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1. Plan ahead. It's crucial to have a well-thought-out, written plan. Anticipate obstacles and plan for how you will surmount them.

2. Come up with "Excuse Busters" and "Plan Bs." Write down all the excuses you could have to not achieve your goal. Then bust them with a reason why that excuse is not legitimate. You also need to come up with a Plan B in case your excuse buster falls through. For example, you decide to exercise more, but you are always tired. Your excuse buster is that walking outside will give you more energy. If it is raining, your Plan B will be to do an exercise video indoors.

3. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Make them specific, motivating, achievable, rewarding and tactical.

4. Create a "life preserver" and use visualization as a motivator. For example, if weight loss is your goal, imagine a thinner, healthier you running into your ex-spouse at the mall.