As the holiday festivities wind down, we can expect one more big celebration: the end of one year and the anticipation of a new one. There are various traditions to partake in when bringing in 2012. Some are based by location, like consuming grapes in Mexico (one for each month) and eating a year's worth of black-eyed peas in the South. Parties, champagne at midnight, and fireworks are common parts of nationwide festivities, as well as the long-observed practice of making resolutions.

Resolutions can be traced back to as far back as 2000 B.C., when Babylonians began their new year with a spring equinox festival, as they celebrated the start of a new year on what is now March 23. On top of the celebrations, they would also return borrowed goods and pay off debts. This tradition of performing small good deeds has since adapted and changed to meet a modern day mentality, which focuses more on getting rid if any bad habits and bettering oneself. Some of the most popular resolutions are often made year after year and include exercising more, getting out of debt, stop smoking and drinking less.

According to a SlideShare survey, the top five resolutions for 2012 will be: be financially-savvy, read one book per month, eat properly, get enough sleep and keep a journal of important moments.

But as most of us may know from personal experience, these self-imposed pledges are easier said than done. Grandiose or small, well-meaning or frivolous, resolutions are not easily kept. Most people will begin their resolutions with confidence, but very few manage to keep them. Psychology Today has reported that 22 percent of people who make resolutions fail after one week, 40 percent after one month, 50 percent after three months, 60 percent after six ...