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Resolve to ring in 2011 with realistic solutions focused on long-term gains.

Last year you got serious and in one fell swoop vowed to clean up your finances, lose your love handles and switch careers. How did that all work out? Oh, that's right, you dropped the ball. Turns out, that "New Year, New You" action plan you set in motion annually is about as unrealistic as your expectations (maybe it's time to leave the international do-gooding to Angelina Jolie and volunteer locally?).

To help you stay focused on your New Year commitments, we asked certified life coach, Johanna Beyer, who has coached both Fortune 500 companies and individuals, to test your resolve. First she reveals the true modus operandi of the band-aid way-out—a set-up for failure—and then challenges you to seek a long-term solution for a life transformation.

A cultural obsession

Why do we put ourselves through the perpetual set-commit-fail cycle of making New Year resolutions? "People are obsessed with resolutions because naming a tangible goal feels good in the moment," Beyer explains. "It gives people something to strive for that feels contained and controlled. It is easier for people to identify what they want to accomplish than to think about why they authentically want to make a change in their life."

The absence of the "why" Beyer refers to is indicative of that cultural sinkhole we call immediate gratification—act now, think later. This mentality is not only harmful to individuals, but also to society-at-large, as it encourages us to operate from a place of impulsivity rather than rationality, which leads to a host of measurable issues.

The sticking point

One of the biggest problems with making resolutions, and keeping them, notes Beyer, is that their outcomes are often too limiting or too overwhelming. Thus, the moment we fail to "stick" to our come-hell-or-high-water commitments, we experience swift disappointment, all but prompting the white flag to unfurl.

To avoid this all too common pitfall, Beyer advises focusing on understanding the qualities of what true, fulfilling success looks like in our lives. "It is the qualities, not the hard-set resolutions that will ultimately inspire us each day to move towards our visions," she says. "Don't wait to do imagined activities of the future; bring them into your life now. Wake up each day, and do your best to be your fullest self."

Resolve to unresolve

But how to do this when we've been conditioned to do the exact opposite? Give yourself a healthy dose of get real. Prior to setting a doable New Year's resolution, from which a realistic outcome and lasting effect will likely manifest, heed the following advice:

• Ask yourself why and how the particular resolution will make a real difference to your life—and be specific.
• Determine if the resolution truly inspires you or merely motivates you. Aim for inspiration, advises Beyer, who explains that motivation is driven by a "should" mentality, whereas "inspiration" is about following your heart and what naturally gives you energy and fulfillment."
• Asses whether or not your resolution allows you to impact people in a positive way, which gives your goal and your life a deeper, more meaningful purpose. Focus on the bigger picture—think of all the ways you might help people if you were in better shape then merely shedding 10 pounds, for example.
• Think about the littlest thing you can do each day that will bring you closer to achieving your goal. Start small as to not overwhelm yourself and focus on taking little actions that will lead to key, quantifiable shifts.
• And finally, celebrate small victories and live in gratitude. Acknowledge and be grateful for mini-achievements related to your resolution, and to your life.