A list of goals is sufficient, but work on them one step at a time. Otherwise the effort needed may be too great, and you may get discouraged. So work on realistic goals and make sure there is a way to measure your progress each step of the way
Each goal should be specific and stated in the present tense. "I will exercise more" is not specific enough.  If you exercised for five extra minutes a week, you will be exercising more but it won't make a difference. You have to be specific in order for your mind to give you what you want. That’s how the subconscious works
Avoid making vague goals like “I want to be happy with my body.’ First, being happy isn’t a goal; it’s a state of mind. You can be happy at any moment. You can be happy with your body by just deciding to be so. It doesn’t require any action on your part.
How to begin?
1. Choose a specific, achievable goal.  What specifically do you want? Making a statement such as “I want to stop eating sweets” is too broad.  Not only is it stated negatively but also it is too overwhelming.  An overly broad goal will only make you feel inadequate. Imagine looking at a huge mountain, ultimately you want to get to the top. If you are standing at the base you might look up and be really overwhelmed by the size. By setting your sights on one step at a time, you can eventually reach the top.
2. State the goal the way you want it, and as if you have already obtained it.  "I am exercising thirty minutes a day, everyday" If you use future tense, you are putting things into the future, and that is exactly where they will remain. State the resolution in the present tense and act as if you are already engaged in it.
3. Become your goal. Don’t just make the goal a vague image in the future. Inhabit the goal.  Remember when you were a little kid. How long did it take you to become a dinosaur or a princess? Instantly, right? You just pretended. What if you were to pretend to be a healthy slender person? What if you thought and acted like a healthy slender person? You will eventually be a healthy slender person. Think through your weight goal using all five senses. What specific things (images, feelings, sounds, and thoughts) do you associate with your goal? What do you say to yourself having accomplished this goal?
4.  Have a pay off. Focus on what you will be gaining by remembering and acknowledging why you are making an effort in the first place. No matter how much you enjoy your job, you wouldn't do it if you didn't get a paycheck and/or other payoffs. Ultimately there must be a reward for your efforts. With weight loss you must remind yourself how much better you will feel, how healthy you will be, how fit you will look, how your confidence will grow as you start on your path of reaching your goal. Focus on the many benefits of being more selective and exercising discretion, and the necessary discipline will follow. The payoff is actually much more than what you are giving up, and illustrates itself in many more ways than just losing weight. There has to be a reason you are doing it. Why do you want it? What will your life be like once you get it? Energize your goal with a powerful, positive emotion. Make it so powerful that nothing and no one will stop you. Know that the only reason you haven’t changed is that you have had mixed emotions about it. Your desire to change must be compelling enough. Have you been luke-warm?  Get hot.
5. Make a resolution that is attainable and self-initiated. What exactly do you have to do to achieve this goal? What is your plan? You can affect your future -- you just need to take the steps. Take charge of your own life and physical health.  Remember: there is always a period of discomfort in change because you are reprogramming a past behavior, but this is only temporary. As you work through the difficulties, the positive changes will occur.  The discomfort will be very small compared to the pay-off.
6. Keep it realistic. If you want to look like a fitness model, it is achievable. However, you must be willing to put in the same number of hours as they do. Whatever your goals are in life, you are the only one who can make it happen. See your goals as attainable.
7. Set a deadline. Goals without deadlines just sit in your future. They will stay there. You can begin with the ultimate goal and work backwards to lay out the steps. What are the steps that will take you to your ultimate goal?  Remember to work backwards and set deadlines. For example, if my initial goal will take me one year to achieve, where do I need to be in 6 months? 3 months? 1 month? 2 weeks? 1 week?