Root vs. Fruit (Personal Wellness)

We like results. Results are what tell us that what we are doing is working. Results also tell us if what we are doing is not working. Either way, results are a measure of what we do. They are an outcome for us. The outcomes we are looking for come only from actions.

Actions are what bring you results. The actions you take are leading to outcomes. If you are doing things that lead to positive results, you must be taking the proper actions. If you are doing things that are leading to negative results, you must have some opportunities to change or improve your actions.

With our personal health and wellness, we get focused on the fruit. The fruit is just what it sounds like. It is the result of a healthy and well-nourished tree. When you set out to live healthy, you are looking for fruit. In order to make it turn out the way you want it to, you have some specific actions to take. A farmer planting a fruit tree needs to water the tree and give it time to mature. As it matures, the roots grow stronger and good fruit will be a result. The farmer doesn’t just stick a tiny apple tree in the ground and expect apples to grow.

In health and wellness, you actually have the same needs. You can’t simply focus on or hope for good results and get them. You have to put a plan into place, take time, find your motivation and have a certain amount of drive to carry out the actions needed to get the results you want.

Do you simply set a goal in hope it will happen? If so, how many goals do you reach? Likely, not many goals at all. That wouldn’t make much sense, would it? But in health, many people are doing just that. They want to lose weight and avoid long-term health problems, but are not doing anything to ensure that it will happen. Instead of taking action and working on the root of the issue, most people are simply making excuses and saying that they will start “next week” or “Monday”. This “strategy” is taking place all across the country. Everyone wants fruit. Everyone wants their health to be good and for their healthcare costs to be low. What they don’t want to do is invest in the root that will allow them to grow the fruit they so badly want and need.

Why does this happen? It happens because focusing on the fruit doesn’t get you anywhere without focus on the root.

When you focus on the root, good things happen. This works in all areas of life, but especially health. Take personal finance for example. You wouldn’t just hope that you had enough money to pay your mortgage. You wouldn’t assume that there would be enough and stop paying attention to your spending and saving on a day to day basis.

You have a budget and follow specific guidelines to make sure you don’t run out of money before the end of each month or worse, spend more than you have and can pay back. In this case, budgeting and guidelines are the root and having money to pay for your necessities like housing and food is the fruit. You can’t have one without the other. No matter how much you need a roof over your head and food on your table, without budgeting and planning, you will not be able to do it. Smart people know that focus on a budget and smart planning brings good results. In other words, they know that focus on the root leads to good fruit.

Personal wellness gives you that opportunity to focus on the root of your health. Without a strategy or a plan, there is only a mere hope and a prayer for health. If left to convenience, ease and general knowledge, most people in our society are seeing their health decline. It is getting worse by the day which means we are all paying more for health care.

Hope is not a strategy for health. The only way for you to get results is to take action. This is true in any are of life. Not only do you need to take action, but you need to take the right actions. When it comes to health and wellness there are many options to take. Unfortunately, most people know which options they should be taking, but have not found a way to make it work for them.

The fact is, any action is going to bring some results. The state of today’s healthcare environment is just what we’ve been hearing about: a crisis. This crisis is not due to insurance or other system flaws. It is due to health or lack of health. We are unhealthy and creating a larger problem by the day. A crisis is not the time to do nothing. When in crisis, shouldn’t action be taken? Any steps that help your personal wellness are the best actions you can take. Taking action is strengthening your root and that is the best way to get more fruit. If you want fruit, you have to focus on the root.