Good is the enemy of great

I started listening to the book "Good to Great" on audio again, for the 3rd time. Its written by Jim Collins and I highly recommend it. Chapter one starts out explaining why good is the enemy of great.

We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don't have great government , principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good - and that is their main problem.

So as I was trying and find ways to move from being mediocre to something better I had a conversation with a brother who though my difficulty in finding things to be great at crazy. He said you need to find what you can be best at and do it. i.e. "no one can love Holly better than you can, you can be the best in the world at it". Point well taken.

So here I am, listening to this book again, trying to make it stick and I find myself in the same rut I find myself in when I learn something new or think its a good idea. I file it away so I can refer to it sometime in the future and portray myself as knowledgeable. As the guy with the sound bite. the good quote or neat idea. I don't actually do it. I find this same thing happening with the gospel as well. I can quote a great scripture, prophet, or scholar, but in practice I'm severely lacking.

I'm writing this to throw it out there, to see what others have done to incorporate it. not in the way we typically pray "help us to incorporate these things in our daily lives" but to actually do it. Here is another quote which I try and remember every day and I am actually somewhat consistent with doing

Do something every day that you don't want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain - Mark Twain

So I take out the trash, I empty the dishwasher, I clean the bedroom, I exercise, call a long lost friend but its not consistent.

I'm not really looking for the end all answer because I think I already know it. President Kimball said "do it" to which he later expanded to "do it now".

I think that is the key.