If you want to accomplish something worthwhile, you have to “do the work”. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, describes the “ten-thousand-hour rule” which proposes that it requires 10,000 hours of intensive practice to achieve mastery of complex skills. In other words, it takes time and effort – and lots of it – to become really good at something.

Doctors, nutritionists, and athletic trainers talk about the fact that there’s no easy or instant path to good health. Music instructors insist on a regular and ongoing habit of practice. And art teachers will demand that their students commit by dedicating the necessary energy and effort to continuously improving. There are no shortcuts.

But let’s face it, who doesn’t love a good shortcut… when you can find one?

Oftentimes, we pursue our faith and seek a closer relationship with God, his Son, and the Advocate by hoping for a shortcut, a quicker way forward, and an easier path. Miracles, in a way, are shortcuts. And while they do happen, we should not rely on them as the primary means of strengthening our faith. Instead, we should… you guessed it… “do the work”.

In the case of building our lives of faith, it is critical to create good and lasting habits that point us in the right direction. Behavioral scientists who study habit formation say that the keys to success, according to a New York Times article (“How to Build Healthy Habits”, June 7, 2021), are as follows:

Stack habits. In this case, you add a new habit to an existing, already established one. For example, if you are accustomed to having your morning coffee at a certain time every day, add to that habit a new one such as saying the rosary or writing an entry in a prayer journal. 

Start small. All too often, we jump into something big with both feet and then subsequently fail. We bite off more than we can chew and then when we can’t maintain the high level of motivation required to advance us toward the lofty goal, we become discouraged and give up. The experts say that taking a short walk every day is the best way to strive toward an exercise goal. Similarly, if you have not been to an Adoration chapel or it has been a while since you received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, set a goal to simply go one time. Just one time. And then do it again after a predetermined interval. Baby steps.

Every day. According to the article, British researchers determined that we form habits after repeating something for 66 days, on average. There are many great spiritual books, podcasts, apps, and other similar resources available to us. Commit to these for a short amount of time every single day. Repeat… every single day.

Make sure it’s easy. Much like the start small strategy above, experts say that it’s important to reduce the “friction” we encounter when we try to accomplish something important. In the example above about writing in your prayer journal during morning coffee, make sure you keep the journal right next to your coffee pot. Retailers such as Amazon are good at this, for example adding a “one-click” purchasing option to their items. They are reducing the friction between a buy impulse and actually purchasing something. How might you do the same when it comes to adopting positive faith-related behaviors?

And finally, I’ll add something that isn’t in the New York Times article: 

Rely on God. In our quest for God, we are striving to develop a personal two-way relationship with him, his Son, and the Advocate. It’s ok to ask for help and to admit that, unlike developing an exercise routine or learning how to play the guitar, we simply cannot do it all by ourselves. In a way, that’s the beauty of it. Ask for help!