This post is an excerpt from my book Inner Architect: How to Build the Life You Were Designed to Live.

I was overweight throughout grammar school and up until my second year of college. I grew up seeing myself as an overweight person. After numerous failed diets throughout the years, it became a stretch for me to consider that I would ever be anything but overweight. One morning when I was 19, I got out of bed anticipating a party that I was going to that night. I realized that I was sick of being overweight. I decided that I was willing to do what it took to change my weight. I took one day at a time, making healthy choices and changing the way I ate. Within a few months I dropped 40 pounds and changed my lifestyle forever. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was following the key to success in creating any change:

1. Declare that you are no longer willing to tolerate a particular habit or way of being.
2. Identify the specific things you need to do differently to change.
3. Acknowledge that you are in complete control of your actions.
4. Recognize the process of change as being day by day.
5. Commit to making the desired actions for that particular day.
6. If you fall down, forgive yourself and start fresh.
7. At the end of each day, honor your ability to make the choice you want and create the change you desire.