When I finally decided to stop drinking after thirty years of being an alcoholic, it was only the first step of a lifelong journey. Remaining sober for almost two decades has required me to maintain an ongoing resolve.

Resolve is a major factor in being successful in whatever thing you’re attempting to achieve. Determining an ultimate goal means nothing without the resolve to work towards achieving it. Of course, resolve is not a one-time thing; it’s the ongoing decision to endure, no matter what obstacles may arise.

Resolve drives you forward even in the face of fear or shame. It allows you to develop new talents and skills you didn’t know you could do—which ultimately enables you to realize your goals.

What if you don’t exactly possess resolve, or you aren’t sure how to tap into it? Here are three ways to strengthen your resolve.

Visualize your goal

When you decide to accomplish a major goal, start by imagining yourself having already achieved it. For example, if you’re working towards a degree, visualize the day you’ll walk across the stage at graduation to receive your diploma. Get a very clear image of the day you accomplish your goal. Write down the goal to review it daily, imagining that ultimate moment of success. (Keep it somewhere you’ll see it every day!)

Conceptualize solutions

By visualizing what it will look like when you achieve your goal, even if that moment seems unattainable or far off right now, you’re creating the mindset that you can reach your goal. You will not accept “impossible” as an option because you’ve solidified success as a given.

Because of this belief, you will work to find solutions to any issue that may arise. Your mind will develop various strategies to solve difficult problems—because it thinks it must in order to achieve what it knows it can. (On the other hand, when you doubt success is possible, a single hindrance can cause you to give up early on.)

Practice affirmations

Once you’ve written down your goal and placed it where you’ll see it each day, begin affirming it. Speak as if success has already occurred. For example, if your goal is to stop drinking and get sober, affirm your success in a positive way, such as, “I am grateful that I am and will be healthy and sober on December 31, 2020.” Continue doing this every day.

Whatever goal you decide to pursue, you must develop your resolve to stick to it until you’ve succeeded. By visualizing the day you achieve your goal, considering solutions to overcome tough challenges, and affirming your goal on a daily basis, you can strengthen your resolve. Now, go write down that goal!