I love it when ideas come together. I keep a list of what I believe. I collect principles and hard-fought lessons. One of those beliefs is “Love the Plateau.” I got the idea from George Leonard. His little book on Mastery is a treasure. It's about the work, the practice. Growth comes in surprise burst surrounded by long stretches of seemingly flat gains. The flat periods are needed to build the base for growth. You must love the plateau to reach mastery.

I stumbled upon the lesson again but in a very different context. I teach at a Jesuit university, and they offered us a chance to make a spiritual exercise with some guidance from a priest. The priest sends us a short video with some hints, lessons, and ideas on how best to approach the exercises. He cautioned against the temptation to measure progress. He said progress is a temptation. If I focus on progress, I’ll be disappointed or at least focused on the wrong thing. The exercises are about an adventure to get to know God. The exercises are not about progression through the book.

How similar to “love the plateau”? The key is to never give up, to keep going. Progress can be a weight too great to carry. I can feel like I’m not far enough along, or it’s hopeless because I have so far to go. I remember my 5thgraders listening to my 8th grader play violin, and they sighed because she was so good. They forgot she was worse than them when she was in 5thgrade. The key was daily practice, not progress.

I believe this is why diets are so hard to follow, and New Year’s resolutions are nearly worthless. We are all about the progress. We forget the path. Stay on the path and keep going. I recently heard a saint’s moto was Siempre Adelante, meaning Always Forward. I love it.

Change dieting to one meal, one decision. Change New Year’s resolutions to a new path, ignore progress, and always forward.

I get to add “progress is a temptation” to my list of beliefs. And I get to use it every day while I’m on the 100 Day Challenge.  What’s on your list?