If you are going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill

Perseverance is the critical element that gets the winner to the finish line every time. Changing your life is hard work, so what do you do when your energy is flagging and it seems like there’s a setback at every turn?

In this 4 part series on perseverance, I offer some tips and tactics to help you go the distance, to persevere toward your big-picture vision. Perseverance requires that you understand that sometimes you need to cut yourself some slack, back off of your goals, and just take care of yourself. Other times you need to give yourself a swift kick in the rear to stay on track. Whether you need help in pulling back or ramping up, go through these tips and see which ones might work for you. Just keep one foot in front of the other and you’ll make it!

1. Reach out and call a friend for encouragement.

2. Write out what you’re feeling about your progress in your diary.

3. Identify a specific action step you want to complete and enlist a friend to stick with you until you’ve done it.

4. Offer to help someone else who’s struggling with one of the same issues you are, whether it’s fitness, parenting or career problems.

5. Ask a few friends to get together to address a specific problem or issue about which each of them has information, expertise or prior history.