.

Joanna: Really? I... I have fifteen pieces on.

[she shows him her flair buttons]

Stan: Well, okay. Fifteen is the minimum, okay?

Joanna: Okay.

Stan: Now, you know it's up to you whether or not you want to just do the bare minimum. Or, well, like Brian, for example, has thirty-seven pieces of flair, okay. And a terrific smile.

Joanna: Okay. So you... you want me to wear more?

Stan: Look, Joanna.

Joanna: Yeah.

Stan: People can get a cheeseburger anywhere, okay? They come to Chotchkie's for the atmosphere and the attitude. Okay? That's what the flair's about. It's about fun.

Joanna: Yeah. Okay. So more then, yeah?

Stan: Look, we want you to express yourself, okay? Now if you feel that the bare minimum is enough, then okay. But some people choose to wear more and we encourage that, okay? You do want to express yourself, don't you?

Joanna: Yeah. Yeah.

Stan: Okay. Great. Great. That's all I ask.

Joanna: Okay.

[Joanna walks away]

The fact is, Joanna didn't care about pieces of flair like Brian did. She didn't think flair was fun, and honestly didn't care too much about the job. She worked there and did exactly what was required of her because she had to pay her bills. Her job as a waitress was clearly not her ambition, and wearing 37 pieces of flair would not define her.

When I got my first corporate job, I was making eight bucks an hour, creating the company's first text-based website. I would struggle to make ends meet, so I got a second job for seven dollars and fifty cents an hour, working nights in the produce department of a grocery store. On weekends, I worked for a little pottery shop to earn a few extra bucks along the way. Between the three jobs, I was working roughly ninety hours per week and grateful for every dollar I was able to earn.

Eventually, the web browser was invented, and I knew that somehow my cool website job would be my big chance to do something amazing. I labored as hard as I could work, I learned everything I could be taught, and I had discovered exactly what I wanted to do for a living. After a few years of learning more, doing more, and having a long head start in the Web industry than most other people, I was suddenly in a position where the world was rushing to what I do, and I could name my price. I suppose you could say I had earned my stripes by doing more than the minimum and I showed some flair.

I hope today's cookie inspires you to put in the extra time and effort you'll need to achieve your dreams. Not everyone is willing to work so hard for something they want, but it makes earning it so much sweeter because you did. In fact, long is the measure of distance between someone who wears flair for their work and others who do the mere minimum. It really is as today's fortune says, "It's never crowded along the extra mile."