What We Put In.
Do Contribute | Social Entrepreneur
How we invest in our body, our mind and our actions influences the outcomes we’re striving for.
To clarify, I’m referring to our energy and choices.
What we put in affects the end result.
Good energy begets good outcomes.
Having an open mind makes it easier to cultivate new ideas.
Being willing to make different choices opens new doors.
“The dish will never be better than the produce. The difference between good and fantastic, you’ll be surprised how many chefs don’t see that difference.”
— Magnus Nilssen, Head Chef at Fäviken Restaurant
(quote taken from an episode of Chef’s Table)
The quality of ingredients used in a meal affects its taste, flavour and levels of enjoyment. Those ingredients extend to more than just the food items and seasoning that go into making them. They include our time and energy too.
Simple things made at home, from scratch and with love, often taste far better than a restaurant meal, due to the effort we put in. And the beneficial nourishment we gain from taking the time to make something using natural ingredients, far outweighs any overly-processed meal we may otherwise buy when we’re in a rush or craving carbs.
Putting in positive energy rewards us with a better return on energy.
Here’s another example…
There’s a determined young woman forging a brazen path for herself in the fresh produce business.
I’m inspired by her work ethic, grit, tenacity, creativity and resourcefulness in coaxing abundance from her little market garden. This despite having little by way of resources as she starts up.
This vivacious, grounded girl is connected with the land and with people. She pours her love into each little seed sown, vegetable plucked, pile of manure shovelled, and jam jar filled. She invests time in starting conversations that might just open the next door she needs to proceed. Even though she’s not entirely sure where that path may take her.
She puts a lot of energy into nourishing her endeavour, sharing the bounty she harvests, and expressing gratitude for the gifts of help she receives. And in return, she reaps the rewards of healthy produce to eat and sell, an ever-increasing network of supporters, and a growing, purposeful brand.
Single field, multiple choice.
Her name is Meg and her entrepreneurial journey towards becoming the custodian and curator of One Field Farm started here.
Meg didn’t know much about how to do any of this at the beginning of her adventure. But she was willing to learn by saying yes… why not… what if I can? She was willing to make choices true to her nature, but also out of her comfort zone. She was willing to put in her all, even when she wasn’t sure what she’d get out.
“When you decide to say ‘yes’ to anything, it takes many of the decisions out of your hands and you learn to roll with what happens next.”— Meg Lobb
Our level of enjoyment, and sense of accomplishment in our endeavours, are affected by the amount of energy, effort and enthusiasm we’re willing to invest in them … without expecting a return.
It’s worth remembering that to invest good energy in what we do, we also need to invest in ourselves. That means taking care of how we eat, move, sleep, think, etc. — so that we can bring our best to the game.
So, how else can we get better at what we put in, to achieve better outcomes?
Shop.
We can become more conscious about how we buy, whether that’s food, a car or shares in the next big thing. Shop sustainably and invest ethically. Make more things at home. Stop and Think before you haul out your card to buy crap you don’t need.
Read.
We can read widely outside of our field of work or core interests. Feeding our brains with thoughts from other disciplines, often leads to interesting cross-pollinations and opens our mind wider. Seek the real truth in the situations you see splabbed across today’s feed, instead of taking them for granted as a given.
Ask.
We can ask questions, no matter how silly they might seem. If you’re not sure, ask. If you want to know more, ask. If it doesn’t seem right, ask. Because if you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you don’t ask, you don’t learn. If you don’t ask, you can’t find better solutions and achieve better outcomes.
Decide.
Why not decide to put better quality in, so that you can reap results that are more in tune with who you want to be? Even when what you have to do is hard.
Meg’s mum calls it “developing character”. My mum calls it “doing things with a good grace”. Both boil down to this …
Choose to do the challenging, difficult, scary, stinky or unknown things with the same energy, willingness and enthusiasm you bring to doing the fun, easy, simple things in life.
What’s your choice?
If you don’t decide to put anything meaningful in, you don’t get anything meaningful out. If you don’t decide to live better and be better, you can’t do better.
What we put in matters. When we give more than we expect, we get lucky.
In the words of another inspiring woman:
“It’s our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
— JK Rowling
Your turn …
Social Entrepreneur
Mich Bondesio
Curious about connection, communication, design, learning, wellbeing and potential. Sharing thoughts on doing life and business better in our digital world.
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