So, I was thinking about Juan Carlos Ferrero the other day. Remember him? Nicknamed ‘Mosquito’. Such a grinder on the court back in his day. Solid player, won the French Open. Now you see him coaching Carlos Alcaraz, looking all serious in the player’s box. It’s interesting seeing that shift, from being the guy hitting the ball to the one guiding someone else.
It got me reflecting on sticking with things, you know? Seeing that kind of dedication, first as a player for years, then transitioning into coaching, pouring that same energy into someone else. It looks so straightforward when you see the results, but man, the day-to-day grind must be something else entirely.
My Own Little Experiment
Anyway, watching all this tennis stuff, and thinking about Ferrero’s career path, sort of nudged me. I felt like I needed a bit more structure in my own life. Nothing drastic like training for a marathon or anything. My goal was much smaller: wake up early, like really early, before the rest of the house wakes up, and just write for an hour. Just get thoughts down, work on some personal stuff. Simple, right?
Here’s how it went down:
- Day 1-3: Nailed it. Felt amazing. Alarm goes off at 5:30 AM, I’m up, coffee brewing, sitting down to write by 6:00 AM. Felt super productive. Thought, “Yeah, I got this. Easy.”
- Day 4: Hit snooze. Woke up at 6:15 AM. Rushed. Got maybe 20 minutes of writing in. Felt okay, but a bit annoyed.
- Day 5: Slept right through the alarm. Woke up at 7:30 AM with the kids jumping on the bed. No writing. Felt like a total failure.
- The Weeks After: It became a real mixed bag. Some days I managed it, felt great. Other days, I’d just turn the alarm off and roll over. Then I’d feel guilty later.
It’s funny. You see guys like Ferrero, dedicating decades to one thing, tennis. And here I am struggling to just get up an hour earlier consistently for like, two weeks straight. It’s humbling, really.
I started thinking maybe the real ‘practice’ isn’t about being perfect every single day. Maybe it’s just about getting back to it after you mess up. Like, okay, I missed today. Doesn’t mean the whole thing is ruined. Try again tomorrow. That feels more real, more sustainable maybe.
So, that’s my little ongoing project. Inspired by watching a tennis pro, ended up just battling my alarm clock. Still trying, still failing sometimes, but still getting back to it. It’s not winning a Grand Slam, but hey, it’s my little court, my little battle. And I guess I just keep showing up. That’s the plan, anyway.
