A woman discovered a squirrel in her basement. Panicking, she called her father for a solution. He advised her to leave a trail of peanut butter and crackers leading from the basement to the outside. An hour later, her father called to check on the results. The woman replied: now there are two squirrels in the basement!

Sometimes, try as we might to follow a plan that ought to lead to success, we nonetheless achieve the opposite of what we intend. I share with you some examples of those who have found paths leading to success, all of them more certain than a trail of peanut butter and crackers.

In a study performed at Tel Aviv University, and reported in Health Psychology, Dr. Sharon Toker followed 820 working adults over the course of 20 years. Dr. Toker discovered a direct correlation between one’s health and one’s feeling socially connected. People who feel a positive connection to their co-workers feel better and live longer.

Jeff Galloway is an expert on long distance running. Mr. Galloway discovered, and teaches others a method which results in his disciples recording personal bests in marathons and other races. The key to success is to alternate walking with running. Not only do the “walking runners” ultimately pass and defeat the “runners,” they also receive the added benefit of suffering far fewer injuries.

In his book, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, Dr. Atul Gawande describes how simple checklists save lives. When doctors are reminded by their nurses to follow a series of steps, such as: washing their hands, wearing sterile clothing, and cleaning the patient’s skin with antiseptic — they virtually eliminate what had previously been a significant risk to the patient of infection. After years of schooling and training, the physician’s greatest key to success might be a 3x5 card.

The fourth success story comes from author Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers. Mr. Gladwell explains the 10,000 hour rule — the number of hours necessary for someone to achieve mastery in a particular field. The 10,000 hour rule seems to work for composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianist, chess players, and even master criminals. All of them, at the top of their professions, attribute their success to hours upon hours of practice.

Successful people follow plans, sticking to their plans over a long period of time. Successful people are patient, knowing that their “tried and true” strategies will work. Successful people have communities — family, friends and colleagues who provide feedback, guidance and emotional support.

In our efforts to strengthen our Jewish community, and raise our levels of Jewish knowledge, we would be wise to follow the examples I cited. Judaism is lived with others — in the home, at the synagogue and beyond. Judaism succeeds through our own checklists — daily prayer, weekly Shabbat observance, gratitude to God before and after every meal.

A skilled and knowledgeable Jewish adult has put in many more than the 10,000 hours that Malcolm Gladwell recommends. Finally, living a Jewish life is similar to running/walking the marathon in the Jeff Galloway model — as they say, “slow and steady wins the race.”