Most resolutions are simple statements involving a change someone would like to do sometime in the coming year, or before February in some cases. Too often they are vague, generic hopes without any stated specifics.
If you are going to take your goals serious you've got to treat them as you would any project or task that is important to you. The first step is deciding and being clear about what it is you intend to accomplish. One of the best ways to do this is to make your resolutions real goals and apply the acronym SMART to them.

S- Specific: If you were going to remodel your kitchen you'd have a very good idea of what you wanted done before any work was started. Treat your resolution the same way. Be very detailed about the goals you set at the beginning of the year. Saying you want to "lose weight" is too general. Pinpoint exactly what your intentions are: "lose 8" from my waist"; "fit into a size 8 dress"; "be able to wear size 34 pants, regardless of the style or brand." Be so specific that you can gauge your progress and know without doubt that you've accomplished your goal.

M- Measurable: If you can't gauge your progress you won't know if you're succeeding, failing, or have successfully reached your goal.
Working out 30 minutes a day 4 days a week can be measured. Waist circumference, millimeters on a set of calipers, miles, RPMs, calories burned, and calories consumed are measurements you can track to keep you and your program on track.

A- Attainable: Be realistic. Don't expect major weight losses like you've seen on certain TV shows. Make sure your expectations are something you can truly accomplish. Just as if you were remodeling your kitchen you wouldn't set yourself up for disappointment by designing something that was way beyond your budget. Stay within your means.

R- Relevant to you: Is your goal applicable to your situation? If you've been leading a sedentary lifestyle for the past 10 years, running your first marathon by June is probably not only unattainable but also not relevant at this point. Especially if your dislike of running led to your sedentary ways.

T- Time Bound: If you've followed and applied the above steps you can give yourself an idea of when you should be able to accomplish your goals. Setting a deadline can help with accountability. Knowing you're under time restraints will give you less leeway to slack off. Back to the kitchen remodel example, you wouldn't find it acceptable if you hired someone and the project kept getting put off and was never finished in a reasonable amount of time. Don't allow this to happen with your health and fitness goals either.

One more thing in regards to setting goals is to break up your long term (ultimate) goal into smaller short term goals.
Let's say you have a long term goal of reducing your waistline by eight inches by Thanksgiving. This goal is specific and measurable- 8" by 24 November 2011, not just "lose my gut." If you indeed have have an extra 8" of fat on your waist it's attainable and definitely relevant to your situation, especially if you have other goals like lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure. You've made it time bound by setting a specific date to reach the goal. The next step is to take this goal and break it up into smaller goals- inches at a time within specific time frames. For example, "by March 1st I will have lost 2" from my waist by exercising a minimum of 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week and cutting soda pop out of my diet."

Make sense? If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments section.