I was pretty excited about one of Seth Godin's recent posts regarding the differences between workers and entrepreneurs. I found it especially fitting as the InsureMe company has gone through some changes in recent weeks and many of us have faced the challenge of realizing our value in the company and wondering how we're suppose to better ourselves with so many constraints on our time.

Godin says quite aptly:

What happens when your inbox is empty?

What happens when all the agenda items and all the incoming emails are cleared?

Time to go home.

A job well done. Congratulations, you earned your paycheck.

This is the factory mindset that has been drilled into us since kindergarten. You get assignments, you do your best, and you finish them.

It is at this point that we draw the line between workers and entrepreneurs, between people who work in marketing and marketers.

The challenge is NOT to empty your inbox. The challenge is not to get your boss to tell you what to do.

The challenge is to ask a two part question:

What next? What now?

Asking is the hard part.

I suppose we can all be satisfied with the status quo. And I suppose most supervisors in the world can be satisfied with the status quo. But really...why would you want to?

Take some time this weekend to identify how you can go the extra mile in your job. Whether it's coming in 15 minutes early to catch up on a blog or two or reading one work-related book per month, I think you'll find that going the extra mile has equal benefits for you and your clients. And that warrants a big thumbs up.