“But I’m tired” — the same protest a parent might hear from a young child being roused for the day — is a phrase that does not typically change what is presently required of the speaker.

Our tasks and deadlines, generally, are indifferent to our level of energy. Our responsibilities do not ask, “Have you slept well?”

“But I’m tired” is a thought that can start us down the road of doing work begrudgingly.

Of course, it might be true. We might indeed be tired.

Alas, our work — the important work that the world needs of us — that work awaits. It does not lessen because of our fatigue. It does not base its urgency on our desire for rest.

So, there are occasions when we are tired, and we will need to do our work... tired.

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Post Script: When our work involves the safety of others — when the task is to transport passengers or to move equipment on busy highways — our responsibilities indeed ask if we are alert and well-rested. In those situations, go back to bed. Rest. The world needs productivity and generosity — not recklessness.