Part of Getting It

In recent years, I have been getting busier and busier. Oftentimes, I reminisce about the days where I can liberally watch new television series consistently. Just to name a few, shows like Suits, Lucifer, and HIMYM helped me end my days on a relaxing note. As free time slowly slips out from my life, I have only really been able to watch throwback clips of my favorite shows on youtube here and there. However, recently I stumbled upon a clip that struck a chord in me. I've embedded this video here in case you were curious:

This clip starts off with Louis informing Mike of his upcoming "Rookie Dinner" in which each rookie has to host a dinner. Just as Mike brushes it off as just something that "needs to be done," and is prepared to not give it much thought, Harvey comes in with a very insightful piece of advice.

Harvey: You see that guy over there by the fax? Take a good look. He's never gonna make partner
Mike: Okay. Let me guess. Because he threw a lousy rookie dinner?
Harvey: No, because he doesn't get it.
Mike: Get what?
Harvey: He doesn't get that doing good work isn't the whole job. Part of getting it is that things like the dinner actually matter, even when you don't think they do. Look, you were giving me shit this morning because I come and go when I want to. You know why I can do that? Because when I got here, I dominated. They thought I worked 100 hours a day. Now, no matter what time I get in, nobody questions my ability to get the job done. Get it through your head. First impressions last. You start behind the eight ball, you'll never get in front.

While I'm sure many people understand what Harvey means, I believe we can extract a lot more value from this scene by extrapolating it onto different scenarios in our lives. However, reading into it more in-depthly, I think that part of what Harvey says implies the need to take that extra mile to deliver something exceptional. Through the spectacles of the Pareto Principle, we can usually achieve 80% of something by using 20% effort. Yet, the last 20% requires 80% of your effort. The Pareto Principle urges people to prioritize the low hanging yet more rewarding fruit. However, I believe that while the Pareto Principle is applicable in some aspects of life, the last 20% is what really makes one exceptional. Focus on that 20%!

In practice, this could mean taking the extra mile to write extensive unit tests to ensure your code is resilient to bugs, or perhaps bringing flowers to your next first date. In a classroom setting, you might think that your professor taking attendance is stupid, or participating is only for nerds. But in all honesty, you never know when that extra mile that you put in will be needed in the future. One thing is for sure though; if you put in that extra effort, there will be a chance that you will be paid off. But if you don't, it will never pay off. Really, just rethink twice before you dismiss another thing as unimportant.