Between the inspiring goals, smart strategies, and effective things we want to do, there’s another, less-published reality. We all get tired.

A mountain hiker dreams of the breathtaking vistas she’ll see while standing on the peak. Inspired by her vision of that moment, she parks her car at the trailhead and starts enthusiastically up the trail at a jog.

An hour later, she’s tired and her steps are slowing. The trail was steeper and muddier than she expected. She realizes breakfast wasn’t nourishing enough for this kind of workout. And the distance to the peak is starting to feel overwhelming. As a driven and hard-working person, maybe she feels like she should push on and drag her tired self to that peak.

Her best move in that moment is probably to stop, sit on a tree trunk, enjoy a cool drink of water, and eat some energizing trail mix.

We are all hiking mountains of one kind or another. We all get tired. We aren’t made for long-distance mountain-sprinting on an empty fuel tank. Take breaks and take time for what refreshes and re-energizes you. You’ll enjoy the journey more and cover more ground in a day.