One of the things I love about living in Montana is the temperature variation through the day. I left the house at 7:45 and it was 50 degrees…already here on the trail a half an hour later, I’m seeking out the shade to sit and write this note.

I’ve been walking along thinking about why it is that I live in such an amazing place, and yet I don’t get out on this trail more often than I do. I certainly know how much I love it, how great I feel when I start the day actively. And yet – I’ve only come here a few times this summer. I just forget, or think other things are more important…there’s a myriad of excuses. Meanwhile, I’m not really getting the exercise I want, and the mental stimulation it gives me…

AND – I TEACH this stuff, for Pete’s sake. What is up with that?

Well, I’m going to come off any high horse about why it shouldn’t happen to me just because I teach it –  I know that as is often the case, the teacher is her own best student.

SO – as usual, the useful question isn’t why, but: what now? How do I get myself started again, when I’ve gotten out of the habit of taking action in some area?

Well, I have a few tricks I’ll share that really help me.

1. I plan what I am going to do the night before. That’s one of my most simple strategies. I’ve already made the decision, and since I am determined to keep my personal promises to myself, I do it.

2. If I need to start something that’s not a something I’m really looking forward to, but I am looking forward to the outcome I’ll get when I am done, I’ll simply sit for a minute ond envision the scene ten minutes after I have completed this thing. That gives me some powerful motivation to jump in.

3. I allow myself to give a project five minutes, and if it hasn’t captured my heart and imagination, so that I’m in the flow and enjoying it, I let myself stop. More often than not, just getting started is all I need…and if I’m not inspired, it’s probably not the right time to be doing it anyway. Choose something else and come back to it.

The point is to drop any excuses I might have, and get into action.