The only way to have a successful goal is to make it specific. Instead of setting a goal of weight, set a goal of what size pants you want to fit into. Instead of setting a goal to learn a foreign language, plan a vacation to a country where they speak that language, and have your goal be to not have to speak English. Rather than setting a goal to learn to play guitar, set a goal to play open mic night at your local guitar shop.
The other way to make a goal much more real is to attach some sort of competition to the end. Instead of setting a goal of being able to run 6 miles, sign up for a 10K. Instead of setting a goal to gain 30 pounds of muscle mass, sign up for an amateur bodybuilding competition. It isn't about winning, it's about having an event set, which you've already paid to enter. You're much more likely to hold yourself accountable for your training if you know that you have some sort of public event coming up and you don't want to be embarrassed.
Last year I signed up for a 5K. Even when I really didn't feel like running, I knew I needed to or I would regret it on race day. When that was done, I signed up for a 10K, because I knew that I wouldn't keep running if I didn't have a specific target. This year, with a triathlon on my calendar, there's no way I can skip a workout, and I'm in the best shape I've been in since I was 18. I can't imagine any way that I could motivate myself to do 8 workouts in 6 days without having that race on a specific day in the near future.
Holding yourself accountable is hard. Achieving goals is hard. So give yourself whatever advantages you can right from the start. Make your goals specific and attainable, then set some end to it that will make it harder for you to quit.
And don't forget, the whole time you're working towards your goal, keep imagining how great you're going to feel when you achieve it. You're capable of so much. Go out there and find out for yourself what you can accomplish.
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