Living an Orthodox life - the goal

OK, before we get started, let's set the goal: what is an Orthodox Christian life supposed to look like? The best description I've heard is from Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick. He's the pastor at St. Paul Orthodox church in Emmaus, PA, and does podcacsts on Ancient Faith radio (www.ancientfaith.com). Here's his description:

"To put it even more plainly, what does a real Orthodox Christian look like? He comes to worship more than just Sunday mornings, because he cannot get enough of worshipping Christ. He schedules his calendar around the Church calendar. He tithes his income, giving back ten percent of what God has given him for the work of the Kingdom, or at least giving some regular percentage and gradually working toward ten percent, which is the Old Testament Biblical minimum; the New Testament standard is one hundred percent. He serves in the Church giving of his time and talents for the life of the local parish in its worship, education, and maintenance. He takes fasting seriously, and always looks to the next year's set of fasts and asks himself what he can do to take his practice to the next level. He looks for opportunities to give charitably to others, both monetarily and in terms of his time. He receives the sacraments regularly, including at least weekly Communion and confession several times a year. He goes on pilgrimage to holy places. In his fasting and confession he takes a serious look at himself and repents of his sins. He looks for opportunities to educate himself in his faith, both in private reading and in taking classes offered at his parish and elsewhere. And he does all of these things in conversation with and in freely chosen obedience to his father confessor. That is what a normal Orthodox Christian life looks like."

Please keep in mind that this is the goal. I know I don't live up to this description, I know it's a lofty goal, and I know I may never get there. But there's no excuse to not try to get as close to the goal as possible. And to the common response, "Surely God doesn't expect us to do all of that. I mean, you'd have to be close to perfect to do all of that." I have only one thing to say: "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."