We live in a fast-paced, achievement-oriented society. At the end of a busy, to-do-list-focused day, we often find ourselves mentally and physically exhausted and uncertain whether we’re actually moving in the right direction in “the pursuit of happiness.”Our minds can be like little hamster wheels, desperate to reach some point down the road when things get easy or things make sense. In reality, you and I will never get there. There will never be a moment in time when everything feels done, when everything is certain, when there’s no pain or discomfort. Life is a constant juggling act of items in the inbox, people to please, feelings to process, tasks to complete, experiences to be had, and problems to face. And in truth that’s a beautiful thing.

At any given time you have opportunities to learn, grow, change, and experience life. There’s no shortage of things to do in this world—new hobbies to try, challenges to take on at work, steps to take to strengthen relationships.It’s all available to you at any time. They key to enjoying these undertakings is learning to completely stop in between them. Stop thinking. Stop analyzing. Stop worrying. Stop planning. And simply do nothing for a while. Today, stop being productive and give yourself permission to do nothing. Whether you spend the time in quiet meditation, writing in your journal or just sitting in nature, make time today to stop doing whatever you think you "should" be doing and do nothing. In the long run, doing nothing will make you more productive and more importantly more present in the only thing that is real- this present moment.

Just for today, I give myself permission to do absolutely nothing. I have plenty of time to do what I need to do. Time expands for me. I give myself permission to just let go. And so it is.