>[!caution] Note in Progress. This needs to be expanded. The term Deliberate Practice was coined by K. Anders Ericsson in a 1993 article for the *Psychological Review*. The primary point of the study was that expertise is not necessarily natural born but is instead the result of deliberate practices. >The theoretical framework presented in this article explains expert performance as the end result of individuals' prolonged efforts to improve performance while negotiating motivational and external constraints.[[[Ericsson](https://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/freakonomics/pdf/DeliberatePractice(PsychologicalReview).pdf), 1993, 363.::rsn]] This concept appears helpful when discussing [[Spiritual Formation]], and both words in the term matter. *Practice* emphasizes an active effort instead of mere theoretical assent. You must being *doing* something for it to be a practice. *Deliberate* demonstrates an act of volition. Effort is going into executing and maintaining the practice. In other words, expertise comes from the grit to continuing working toward your goal, and that deliberate practice is likely a better indicator than any inherently gifting or ability. Such a philosophy of spiritual formation also pairs well with the use of commitment devices such as a [[Ulysses Pact]], which pre-emptively self-imposes the accountability necessary to maintain deliberate practice.