Have you ever watched someone just drop everything and chase a completely different life? I recently stumbled upon a video series about a man who had a good life; a career, life in the city, the whole package, but he wasn’t happy. So, he packed it all up and disappeared into the Canadian wilderness to build a cabin and live off the land.

Now, I’m not about to run off and build a cabin in the mountains (although, let’s be real, I wouldn’t say no). But in one of his videos, he said something that stuck with me:

“Being good enough is the biggest enemy to being great.”

That hit like a ton of bricks. Because the truth is, a “good” life is comfortable. It’s stable. It doesn’t rock the boat. It’s… good enough. And that’s the problem.

So why don’t we push for greatness in every aspect of our lives? I think there are three main reasons:

1. Greatness requires more work. Hard work. Painful work.
2. Greatness demands dedication, commitment, and consistency.
3. Greatness forces us to step out of our comfort zone and that can upset people we love.

I’ll be the first to admit I struggle with this. I’m a fixer, a people-pleaser, and I avoid conflict like the plague. But here’s the thing, settling for “good” means I’m giving up pieces of myself for the sake of comfort. And that’s not okay.

Chasing Greatness in My Career

If there’s one area of my life where I feel like I’ve reached for greatness and succeeded, it’s my career. I work for an incredible company that I genuinely enjoy being a part of. So much so that when I’m sick and have to call out, I feel a little heartbroken about missing work. (Yes, I know how weird that sounds, but I experienced it just this week.)

I’m a go-getter in my field. I push myself to learn, improve, and take on new challenges. My work life? Solidly in the “greatness” category.

Almost-Great in My Marriage

My marriage? Pretty close to greatness. My husband and I are partners in every sense. We make decisions together and support each other, and I still get butterflies when he walks through the door at the end of the day. But there’s room for improvement.

Over the years, we’ve stopped doing some of the things that I feel keep us feeling close and passionate about each other, like taking a weekend getaway just for us or playing video games together (that’s more my issue as I’ve gotten older I play less). Date nights are rare and typically just us going out for dinner because…well, Florence and probably a bit of laziness on our part to plan anything for the other. Additionally, we continue to find ways to help our family and friends, and while I love that we often put others first, I sometimes feel that it can come at the cost of making our relationship stronger. Greatness will come when we put as much effort into “us” as we do everything else.

“Good Enough” Parenting

Now, parenting? That one stings a bit. I’ve got kids ranging from 12 to 30, including 2 bonus kids, and if you asked each of them about my parenting, you’d probably get different answers. I can see how the environments they grew up in shaped them, and while I did my best, I know I could’ve done better.

I see parenting struggles the most with our youngest children because as the years have gone by, society has somehow convinced many parents like myself, to forgo active parenting in lieu of a style of parenting that makes us think it’s more important for our children to like us than to teach them how to be decent human beings. Turn on mainstream media and you can very plainly see how entitlement and lack of respect turn out.  There’s also the element of blended families, and trying to parent a child in different households is not an easy task, for either side. This is an area where I need to stop settling for “good enough” and start striving for greatness no matter how painful or how hard the work is. My kids deserve that, natural or otherwise.

I owe it to the world to turn out kids who will change it for the better, not simply leach from it and give nothing back. This will especially be difficult with my youngest because I have a soft spot for her. After all, she is my last and it’s hard to be tough on her, but I know she will be a better and stronger person for it.

My Relationship with God: Just Okay

If I’m being brutally honest, my relationship with God is just… fine. I pray, I try to be a good person, and I love Him, but maybe I don’t do all that I could, or rather should. I don’t always show my kids the depth of my faith and I would have to say the same for my husband. My relationship with God has always just been a Him and me kind of thing. But as a married woman, this is something we should be doing better together. We should pray more together. We should skip Sunday church less often. And while we say we include God in our decisions, I don’t feel like we invite God into every decision we make. Most, sure, but not all.

That’s not greatness. That’s just getting by and I dislike even the thought of calling it “good enough” because nothing about God should ever feel just good enough.

Lifestyle vs. Greatness

Here’s where things get a little uncomfortable. My husband and I make good money. We live in a beautiful home in a great neighborhood. We drive new cars, and if we want to drop $60 on a game or take a spontaneous shopping trip, we can.

Sounds great, right? But here’s the catch: we’re also wasteful. I’m an emotional shopper. We’ve got a small amount of credit card debt, 2 very large car payments, and our house. And because we’re living comfortably, we haven’t started building our dream home, we’re not saving enough for retirement, and we’re surrounded by way too much stuff that we don’t need.

And that? That’s not a great life but it is good enough.

You might be thinking, “Misty, come on, you’re complaining about being able to afford nice things?” Yep, I am. Because I don’t want to care about designer bags or brand-new cars anymore. I want to minimize, downsize, and just have less to worry about. I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking they’re entitled to everything without earning it. I don’t want to spend money just because I can. I don’t want to feel like every event must be celebrated with expensive gifts. I don’t want to feel like money controls me and right now it very much does. It stresses me out, it worries me, and it makes me feel very unchristian-like at times. But it’s so easy to say it’s a good enough way to be.

Where Do I Go From Here?

I don’t have all the answers yet, but I know one thing: over the next 1-2 years, I’m making a change. My family is making a change. I want my life and my family’s life to go from “good enough” to greatness.

My plan includes requiring all of our kids to earn their own money instead of just handing them whatever they want. Sure, like any parent it is our job to take care of necessities and definitely some of their wants, we aren’t trying to be tyrants here, but frivolous spending is coming to an end. No more buying pointless gifts or impulse shopping simply to make them happy. Our goal is to be more frugal, focus on financial responsibility, and teach our kids the value of hard work and saving.

Another key focus is our marriage. I am committed to finding new ways to make sure that we are spending more quality time together and including God in that process more intentionally. A strong relationship with God is the foundation of a great marriage, and we want to make sure we’re not just growing as a couple, but also spiritually. Whether it’s praying together, having more faith-driven conversations, or making church a non-negotiable part of our week, we know that bringing God into our relationship will make it even stronger.

I would also really like to start working on the changes to our lifestyle and yes, I will go so far as to say living arrangements and location. I most definitely do not have the answer to that but I am hopeful in the next blog or two, I will start to address and explore that path to see what we can come up with.

That’s just the starting point, though. The real work begins with daily choices – choosing to spend time with my husband, choosing to be a more intentional parent, choosing to deepen my faith, and choosing to prioritize long-term financial stability over short-term gratification.

I don’t want to settle anymore. I want a simpler, more meaningful, and greater life.