Having goals is essential. Most people have a natural desire to accomplish things and use their talents and abilities to find fulfillment, and make a contribution, and goals give us a sense of direction and purpose.

But do we really need to be as “busy” as most people seem to be these days? Of course, there is a true sense of urgency at times. We have deadlines to meet, or, if there is an emergency situation a solution must be found immediately.

But for most of us in our day to day lives, we don’t really need to be “on call’ 24/7.

Think back to your past accomplishments—and your past failures. Which of these made you the person you are today? I think if you’re honest you will say both. Both taught you things, both shaped you. You may be hungry to finish a project, get a promotion, find a relationship, move to a new house. But when you get to the other side of that experience, will you be a better, kinder, more aware person? Or will it simply be another step in your journey?

There really is no end to this path—even death can be seen as another step. So what’s the hurry? How do you want to live each day? Rushing from moment to moment, from accomplishment to accomplishment, so you can check something off of a list? Or do you want to live each moment as fully as possible?

I’m guilty of this sense of busyness myself. As the saying goes, “Teach what you would learn.” That’s why I’m talking about this now. Because the older I get, the more I understand that it’s how I live each day that counts. How you live today, determines what tomorrow will bring. When you think of it, it’s always today.

“Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future. In other words, if we’re going to be more cheerful in the future, it’s because of our aspiration and exertion to be cheerful in the present. What we do accumulates; the future is the result of what we do right now.” —Pema Chodrön