Step 1: Create Your Vision of Success
      This initial step is one of the most important since it’s when you create your own unique and personal vision of what success is for you. Don’t worry about how you will achieve results yet. Simply allow yourself to imagine what your life would be like if you improved your health.
      For example, if you want to lose some weight...begin with the vision of what it would be like if you had already reached that goal. What would you be doing? How would you feel about yourself? How would you interact with others and what would you talk about? Some people call this process "beginning with the end in mind."
      Once you have allowed yourself to explore this new vision of yourself and your life, find a way to express it so that you will be able to keep that goal fresh in your mind. For example, write it down in a journal, post it on your refrigerator, or even create a piece of artwork or a collage of your vision of success, if you like!

Step 2: Measure Your Success
      Another important step in the goal-setting process is to realize when you have successfully reached your goal. Choose ways to assess your progress that will get you excited with the challenge of achieving them. This will make your goals more alive and personal.
      For example, while watching the numbers on the scale is one way to measure your weight loss success, you might begin to dread the process of weighing yourself. Eventually this could become a barrier to achieving your goal. Perhaps instead, you choose your dress or pants size as the measurement and look forward to the day you’ll be shopping for that new outfit! Write down as many exhilarating ways to measure your success as you can think of.

Step 3: Assess Your Starting Point
      Telling yourself the truth about where you are currently in regard to your goal can be one of the hardest steps. Often we don’t want to come to terms with aspects of ourselves that we don’t like. We would rather blame the circumstances of our lives or other people, rather than take responsibility for our own behaviors. However, to reach our goal and live the vision of success that we have created, it is critical that we be as honest with ourselves as we possibly can about where we are starting from.
      Record your starting point and take the time to create a tracking process that will measure and assess your progress.

Step 4: Identify Your True Motivators
      There are as many different motivations and methods for reaching a goal as there are people in this world. Each of us is unique and has our own sense of what is important to us and what methods will work best with our specific life circumstances.
      Your goals should be aligned with the priorities in your life. In other words, your goal should support, not conflict with, your priorities. For example, if family is important to you, allow them to be your motivation for reaching your goal of exercising more.
      Then choose methods that will enhance, rather than detract from your family relationships. Look for ways to be physically active together. Make a list of your priorities in life and then record strategies for reaching your goal that align with these.

Step 5: Break Your Vision into Small, Sustainable Steps
      Make sure that your measures are achievable. A challenge is healthy, but thinking that you are going to make big changes overnight will set you up for failure. Another common problem with goal-setting is that the methods used may not be sustainable in the long run.
      If one of the "methods" to reach your goal of eating healthier is to avoid all sugary foods, yet you love to enjoy sweets when you are with your family, then this method is likely not a realistic one. You will see results when you choose methods that you are willing to follow every day – for life. Why not reduce your sugar intake by bringing healthy dessert options to your family gatherings and avoiding high calorie, low-nutrient foods at other times by carrying fruit or other healthy snacks with you.
      This is a small sustainable step that supports your goal and a method that you can live with for the long run!

Step 6: Plan for Potential Obstacles & Create Strategies to Effectively Overcome Them
      Remember...life happens!
      The key to success is to plan effectively for the challenges that you will face in turning your strategies into lasting habits. Keep in mind that this is not an all or nothing game. If you experience a setback, make a plan for how to get back on track towards reaching your goal.
      For example, if you know that during the holiday season you will want to eat more than usual, think about ways to be more active during this time as well. Perhaps your goal is to get up a bit earlier to exercise each morning or to spend 15 minutes of your lunch break taking an additional walk.

Get into Action
      Now that you have envisioned your success, gotten clear about your motivations and created sustainable methods for reaching your goals, the time to act is now! Each week take the time to create a set of "I will" statements that are in line with achieving your goals.
      Be positive and write down what you want to create this week, rather than focusing on what you don’t want. Rather than worrying about whether you will follow your plan perfectly, think about the vision of success that you created during your goal-setting session and your motivations for taking action each day. Keep your "I will" statements and your "Vision of Success" in a place where you’ll see them often and be inspired to make your goal a reality!