The Core of the "AND THEN SOME"
Philosophy Part 1
Click here for Part 2
by
Richard L. Weaver, PhD
Both
as a college student and as a college teacher I was always astounded at the
number of students who would do what they needed to do to “get by” rather
than go the extra mile. Going the extra mile (and then some) is simply doing
more than you are asked or expected to do.
Often I attributed this to laziness, but in talking to students I discovered
that there were a wide variety of causes. Some told me they were stretched
too thin, or the course had little value to them. Some said college was
simply a hurdle that needed jumping; others stated they were unwilling to
give something for nothing. They had tried it before and found it a waste of
their time. They could see no value in working harder, doing more, or giving
greater effort.
I have discovered there is a great deal more to it than that. First, life is
unpredictable, and it is impossible to see exactly what’s coming down the
road next. You may think you are prescient (having knowledge of events
before they take place), but nobody truly is. A belief in serendipity makes
a great deal more sense: making fortunate discoveries when not in search of
them. Second, it is impossible to predict how you will feel when faced with
a new circumstance, new people, or new demands. Sometimes going the extra
mile results in added insights, needed preparation, or the necessary
knowledge that will help you deal. Third, it is impossible to gauge all the
effects of what you do right now. Sometimes there are effects that can be
seen, like smiles as a result of a good deed, clapping after a great speech
or presentation, or “thank-yous” for gift giving. But going the extra mile
in business or in your personal life may result in no immediate effects that
can be seen.
Waiters go the extra mile to get bigger tips. Employees go the extra mile to
get promoted. Businesses go the extra mile to get more customers. So, why
should you go the extra mile? There are a number of reasons.
First, going the extra mile can make you stand out. Few people,
unfortunately, are so motivated. Thus, going the extra mile can set you
apart, reveal your conscientiousness, establish your reliability, or
increase your value. Second, it is likely to bring out positive emotions in
others. When positive emotions are connected either to you or something you
did, it will cause others to both remember you and feel good about you.
Third, it will help you move ahead of your competition and succeed where
others fail. Fourth, and finally, it can bring personal rewards.
In one college course, I became so absorbed in the term project that I
exceeded all the parameters of the assignment. I knew what the value of the
project would be to me, and what I needed to know to help me, so, like the
Energizer Bunny, I just kept going, and going, and going. It resulted in a
grade of A+ in the course, but that was never the goal; it was simply an
unintended, and unexpected reward for my excessiveness. I did the project
and then some.
In another example of personal rewards, Kerrie Moreau, Ph.D. and research
associate at the University of Colorado at Boulder, studied postmenopausal
women and found that walking an extra two miles every day, in addition to
the walking that the participants did as part of their normal daily
routines, significantly lowered their blood pressure, regardless of diet.
Moreau concluded saying “It gives you another lifestyle strategy to lower
blood pressure instead of pharmacological intervention.” 50 million
Americans have hypertension. Walk
and then some.
Can you apply the “And Then Some” philosophy to others? Of course. When you
borrow a pan or dish from a neighbor, show your appreciation for the loan by
placing a goodie inside when you return it. When someone asks you for a
piece of gum, give him or her the whole pack. When going for groceries, ask
a neighbor if he or she is out of milk, needs a prescription picked up, or a
loaf of bread. Give people an un-birthday treat—something that they had
their eye on but wouldn’t pick up for themselves. Give thank-you notes to
people for something they have done for you—even the small, often thankless,
little courtesies.
Often, it is the small things—the little ways we have for showing respect
and caring—that count the most in others’ lives. Run errands for a parent;
take a friend out to dinner; call your existing customers just to make sure
they are happy with their purchase; help a co-worker with their heavy
workload; do a personal favor for an employee; say little things that will
build others up. Do what is expected
and then some.
But, too, you can be a model for the “And Then Some” philosophy. Going the
extra mile in your own life is often revealed in a positive, optimistic,
cheerful outlook. For example, people are more likely attracted to those who
avoid swearing, vulgar language, and gossip. People, too, do not like to be
talked down to. When you say nice things to others, give out compliments,
help others when they are cranky, and tell the truth, you are showing others
you are confident and self-assured. When you reveal the traits above, too,
you show others you care about them. True, it is hard to do when you are in
a bad mood, but by lifting the mood of others, you will lift your own as
well. Set an example
and then some.
You all know people who say if they paid them more, they would work harder.
Or, if the world treated them better, they would be nicer. Or, if they went
to nicer places, they would wear nicer clothes. Or, if they were in a better
relationship, they would work harder at it. Or, if they were richer, they
would give more. If, if, if, if.... You have also probably discovered that
the situations are likely to be irrelevant, people who possess this kind of
approach, use it no matter the circumstance. Work harder? Be nicer? Wear
nicer clothes? Work harder at relationships? Give more? Not a chance.
The “And Then Some” philosophy is clearly revealed by people who work hard
because they are a hard worker. They are nice
because they are
nice people. They believe that everything and everyone is special
because
that is the kind of person they are. They dress for the kind of person they
are, not for where they are going. They give more
because they are
givers. And, they always do what they have to do
and then some,
because they follow the
and then some philosophy knowing that it
isn’t the key to the good life, it is the good life.
