If you aren’t living your best life, then create the life you were meant to experience. It won’t happen overnight. Changing course is a process. It happens slowly, step-by-step. It starts with the courage to change and the persistence to ensure you end up where you want to be.

For many women, just getting through the day seems daunting enough. But if you believe that you deserve a better life and are ready to make the needed changes, then you can begin today. Just shrug off that cloak of deception, the one telling you that you can’t and emerge victorious to say, “I can.”

You have the power to make the transformation. Start by writing down all the reasons you want to change. If you want to lose weight, define why you want to lose weight. What will change in your life if you do lose weight? How will changing your diet affect your lifestyle?

Set goals for yourself, but make sure they are attainable. It is a good idea to set long-term and short-term goals for better progress. Studies have shown that women who focused on short term goals were more likely to lose weight and less likely to stray from their diet plan. Achieving your weight loss goals offers a feeling of accomplishment that leads to long term success.

Find a diet and exercise program that works best for you. Remember that fad diets are not the answer to true transformation. They offer a quick fix, which is usually neither. Look, instead, for a diet and exercise program that works with your lifestyle. You don’t want to feel stressed about trying to fight traffic to get to the gym or feeling angry because you are hungry from not eating enough. Make sure you pick the perfect program for you.

Having the courage to change is not easy. Our brains get lulled into comfortable habits, making it difficult to introduce new behaviors and ideas. Convince the mind and the body will follow. From positive affirmations to journaling to diet and exercise, you have the power and the resources to achieve your goals.