I think many Christians get very discouraged when they don’t seem to make much self-improvement in their personal virtue and general spirit life. It’s normal but doesn’t necessarily need to be that way. There are many possible causes. This is why time spent in prayer, meditation upon scripture and devotionals along with self-examination are very important. The answers are not obvious to us and that is the source of our frustrations. For example, it could be caused by our self-pride. In which case applying remedies to other issues will not help. But other than miss identifying causes another major problem is trying to overcome a difficult problem in a day. The author C.S. Lewis once recommended, “Don’t worry about winning the war. Concentrate of winning the small skirmishes and in the end, you will have won the war.” In other words, fight the small battles you know you can win. For example, you know you frequently use the Lord’s Name in vain. You want to stop but it just seems to always blurt out in spite of your very best intentions. Instead to trying to stop entirely, shoot for doing it less by simply keeping count each day. This technique can be applied to many other vices. When a small victory has been achieved, speak a brief thanksgiving to the Lord and reward yourself in a small way. And be patient with yourself. The important thing it to stay close to the Lord by your regular prayer and attendance at Mass. Your willingness to be in His will is all He needs to eventually get you there. Yours in Christ our Lord. Fr. Sid.