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And Then Some: Core 1
> Core 2
And Then Some Book 1 at Amazon
The Core of the "AND THEN SOME"
Philosophy Part 2
Click here for Part 1
by
Richard L. Weaver, PhD
“Do
as I say, not as I do,” is an old-fashioned expression, and the
“And
Then Some” philosophy would be an easy one to preach and
not follow. That has not been the case in my life, and that was not the case
when I first wrote about
And Then Some more than twenty years
ago.
And Then Some probably represents, better than anything
else I can think of, the very epitome of what it means to be a human being,
and it comes close to having faith in something greater than or beyond
ourselves—faith based upon the interpretation of the intangible instead of
the physically tangible.
The faith associated with
And Then Some is that associated
with trust—believing that the results of a choice you have made will act in
specific ways despite the potential influence of known or unknown change. It
is to have faith that the results of your current decisions will in some way
intensify, heighten, magnify, strengthen, augment, and enrich you in the
future.
And Then Some is a belief that your choices will
result in a future that will be improved over the present with which you are
familiar now—belief in and trust of your abilities, based on everything you
know right now, to make decisions that will raise, lift, and elevate your
life.
Although
And Then Some can and does work in small ways
everyday of our lives—especially as we interact with friends and family
members—the big ways you see
And Then Some work can be
crucial, weighty, and extraordinary for the way it sculptures lives. I have
eight of those “big ways” that have so altered the pathways of my life, they
have molded me into what I am (have become) today.
The first way in which
And Then Some dramatically altered my
life was my decision to take college seriously, stop rebelling against my
parents, apply myself, study hard, and do well. Had I not adjusted my
attitude, dug in my heels, and added
And Then Some, I would
have been without a
University of Michigan
education and without direction and purpose—adrift.
The second
And Then Some application, closely related to the
first, was my change in major from pre-medicine to speech. I have written
about it often only because of the effect it had on my life. This belief in
And Then Some underscores the importance of pursuing what
feels right for you, what fulfills you, and what is your passion. There are
no precise, explicit, or clear-cut directions or guidelines to help you make
these life-altering decisions. You must trust your abilities and instincts,
and reach out in faith.
The
And Then Some application that occurred third, in
chronological order, is my marriage. This application was made more dramatic
by a newspaper headline that read, “Marking 25 years of marriage proving
more elusive” (The
Toledo Blade,
September 21, 2007, p. 8A). The story, attributed to the New York Times,
begins, “More than half the Americans who might have celebrated their 25th
wedding anniversaries since 2000 were divorced, separated, or widowed before
reaching that milestone....” My wife and I have been happily married more
than 40 years, and I consider her my friend, supporter, encourager, and
number-one fan.
My choice to go to
Indiana University
and study with Dr. Robert Gunderson was my fourth
And Then Some
application. It changed my life by forcing me to become a better writer,
adding greater discipline and control to my behavior, and, in the end,
granting me the Ph.D. I needed to credential me for a future as professor
and disciplinary writer. For a secure future in higher education, a Ph.D. is
not a choice; it is essential.
A fifth
And Then Some application was my agreement to write
the textbook
Communicating Effectively with Saundra Hybels who asked me to be her
co-author just four years out of graduate school. That textbook had its
first two editions (under another title) with Van Nostrand publishers, the
next two with Random House, and the remaining seven with McGraw-Hill—for a
total of eleven editions. It not only launched a career of writing textbooks
and scholarly articles, but it yielded the credibility, self-confidence, and
authority needed to do a wide variety of other writing as well—for example,
speeches and essays.
The decision to go to
Bowling
Green State University to teach was a sixth
And Then Some
application. Because of the size of the change from teaching small classes
at the University of Massachusetts and the move to directing a large, basic,
required course utilizing graduate teaching assistants who had to be
trained, as well as weekly lecturing to 1500 undergraduate students, this
And Then Some decision presented a momentous opportunity and yet,
for me, an earth-shaking challenge. This pivotal decision in my life had the
And Then Some benefit or propelling me through the remaining
22 years of my teaching career, but facing it required a critical evaluation
of my experience, skills, and abilities: was I even capable of raising my
performance to this new level?
My seventh
And Then Some application was the choice to write
Saturday essays for The (Toledo) Blade. Why was this an
And Then Some
moment? First, it is risky for a writer to surrender to the decision of a
gatekeeper, newspaper editor for possible publication of his work. Second,
it is risky for a writer to compete with other local authorities (educators,
lawyers, doctors, deans, pastors, and civil authorities) for publication.
Third, it is risky for a writer to put aspects of his personal life out into
the public for examination, review, and comment. That decision has had the
And Then Some benefit of writing well over 200 essays and
providing a stimulating, challenging, enjoyable life.
The eighth
And Then Some application occurred with the
decision to leave teaching to depend entirely on writing for the remaining
portion of my professional career. After teaching in a secure situation and
environment for 31 years, taking early retirement to depend for income on
the fickle profession of writing—even with the possibility that my textbook
will be discontinued—was an
And Then Some application that has
resulted in close to a dozen years of delightful, challenging,
self-sufficient entrepreneurship.
Daily
And Then Some moments have never ceased, and will never
cease, but with respect to influential, life-altering, high density,
transforming events, nothing compares with the colossal
And Then Some
phenomena that become the benchmarks for reshaping a life and establishing a
new pattern and approach. These eight
And Then Some events
offer the exemplar—textbook examples—for what
And Then
Some is all about and the faith you must have in your skills and
abilities.
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And Then Some: Core 1
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And Then Some Book 1 at Amazon
