Anyone who has ever struggled with their weight can probably relate to this sentiment--you picture the life you want. Being happy, confident, in healthy relationships and succeeding in a put-together life that has sunshine pouring all over it. Then, as if by habit you think, “I’m going to have all of that when I lose this weight.”

And you don’t lose the weight. So you don’t feel motivated enough to accomplish those goals. And month by month, year by year, you find yourself in the same cyclical mindset. But what if instead of waiting to be at your ideal physique, you started by working toward living your ideal life?

Go to bed early, wake up early and eat a healthy breakfast. Do yoga. Read in the afternoon. Introduce yourself fearlessly to your crush. Make new friends with the girls you think are too pretty to hang out with you. (News flash: they’re not.) Study for that exam. Work harder tonight to impress your boss tomorrow. Do your hair and makeup. Wear a gorgeous outfit. Repeat.

If you want to live a life you love, stop waiting for one factor to change.

Having a healthy body starts with having a healthy mindset. Having a healthy mindset comes from working toward having a healthy life. Being happy stems from being healthy, and if your weight is holding you back, maybe stop focusing so much on it.

You’ll realize that the less you focus on how much you want to change yourself and more about how much you want to change your habits, you’ll eventually become the person you want to be. It’s impossible to be happy if your path to being happy starts from being unhappy with who you are.

You can’t hate yourself if you want to eventually love yourself. You have to start with being on your own team. Don’t be so harsh, strict or upset. You can have whatever you want in moderation and all it takes to build healthy habits is to start by replacing your unhealthy ones. If you always wanted to be productive and active in the morning, then do it!

If you want to accomplish all of your work as soon as you were given it, do it! If you want to become a runner then lace up your shoes. You don’t have to stick to a rigid schedule or anything, just do what feels right. And if you mess up at any point, who cares? Next time make a better decision.

There’s no need to cry or get mad with yourself over it. Drink some water, clean your room, take a shower and start again.

If you change your life, then you’ll start to change as a result of it. And if you focus on healthier and happier habits you’ll become healthier and happier by habit.