One of the mistakes beginners often make with spiritual development is what one writer calls “spiritual avarice”. This is the idea that more is better and expensive is better than cheap. This is the type of person that thinks his prayers will be more effective if said with a silver and gold rosary rather than a plastic one. This is the person who thinks that a quartz crystal the size of a loaf of bread that costs several hundred dollars is what he needs for spiritual growth when a flawless one the size of a bean and properly programmed will work just as well. This is the person who thinks that if a three day fast will help overcome greed and gluttony, a thirty day one will work much better. This is the person who thinks that he can become perfected and enlightened in a few weeks if he practices spiritual techniques twenty hours a day instead of just a few minutes which is much like the idea that, if one woman can have a baby in nine months, than nine woman should be able to have a baby in one month . 
    Of course, doing more sometimes gets better results, but not that much better and even if it did, growing too fast spiritually without giving the mind time to adjust to and accept the changes can result in mental problems. So the best thing is to listen to a proper spiritual teacher , learn slowly at first, and gain confidence in the teachings and techniques and, in due time, enlightenment will happen.