Progress Done the Right Way

What are you passionate about?

Name your craft. Is it a sport? An art form? Your academics or career? All the time and effort you put into it, how do you know it’s working? What if I told you you’re going about it in the wrong way and it might be impeding your spiritual life too? 

Let me explain. 

Whether you’re in a sport, on stage, or simply on your semester exams, we are often tempted to focus on one thing and one thing only: results. That is, as long as I win the game, stick the landing, or get an “A”, all is well. Overtime, we often begin to develop a sense of perfectionism in which we become solely focused on the outcome. 

Well, that might work for some time until your humanity smacks you in the face with a game you lose, a landing you didn’t execute, or a test that caught you off guard. As a result, we are often discouraged, tempted to give up, or left feeling like a big failure. 

Why is this a problem? Well the issue is not your effort. I’m sure you’re working very hard to perform. Here’s the thing you’re doing wrong: You’re overemphasizing performance, and underemphasizing process. 

Picture this: let’s say I get private lessons from Kobe Bryant. If I go into it focusing on trying to score 30 points a game and win 5 championships like him, I won’t get very far. However, what if I asked Kobe what shooting drills worked best for him, what his workout regimen is and the best diet to follow in order to build stamina and maximize recovery. The best athletes separate themselves from everyone else because they have a great process and a great process will lead to good results, more often than not. 

Let’s go back to Kobe Bryant. Even one of the best to ever play the game had some bad games in his career, but what separated him from the others? Well, he quickly and passionately went back to and constantly refined his process. March 11, 2011, Kobe and the Lakers suffered a heart crushing loss to the Miami Heat. Immediately after the game, Kobe was seen shooting around in an empty arena. He went back to his process. He trusted that the effort he put into his process would lead to great results. That’s where confidence lies. That’s where we find peace. 

Well how does this affect me spiritually? The saints are amazing examples to us in the spiritual life because they too had a beautiful process that grew and evolved overtime. Remember, grace builds upon nature. What separates Saints from the rest is not that they didn’t sin or struggle, but that they quickly returned to their process and kept their eyes fixed on Christ. They went back to the sacraments, back to their prayer, back to God Himself. Like St. Faustina who amidst the frequent doubt, constantly responded with prayer. As a result, the saints often perfected certain skills and virtues  by keeping their gaze upon and cooperating with He who is perfect. 

The next time you find yourself preparing for that exam, training for the upcoming season, or just trying to grow in holiness remember: a good process leads to good results, keeping your eyes fixed on Christ along the way.