If you want this year to be different than last year, it all boils down one word: goals. Set good goals and follow through, and you'll see your life go to the next level. But if you walk into 2010 expecting things to change just because the calendar changed and you'll be frustrated this time next year. 

So how do you set good goals? Use this 5 point strategy for setting SMART goals:

S – Specific - Don't write down "Lose weight" as a goal. Instead write, "I want to lose 25 pounds in 2010."

M – Measurable - taking this 1 step further, I would say that you step on the scale to know where you're starting from. Then I'd add a goal weight, not just a general amount of pounds to be lost. 

A – Attainable - Just to stay on the weight loss goal, make the goal attainable. You probably can't lose 100 pounds in a month. So don't set it as a goal. Instead, what's a reasonable amount of weight that you could lose over the course of next year? Make that your goal. 

R – Relevant - It has to be your goal. It can't be anyone else's goal. One of the reasons resolutions fail is because the goals we set weren't ours. They were someone else's. Only set goals that are yours. Because those are the only goals we will sacrifice and do whatever it takes to reach.  

T – Time Bound - Goals are dreams with deadlines. So make sure that every goal your set has a deadline attached to it so you can know if it's been met or not. 

I run every goal that I set through this process to make sure it's a SMART goal.