5 Reasons Why It Pays to Do More than What You Are Paid For

I TRIED CHANGING THE WORLD AND I FAILED, I TRIED CHANGING MYSELF AND I SUCCEED THEN THE WORLD CHANGED BY ITSELF.

-Jenson Nicodemus

“Something is not right,” you say to yourself.

You’ve worked so hard, but you didn’t get the promotion your newly hired coworker did. You’ve almost spent your whole life working for this company, yet you are still where you were when you got hired.

It hurts, especially if they only gave you a 20 cents increase this year. You keep on wondering why you’re stuck.

Unknowingly, just by understanding and applying one simple universal law, you can unstuck yourself and change your life for the best.

They call it the universal law of compensation.

It states that you will be compensated exactly for the efforts that you contributed; no more no less.

So if you want to succeed and be compensated more in life, then you have to do or give more than the compensation that you are receiving.

Sounds good to be true?

But it’s true. It happened to my life, to other people’s lives, and it’s still working for me today. This is one self-improvement you should implement in your life.

Here are five reasons why it pays to do more than what you are paid for.

You Advance Faster in Life

I started at the bottom when I entered the corporate world. Fresh out of college, my first job was a warehouse clerk.

It was a habit of mine to finish pending tasks that I could accomplish within the day. I will finish them before I leave, even if it means extending work without pay because some companies don’t allow overtime.

In short, unknowingly, I was working more than what I was paid for. I nurtured this habit and kept doing it as the years passed. Some of my coworkers would comment negatively on what I was doing.

“You’re out of your mind, working without pay,” they would tell me.

I just dismissed them and continued. I am now Manager as I write this article, and most of my coworkers who gave those negative comments are still where they were when I left them.

You’re Always in Demand

When you do more than what you are expected, you choose to perform better. And ultimately improve the quality of your work regardless of how much you are earning.

These are the qualities employers are looking for. These people will get the promotion and salary raise faster than anyone else.

However, people who choose financial rewards over the quality of their work will not succeed in life. I’ve observed this, and I have seen it happen over and over again.

They measure their work with the compensation that they receive. They grumble and complain all the time. Hence their quality of work is degraded, and they get stuck to where they are.

So, if you want to become a sought after employee, then work and deliver more than what is expected.

You Learn New Skills

When you improve the quality of your work, you need to learn new skills to increase your productivity.

By learning new skills, you will be able to accomplish more in less time than expected. You will be able to focus on other things and learn new things. You can soon start accepting additional responsibilities.

Your superiors will notice this, and you will always be on their top list when the next salary raise is given. Not only that, if you get good at your job, words will spread to other companies, which may land you higher and bigger opportunities.

You Become a Creative Genius

My mentor, whom I’ve worked with several years ago, told me the secret of his success. He was, by the way, the youngest Controller the company ever had.

He went on telling me, “Always be creative.” When you are asked to do something, give more than what they asked you for.”

“If someone is asking you for a burger, be creative and serve it with fries and sundae to make the meal more attractive,” he said. “Doing this will guarantee your success in life.”

I got his point and practiced his advice to this day. In short, when we do more than what we are expected to do, we become creative to improve the quality of our work.

So instead of submitting a single page year-to-date income report to your superiors, add graphs, monthly trends, highlights, explanations, and analysis.

There Will Be Better Opportunities

When I got the position as Manager, my salary increased by two-fold. Surprisingly, I didn’t even apply for the job. It was offered to me.

This was a miracle for me way back then. On that same day before the managerial job offer came, I resigned from my current employer.

Some misunderstanding issues with the top management forced me to quit. I’ll be jobless soon, I thought, and I don’t have the faint idea where will I go. I know God will provide, so I just sent my resignation and quit.

I felt better, although I was worried and concerned because I was jobless on my effectivity date. Then surprisingly, the job offer came.

When I got aboard on my new job, my superior told me he was looking for the right candidate and did his homework well. Among the people whom he shortlisted, I was the one whom he chose because two of my previous bosses told him positive things about the way I work.

Take Action and Start Applying This To Your Life

Do you have a day time job? Try to focus more on your work and try to accomplish as much as you can. Submit reports earlier than their usual due dates. Avoid beating deadlines. Make this a habit, and I assure you, you will be greatly compensated.

The compensation may not be immediate. It may not happen on your current employer, but trust me, your rewards are being deposited someplace safe, and soon, you will receive them in the near future.

On the other hand, do you have a business? Provide more service than you usually do. Make your customers satisfied and happy. Successful business owners know this, and they assure their customers 101% satisfaction.

It’s quite amazing how one simple action can change your life. So start implementing it today, and you will be surprised as it opens doors to opportunities you have never dreamt of.