Still looking for a new year's resolution?

We all know that the new year is supposed to be a time of more workouts, less eating, no smoking and better habits in the realm of keeping in touch. But there are plenty of other ways to make the new year an excuse for improvement. If you want to make the first day of 2011 an opportunity to commit to something new or to recommit to something you've lost sight of, here are a few unique ideas:

1. Read about the saint of the day every day. You can buy a book of saints or check out Catholic.org's saint of the day section.


2. Pray the Liturgy of the Hours.


3. Read Pope Benedict XVI's weekly general audience.


4. Take a class at Ruah Woods.


5. Commit to praying for young people and for the teens involved with Kenosis. This work is absolutely impossible without great prayer support.


6. Spend five minutes in silence each day. No radio, no iPod, no computer. It's quite easy to have silence in the car. After awhile, you will begin to crave times of silence.


7. Find at least one thing to be truly grateful for each day.


8. Read a book about Theology of the Body. (Need suggestions? I can give you a list to last the rest of your life.)


9. Listen to Catholic radio.

10. Write an occasional real, handwritten letter to friends as a way of keeping in touch and showing them that they are worth the extra time of picking up a pen rather than pounding on the keyboard.