It’s rare to find people willing to go the extra mile these days even more rare to find one willing to go an extra ten!

Perhaps you’ve heard the story that’s recently gone viral nationwide. Jhaqueil Reagan, an 18-year old Indianapolis boy, set out to walk 10 miles through ice and snow to interview for a minimum-wage cashier job. About 4 miles into the journey, he ran into Art Bouvier who was spreading ice salt outside his Cajun-style restaurant, Papa Roux. Reagan asked Bouvier how far he was from the thrift store he was heading towards, but he never asked for money or other assistance in getting the rest of the way.

Bouvier was perplexed and astonished when the young man kept walking after he told him he was still 6 miles from the destination and he’d be better off taking the bus. The restaurant owner soon felt compelled to get in his car and catch up with the determined youth. At that point, he offered Reagan a ride, gave him money for lunch, drove him to his interview, and asked him for his contact information so he could keep in touch later.

Although he wasn’t necessarily seeking new employees, the work ethic displayed by this inspirational teen impressed Bouvier to the point that he had to extend a job offer. He contacted Reagan and offered him an entry-level position at his restaurant for double the minimum wage. Reagan, who had been looking for work for more than 6 months, and couldn’t afford the bus ride to his interview, quickly and thankfully started his new job.

In an article posted by Katie Kindelan, Bouvier said of his new employee: “I’m fairly intolerant of this new generation of entitlement kids, holding out for management positions because they don’t want to flip burgers, so to find this kid who didn’t have any of that, that’s what stood out.”

When I heard this touching and inspirational tale, it reminded me of another story on the opposite end of the spectrum. A friend of mine was frustrated with her 20-year old niece, who was “taking a break” from college and spent her days posting complaints on Facebook about how she “couldn’t find a job.”

When asked how she went about her job-hunting, the young woman said she had put in dozens of “online applications” and hadn’t heard back from any of them. My friend suggested visiting some of the places in person, but that idea fell on deaf ears. She mentioned applying at a certain local restaurant chain that had a “now hiring” sign posted in the window. The girl scoffed at the idea, saying she “didn’t want to work in fast food.”

Finally, my friend proposed attending a job fair being held at a community center, to which the niece responded, “you have to know someone to get those jobs.” Needless to say, the hours spent pining away needlessly on social media did not bring about any opportunities for employment. The lack of motivation, drive, and initiative displayed in this case was completely contrary to the exemplary behavior and determination shown by our earlier example, Reagan.

Whether you’re looking for work, climbing your way up the corporate ladder, or already established in a career, take a lesson from this young 10-mile walker and remember that if you want to stand out, you can’t stand still!

–Sheri Staak