“If you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots.” T. Harv Eker
Ol’ T. Harv is talking about money in that quote above, but it has application in all sorts of “life things”. We live in a world of cause and effect (aka the law of sowing and reaping, the law of giving and receiving, and other names). Very often, in our lives, we can tend to get overly focused on the fruits – the external conditions of our lives – because they are right there in our line of sight, visible, tangible, etc. And simultaneously, we frequently overlook the roots – the internal processes that led to those results.
If you had an apple tree and the apples were coming out small and unhealthy looking, you wouldn’t rub fertilizer all over each apple, right? No, you would put fertilizer on the ground, where it can seep into the roots and make the tree healthier. Healthier roots, healthier fruits. If bugs were putting holes in the apples, you wouldn’t buy special apple-hole-plugs – you would go after the bugs (the cause, not the effect). In other words, you would treat the cause, not the effect. It’s the same with our mental/emotional health.
Dr. David Viscott once said (paraphrasing), where you are in life today is the sum total of all the choices you’ve made up until this time. If you’re not happy with where you are at this moment, that may sound like bad news. But the good news is that the past doesn’t automatically equal the future – the future will only be the same ol’ thing if you do nothing, and you keep making the same kinds of choices (causes). If you take the time to examine your life situation (the fruits or the effects), and really look at the thoughts and belief patterns and behaviors that led you to this point (the roots or causes), then you can start making constructive changes in how you operate on a daily basis. Once you do that, and apply it consistently, you will start to see changes in your outcomes. They may be small victories in the short term, but if you can stay persistent and consistent, the long term results can be like night and day. Give it a try!
Peace and blessings all.