OK, summer’s pretty much over but your mind and heart may not be quite ready to give up on longer days, shorter pants, sunblock, and barbecues. Nevertheless, there’s something in the air (a throwback to school days, no doubt) that calls us to roll up our sleeves, redouble our efforts, and kick our lives back into gear.

Problem is, that’s sometimes easier said than done.

What do you do when you have a goal but don’t seem to be motivated to get it done? Well, lots of things: daydream, distract yourself with idle tasks, multi-task inefficiently, and engage in all sorts of avoidance behaviors that many of us struggle with but rarely admit to.

Maintaining focus and self-discipline is something we face at one point or another in our lives (or our day!). We feel we should do something, and would if only we felt motivated, or had the self-discipline, or both.

But as we know, simply willing ourselves to get going is often a losing battle. Instead, try changing your perspective from motivation to inspiration. Here are some ways to shift your thinking from “oh no” to “let’s go!”

1. Once upon a time. Depending on the size of the goal, pick a point in the future (one week, six months, five years) and imagine telling someone how you accomplished it. In great detail. Often outlining the process in your head can break through your resistance to action.
2. Out of the mouths of babes. Imagine asking a child (or actually ask one) how they would get the job done. Listen to the fun, creative answer, and apply what works!
3. Prime the pump. What’s the smallest increment of action you can take to start your goal? Do that one small thing. You may then find yourself drawn to the next small step. And the next.
4. Capture the state. What does “inspiration” feel like to you? Think about the last time you felt truly fired up to do something, then put your body and mind in that state. Use that energy to propel you forward.
5. Change your language. When it comes to getting things done, how do you talk about yourself? “I’m lazy.” “I procrastinate.” “I’m good at starting things…” Change your thoughts and words to those of completion and accomplishment. Even if you don’t believe it at first, keep it up and watch your actions change…
6. Do a values check. Make a list of your top 10 values. What’s most important to you? Does this task or goal support one or more of these values? If so, how? If not, ask yourself why it’s on your list.
7. Buddy up. Team up with a trusted friend, and share your goals. Set up a schedule of mutual accountability. Get together and treat yourselves when you’ve both met your goals.
8. Model your hero. Think about someone you admire (friend, celebrity, fictional character). What’s their attitude? How would they do this? Then pretend you’re just like them.
9. Do an inventory. Get out some paper, write your goal at the top, and make two columns: What I Have and What I Need. In the first column, list everything you have to accomplish your goal (tools, materials, know-how, personality traits, etc.) and in the second, what you don’t have. What shows up in the second column may shed light on why you’re stuck and how to fix it.
10. Build on your successes. Think about everything you’ve accomplished so far today (including getting out of bed!). No matter how small, you do many wonderful things every day. Make a habit of recounting your successes every night, and soon you’ll be looking for more things to go after tomorrow.

So, pick one thing you’d like to get done. Start with something small, apply one or more of these strategies, or make up your own. What would you like to feel inspired about today?

My husband and I like to play games. Board games in particular, but most any game will do. One day we walked around downtown Portland, on a hunt for objects that started with each letter of the alphabet. (The letter X made this a particularly long walk).

This ability to play serves us well, especially when life gets stressful. It reminds us that even in serious times there’s still some room for levity. I also believe that the ability to play helps us overcome adversity in ways that few other things can.

During childhood, most of us are experts at play. It’s hardwired in us to use our imagination as we figure out the world around us and come up with strategies for dealing with it. But somewhere during adolescence, we give up “childish” ways in favor of independence and maturity. Our strategies solidify, and our (apparent) need to experiment decreases. This is all well and good except for the fact that, once established as adults, we tend to forget all the other benefits that play affords us:

• A way to release tension, stress, and anxiety
• An avenue for social connection
• Access to the healthful perks of smiles and laughter
• Ways to look at our problems in a new light
• Opportunities for creative, innovative solutions.

Fortunately, lots of grown-ups still know how to play. Competitive sports, poker night, video games, even stock day-trading can all be forms of play. These activities certainly can help us relieve stress, improve our social life, and provide us with humor (all but the day-trading, I expect).

However, the kind of play I’m advocating taps into our childlike sense of creativity and wonder. It fuels our imagination and stretches our mind to see our world in a fresh way. It’s this kind of play that helps us approach problems differently and come up with creative solutions.

