The best thing you have going for you when it comes to beating the competition is the habits that your competition live by day in and day out. Because most people and most businesses have poor habits then it is easy for you to distinguish yourself and stay ahead of the pack.

One of the habits that distinguish top performers from the rest is the habit of going the extra mile.

Going the extra mile doesn't mean putting in long hours, many of your competitors are already doing this to no avail. Going the extra mile means that you do each and every thing a little bit better than your competition does.

You don't have to be the best at any one thing, as long as you do everything a little better than most that will add up to a huge difference overall and will keep you well and truly at the front of the pack.

There is a saying that comes from dog sledding that says if you're any dog other than the lead dog then your view is always the same. The lead dog sees the whole countryside that he is traveling through, but all that the other dogs get to see is the rear end of the dog in front of them.

The interesting parallel between this proverb and life is that the lead dog is only a little in front of the others but his quality of life is a whole lot better.

Let's look at some ways that you could go that extra mile to make a difference in your business or job.

Firstly you could focus a little more during each work hour.

It has been estimated that the average person, although they are busy all day, are only focusing at their full potential for around six minutes of each hour. What if you could bring that up to twelve minutes?

To do this you need to become aware of what you are focusing on and aim to be fully absorbed in what you should be doing rather than having a part of your mind on all the distractions. Forget about what you did yesterday and what you are going to do tomorrow, and fully focus all your attention on the job at hand. You will be amazed at how much more you can achieve in each work hour.

A second place to go the extra mile is in your communication with others.

If you take the point of view that you are responsible for the message getting through strong and clear, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that you both understand and are understood, then your communication skills will already surpass those of 98% of the population.

Now a task for you.

I have given you two areas in which you can go the extra mile in business or in your job. What I'm asking you to do is to make a list of all the other ways that you could do things a little better than you are doing them now. Then answer the question; what could I do a little better than my competition?

It doesn't take much to do things a little better, but if you make it a habit across the board then the difference in your outcomes will be massive.