Process Over Outcome, Be Weary of the Big-Box Grocery Store, The Weight of Information
Hi Folks! Connor and Nick here from Healthy Living With Nick and Connor. Thanks again for being on our email list, it means a lot, and we are excited to share our weekly email with you. We hope you enjoy it! Here is what we hope you take away from this one:
Focusing on the process over the outcome fosters growth, resilience, and fulfillment by valuing effort and learning over results.
If you can avoid big box grocery stores and spend more time at small local markets, farms and suppliers, you will be well on your way to better health.
Don’t confuse access to information with knowledge and wealth with happiness.
Starter Mindset Tip: Prioritize Process over Outcomes
An outcome driven mindset can lead to frustration, burnout, and dissatisfaction if results fall short of expectations. Conversely, prioritizing the process over the outcome fosters meaningful growth, resilience, and long-term fulfillment. Focusing on the journey allows us to develop skills, build habits, and cultivate a mindset of perseverance and self-discipline, which are invaluable for achieving any goal. When we centre our efforts on the process, we stay present, learn to appreciate what we are doing in the moment and embrace challenges as opportunities for improvement. By prioritizing the process, we ensure that personal development and well-being are continuous and a byproduct of consistent effort and a commitment rather than only by the result we are after.
Health Recipe: Decrease Your Time at the Big-Box Grocery Store
Timing: Daily-weekly
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Serving Size: Small
Spiciness: Mild - Medium
INGREDIENTS
You
REASONING AND BENEFITS
If you can slowly decrease your time at the big-box grocery store and instead buy your food at more local markets or directly from farms, if available, your diet will be better for it. The quality of food at big-box grocery stores has been steadily declining due to the industrialized nature of supply chains and focus on mass production over quality. Many fruits and vegetables are picked prematurely to survive long-distance transportation, sacrificing peak ripeness, flavor, and nutritional value. Processed foods dominate the shelves, high in artificial additives, preservatives, and excess sugars to extend shelf life and reduce cost. The reliance on large-scale farming often prioritizes monoculture practices that deplete soil health, resulting in less nutrient-dense produce. In contrast, most local markets and farms emphasize freshness, seasonal availability, and sustainable farming methods, delivering food that is not only healthier but also more flavorful and friendly to the environment. If we can slowly shift our shopping habits away from the big-box stores, we can prioritize quality and nutrition while supporting practices that benefit both people and the planet.
INSTRUCTIONS
Start small by buying one thing locally instead of at the big-box store. An easy example of this would be if you eat honey, start buying it locally, someone’s got to have bees.
Every month continue to swap something out from your current shopping list to a source that is more local, when available.
Try to get to the point where most of your meat, dairy, eggs, and produce is from local sources.
PRO TIP: Befriend a local farmer, butcher, or market owner. Learn how they grow their food, learn how they view their food. This will allow you to appreciate the local food even more.
* Shifting away from the big-box grocery stores will also naturally help you get away from foods that are prepackaged and less healthy.
**Those packaged things that you previously purchased, such as cookies, you can still make yourself at home from scratch, and will likely be much healthier.
*** Building relationships with local producers is a nice way to be in the know about the freshest things you may not have previously known about. You may have to get more creative with your cooking.
Dessert Quote:
“We are buried beneath the weight of information, which is being confused with knowledge; quantity is being confused with abundance and wealth with happiness.” - Tom Waits
