Changing How I View Lent

I decided to listen to a Christian radio station on my way to work this morning and the topic was Lent.  People were calling in to talk about what they were giving up for Lent and the majority of responses were things like diet coke, chocolate, meat and one woman said an hour of sleep so she could read the Bible.  It is tough to have a problem with the last one, but overall it is a sign of what Lent has become to Evangelical Christians: a Jesus slanted version of a New Year's Resolution.  Don't get me wrong, resolutions are good and making a positive change is good too.  Lent is generally a Catholic tradition to represent the 40 days of fasting Jesus has in the desert leading up the the sacrifice he made for us on the cross.  It is also an act of penance for our sins and to bring us closer to God.  I remember when I was young being told that we were to give something up so we can understand, in some small way, the sacrifice God made in giving up his only Son for us.  Essentially, when we give something up and then want it, we are to reflect upon the pain God felt.  In years past (sometimes at least) I made the same resolution type of commitment.  Listening to what people were giving up this year I was all set to give up soda.  The more I thought about it however, the more unsettled I was by it.  Maybe it is my own crappy attitude but it seems to me that when I think about how much I want a soda, I am focussed on my craving.  Even if I do connect with Jesus fasting and sacrificing himself for us, the only beneficiary of the whole thing is me.  Even the end result is to hopefully lose a few pounds and get into a better habit.  Do I get closer to God?  Maybe a little, but not nearly anything like what you would expect after 40 days of sacrifice.  Why not?  For one it is my crappy mindset of what I don't have and yet what I can gain from it.  But the other problem is that I am just thinking about what I can gain from this and that is the whole point:  The sacrifice God made for us, his only son (John 3:16 - duh) was not about how he benefited, it was about how others benefited.  The 40 days Jesus spent fasting was not only to get closer to God, it was preparing himself for what he was going to do for us.  Should Lent be about sacrifice or simply giving something up?  Because it is not a sacrifice if someone else does not benefit.  Shouldn't my focus on Lent be for others instead of myself?  What I should be doing for Lent is giving up something that I want and/or treasure for myself because it benefits other people.  Shouldn't my relationship with Christ be about what I give up for the benefit of others?  It seems to me that is a much stronger relationship connection than just skipping out on Snickers bars for 40 days.  Maybe I am screwed up and most people already practice Lent this way, but it is not the way I was taught about it and judging by the radio station it is not how others practice it either.  If we follow the example of Jesus, whatever we do should be an act of love, not a begrudging obligatory sacrifice.  I would love to hear from you, how can/will or should we even give something up to benefit others?  What can you give up for the benefit of others?  I haven't decided what I am going to do yet, I am still trying to digest the idea and looking for ideas and inspiration from all of you.