Did you make one or more resolutions for the new year?

Well, according to a Marist Poll released in December, you're in the minority with only 33% of Americans saying they made a resolution last year.

And of those who did make resolutions, 65% reported that they had kept it for part of the year while 35% didn't even get out of the gate.

If you want to be one of the very small minority who actually makes their resolutions a reality, read the following tips.

1. Put it in writing. That means actual hand-writing, not typing up a list. When thoughts go from brain to hand, pen and then paper your feelings of commitment to your goals increase.
2. Be realistic. I believe in setting big goals, but ‘make a million dollars' starting from zero is probably a pipe dream. Try ‘increase my income by 1 (or 2 or 5) thousand dollars a month'. Pick a figure that will relieve your current financial burden yand give you some breathing room.
3. Brainstorm. How will you achieve your goals? How much time you have to work on your goals? Will you work one or two hours a day during the week, or work on the weekends? What resources do you need? Hosting? Education? Someone to help with the kids while you work? A partner with writing skills to augment your technical skills, or vice versa? Write down everything that comes to mind.
4. Create your plan. Organize your ideas from ‘Brainstorm' above into an list of steps ordered by sequence and/or priorities.
5. Set deadlines. A goal without a deadline is just a wish. Saying ‘start a blog' is meaningless unless you add a timeframe, i.e. ‘start a blog by January 10th' and ‘write 10 core articles by January 20th', etc.
6. Commit. Sign your list of resolutions and place it on a bulletin board where you can see it every day.
7. Reward success. If you tend to chastise yourself for missing deadlines, turn that thinking around, because punishment is a lousy motivator. Plan rewards for yourself instead, so you'll have something good to look forward to when you do achieve your goals.

Now work your plan!

Did you make a resolution? A plan to keep it? Do you have any additional tips for our readers that will help them keep theirs? Please share by leaving a comment below.

Best of success to everyone in sticking with their resolutions (goals) for 2010.