Have you ever thought about the amount of energy—Qi—it takes to prepare a meal?

Let’s start with the Qi needed for the food to grow. Of course, every type of food has its own growth process, but in general, a seed is planted and with the proper amount of water, nutrients, and sunlight, it grows into a seedling. Little by little, this tiny sprout flourishes until it reaches its potential and fruits. Once the fruit ripens, the reward is ours. But it doesn’t stop there! We then need to harvest the food, clean it, chop and saute it, and share it with our families.

Most times, we sit at the dinner table, eat the food on our plates and move on with our day. We don’t stop to think about Qi in any of it. Maybe it’s because our society has become so disconnected from the source. Instead of growing and harvesting the food ourselves, we go to the store and the shelves are stocked with every food we could ever need. We buy, cook, and serve. Our focus is on what is in front of us—the end result—and it extends far beyond the walls of the kitchen. Whether that end result is our dinner, a work deadline, or a superstar athlete, we often fail to see that preparing the food, completing the work, and raising the athlete requires Qi—and lots of it.

Everything you do in life requires Qi. And often that Qi is wasted. Excess food is thrown away and hours are spent toiling over a work project and driving to practices and games. That’s time—and Qi—you’ll never get back. The next time you waste food or spend hours in front of a computer, stop and think about all of the Qi that went into getting that food to your plate or the deadline to your boss. Was it worth it?

Never waste anything—including you.