Five New Year's Resolutions You Probably Didn't Think Of

Although we have never really cared to find out, making a new year's resolution is one tradition whose roots can be traced to way back in time. Every year, people mark the start of a brand new year by making a goal to better themselves in the following 365 days.

That goal may either be related to losing weight, writing a novel, getting a promotion at work, or having a closer relationship with their significant other, their children, their god(s), or even their friends.

Unfortunately, most people give up on those resolutions within a few weeks. They forget they ever made them. Have you ever met anyone who has lost a lot of weight and credited a New Year's resolution to make it happen? Probably not. The act of making a resolution is largely symbolic. It gives us hope for making our lives better this year than they were.

Since many people are disillusioned by resolutions after years of giving up on them by January 15th or sooner, we would like to offer a few non-generic resolutions that you might try to stick to. Or then again, maybe not.

This might seem to be the exact opposite of the typical "lose weight" resolution, but if you look at the world's top competitive eaters, many of them are quite thin. That's because their lack of body fat gives their stomach more room to expand. Eating 40-something hotdogs is far more physical than you'd think!

People rinse with mouthwash more, too, but that's another thing they tend to forget. We get so focused on hurrying up with our dental hygiene chores so that we can get to the "more important" things (getting ready for the day or getting ready for sleep) that we simply skim though the process. Our dentists would be happier if we stuck to this resolution!

Whether you have a cat, dog, or other critter, you know that from time to time they have to poop. You also know that if you don't dispose of it in a timely manner that it will make your house or yard smell like poop.

Whether you have to use those little poop-scooping baggies when you take your dog out to do his or her business, or you need to scoop the icky-nasties out of the litter box, if you make it a daily habit we think everyone involved will be happier, healthier, and less smelly.

Citizen Kane, Psycho, and even The Wizard of Oz are great titles to start off with. If you want more modern fare, try Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke (yeah, it's anime, but it's really good!) or, V for Vendetta.

You might not like everything that the critics gave two thumbs up to, but at the very least you can feel more cultured. Plus, sitting on the couch and watching movies is SO much easier than exercising more.

Curling might be fun to try, though unless you live in the far north or in Canada, you might have trouble finding a local curling club to join. How about learning to play Taiko drums? You know, those huge Japanese drums that people beat with mallets. That could be a great stress reliever.

Even something as simple as learning how to hack software and distribute it for free on the Internet is probably something not many people might have resolved to do. On second thought, perhaps the latter example isn't a good idea. You know, considering it's not exactly legal.

Whatever is your New Year's resolution, don't fret if you don't actually accomplish it. We all mess up, and just because it's July doesn't mean you can't make a Mid Year's resolution, which most of us would simply call a "goal". It doesn't hurt to give yourself a goal for the year and work towards it. Even if you don't succeed, you can't say you didn't try!

Nobody said sticking to a resolution would be easy; it is difficult, demanding, and requires you to stay determined and strong-willed. And the best part is, everything you dream or think of is capable of being accomplished. On that note, go ahead and do what you have always wanted to do.