We all want to progress and improve. We all want success and to achieve goals that make us proud, and to help others around us.

That’s a really good thing.

In order to do those things, some days you just need to live. Be honest with yourself about your good intentions and forget how big the world is. Some days it’s just about breakfast and the laundry and filling yourself up with things that make you feel whole. Read the unopened mail, open the windows, hike outside with kids. Some days it’s not about measuring progress or how much you’ve achieved-it’s knowing that you’ve achieved something already just by trying.

Amidst the chaos, the quiet moments in life are a prerequisite to accomplishing the big, bold things. Live in these moments fully. See how they enrich the louder moments. Savor them.

Then start striving.

Repeat this for the rest of your life.