For the better part of the past two months I’ve been developing a new workout routine. I’ve made it to the gym 6 days a week, for at least an hour per visit.

I’m there so much they should be paying me a salary.

Today I found out that I’ve reached my two month exercise goals, putting on several new pounds of muscle and dropping another 1 1/2 percentage points of body fat. The news was thrilling. I’ve put in the work, and it’s starting to show.

“What should I do to now?” I asked my trainer.

“Keep doing the work,” he said simply.

Now, for the better part of the past two weeks I’ve been developing a new spiritual routine. I’ve risen each morning and made my way into my little sanctuary of a room, lit my candles, and worked at teaching myself new words to say to new Gods. (That is, new to me.) I’m building myself a new religion; word by word, day by day.

The results of the physical work are measurable. I know my thighs are shrinking, as is my belly. I know that my shoulders are bigger, and that my chest is broadening. But the results of my spiritual work don’t come in inches or pounds. My spiritual growth doesn’t make my t-shirts fit any different. In fact, unless you’re really looking close at me you might not even see a difference at all.

But, there is a difference.

In an e-mail exchange I was fortunate enough to have with Kirk Thomas, ADF’s Archdruid, he told me that he was glad that I was doing the work.

“You know, that’s what it’s all about.”

So simple, these men in my life.

Do the work. That’s all you need to worry about. Just keep doing the work.

The results will be evident in time.