If you have kids, you’re probably a lot closer to this kind of play, especially when you get down on your hands and knees and become a dragon, or get fingerpaint under your nails.

But even if you don’t have kids (or your kids have reached that “I’m too old to play” age themselves), there’s immense benefit in reawakening the kid in you. Regardless of your current challenge, taking time to play can make a world of difference.

Here are some ideas for play you might not have considered lately, if ever:

• Organize a scavenger hunt with neighborhood kids (or adults!).
• Play Frisbee in a nearby field, or find a Frisbee golf course if you’re goal-oriented.
• Dust off your Rubik’s cube. Work it awhile then remember why it collected dust in the first place.
• Go to a thrift or vintage store and rescue one of the games or toys you played with as a child. Play with it again.
• Play badminton or croquet (badly) with friends.
• Browse online for a weird toy or gizmo. Some favorite sites include www.ehobbies.com, www.thinkertoys.com, and www.scientificsonline.com.
• Write a limerick or haiku about a current challenge you’re having.
• Even better, take a favorite song and personalize the lyrics. Sing it to yourself or to very trusted friends.
• Buy jacks. Play with them.
• If you’re a crossword puzzle addict, buy a word puzzle book and try something completely different.
• Get a paint-by-number set. Ignore all the color codes.
• If you built model trains/planes/cars as a kid, go get one. Re-experience paint and glue and racing stripe decals.
• Ask your kid to make up a game, then play it with them. Then it’s your turn to make one up.

Play is personal and highly subjective, but the value and rewards are universal. By tapping into the very best part of who we were as children, we can reclaim the very best part of who we are now.

So, how will you go out and play today?

As we move my elderly father 1,000 miles closer to us, the concept of “worry” has been on my mind a lot lately. The dictionary defines worry as “feeling uneasy or concerned about something; to be troubled.” Worry can also be “to pull or tear at something with or as if with the teeth” (like a dog worrying a bone). That’s a fitting analogy for the scenarios we repeatedlygnaw on with our minds.

So, why do we worry? I believe there are several reasons:

1. We simulate negative situations to “practice” how we will handle them in real life.
2. We imagine worst-case scenarios as a kind of talisman, protecting us from their actually happening.
3. Since our brain chemistry doesn’t differentiate between real and imagined scenarios, we get addicted to the “fight or flight” chemicals released when we imagine the worst.

In truth, worrying rarely helps us. How many times has the situation you worried about actually turned out that way? What worry does do is put us in a constant state of anxiety, weakening our immune system, suppressing our creativity, and in fact making us less able to handle difficult life situations when they do arise.

Believe it or not, we choose to worry. After many years of practice that choice becomes a habit, but one that can be broken with conscious effort. Without becoming an insufferable optimist or dismissing reality, you can still choose to focus on the best-case scenario. By doing so, you send your mind and body a signal that this is the outcome you’re aiming for.

Here are a few creative ways to help break the worrying habit:

CIA. Consider the situation you’re worried about, and make a three-column list: things you can Control, things you can Influence, and things you can Accept about the situation. Take action on the first two columns, and let go of the third.

Freebird. If you’re a visual person, sometimes it helps to imagine your thoughts as something tangible. I often picture worrisome thoughts as trapped birds, frantically flapping around in my head. Then I imagine opening a window and letting them fly out. While you can use any image that works for you, I recommend finding something that signifies “letting go” or “releasing.”

Get in gear. Worrying is a lot like having your foot on the gas pedal without the car being in gear. You waste a lot of gas but don’t go anywhere. Change that potential energy into kinetic energy! Go for a walk, run up a flight of stairs, turn on some music and dance. Move your body and change your chemistry.Now’s OK. Bring yourself back to the present. Where are you and what are you doing right now? Eating breakfast, driving your car, sitting in your office, brushing your teeth, walking the dog? Chances are you’re in familiar territory. Is there anything in this moment that’s truly unmanageable? Do this each time you feel overwhelmed. By returning to the present, you reclaim your power over the situation and your life. Even when you’re faced with something new, assess the present and know that you’re handling it, right now.

Improvise on these to suit your personality. For more ideas, read 25 Ways to Break the Worrying Habit.