Seems obvious, right? Water the roots to get the fruits.
I heard this for the first time on a podcast when I was out for my morning walk and I was intrigued.
It made me think of the concept of ‘deliberate practice’ popularised by Anders Ericsson in his book PEAK.
Basically, what Ericsson was saying is that to accomplish a goal or to gain expertise at something, one has to expend consistent, specific and focused effort until you achieve the goal or you become an expert. His studies reveal that ‘experts are always made, not born’.
So for example, if your tennis serve is the thing that lets you down during matches and you want to improve it, you allocate time, consistently, go to the tennis courts consistently, and intentionally practice your serve.
You practice your serve over and over, learning and adjusting until you get it right.
It means that during those deliberate practise sessions there are no backhands or forehands. You specifically and exclusively practise your serve!
And when you do this, you are watering the roots to get the fruits.
Which roots do you want to be watering? Go do it! And then let me know how you go.