Every January many people talk about New Year's resolutions, but then do little to accomplish them during the year. News reports give lots of advice on how to keep resolutions and folks always seem enthusiastic about attaining their goals on New Year's Eve, but fail to follow through as the year progresses. Here's how to turn those New Year's words into reality.

Revisit what's truly important. Many people lose sight of their true purpose in life. By looking at New Year's resolutions in December, before you really start to work on them and fine-tuning the meaning they have, you'll be more inclined to achieve our goals.

Motivate yourself and think about the results you want, for example, starting a business. Read biographies and articles about people who already accomplished what you want, and learn from their experiences instead of stumbling. If you know that others accomplish the same goal, your fear diminishes.

Keep a list handy. As you carry on with day to day activities, you may forget your goals for the New Year. Keep a list by your computer and refer to it once a week, or put together a logbook to track daily progress. If you really want to lose weight, write a screenplay or look for a new job, consistency works better than a Herculean effort one week and apathy the next.

Accomplish one part of your resolution at a time. If you want to quit smoking, don't expect to go cold turkey by Valentine's Day. Buy nicotine patches the first week of the year, avoid other smokers the next week and change your route to work to avoid temptation by the smoke shop on the boulevard. Use little tricks every day and build on them to keep your resolution in front of you.

Pursue resolutions in an ongoing manner. Your new good habit or accomplishment will be lifelong, so chuck the calendar and enjoy the process of achieving it as much as the end result. Create new, healthy recipes on your own instead of lamenting the loss of cheeseburgers from your menu. Make accomplishing your goals fun.