Peak says the “gold standard” for improvement is deliberate practice. This involves four things:

1) It is in a well-developed field, with an expert teacher who provides effective practice activities specifically designed to help student performance.

2) Your practice involves well-defined, specific goals, not aimed at some vague overall improvement. With that, you can measure whether you’re actually improving. We have these things spiritually: God is our expert teacher, and He gives us ample instruction to help us grow. Our practice activities include our daily prayer, study—meditation and occasional fasting, our daily work, family life, fellowship, serving God’s people. God often gives specific goals, but we do have to go after that. Unless a minister is counseling us in a specific area, we need to put pressure on ourselves.

Deliberate practice also takes 3) working outside your comfort zone, with near-maximal effort, which is generally not enjoyable. This requires full attention and conscious actions. This is crucial: The student cannot simply go through the motions doing what the teacher says; he must concentrate on the specific goal and make adjustments where necessary. We often hear how our prayer and study must not be routine but fervent and focused! When we are in the groove though, these can be extremely enjoyable.

Finally, deliberate practice involves 4) feedback and modification of efforts in response to that feedback. Students must monitor themselves, spot mistakes, and adjust accordingly. Again, you must get an accurate picture of yourself; then you can change what is necessary.

To practice a skill without a teacher, Peak instructs, you need three Fs: focus, feedback and fix it. All these points are worth pondering spiritually.