101 Goals in 1001 Days

Eighth grade was quite a  year for me- both times. The first time around, I discovered my love of running, pursued my interest in music, and saw Moulin Rouge, Titanic, and Rent all for the first time. I came out of this transformative year with the life mantra that I still think about today: no regrets. Ever since one life-changing trip to Six Flags in 8th grade, I have made it my mission never to pass up on any opportunity that will make my life even a little bit fuller.

The second time I did 8th grade was with City Year, and that year was just as life-changing as the first. I came out of it with the confidence and the hunger to truly take charge of my life as a newly branded adult, which added a whole new dimension to the notion of grabbing life by the horns. This year I also embraced my love of goal setting; the rush I get from checking an item off a to do list is unreal, and I have no shame about that.

So when a friend told me about this thing where you make yourself 101 goals and you have to finish them in 1001 days (roughly 2.75 years), I was a little scared, but I knew it would be great for me; here was my opportunity to think about what I really wanted out of life and then just do it. I’m not saying that we can’t have great lives if we don’t list out everything we want first; I just know that, for me, having the list is a huge motivator and also a fantastic catalyst for thinking about what I really want.

Here’s the list; I’ll keep it updated as I go. (A few items are censored for privacy or surprise reasons.)

Travel

1. Dream up a trip and save up just for it. (June/July 2017)
2. Bring my US states traveled to up to 30. (Maine 7/15; Michigan, Vermont- 6/16)
3. Get a credit card that gets me travel miles. (4/16)
4. Explore 20 places in the city where I live (20/20 done- Echo Park, 9/15; Capitol & light rail, 12/15; Ramsey Park, 2/16; DUMBO, 8/16; Riverbank State Park, High Bridge, Yankee Stadium, 9/16; Riverside Park, 10/16; The Cloisters, 10/16; MetLife Stadium, 11/16; Battery Park Esplanade, 12/16; Radio City Music Hall, 12/16; New York Public Library, 12/16; Museum of the Moving Image, 1/17; Italian American Museum & New Museum & Katz’s Deli, 2/17; Apollo Theater & Statue of Liberty, 3/17).
5. Go to another country. (6/18/16 Canada)
6. Spend 5 days exploring small towns. (2/5 done- New Hope, NJ, 2/17; Spring Lake, NJ, 8/17)
7. Take five weekend trips. (5/5 done- NYC, 7/15; Austin, 9/15; Chicago, 10/15; Cincinnati, 1/16; Boston, 9/16)
8. Go to Harry Potter Land or do HP in England [FORGIVEN]
9. New Years in New York City.(2016-2017)
10. Go on a road trip. (LA to Austin, 12/15)
11. Cross Abbey Road. (6/28/17)

Life Experiences

12. Buy a meal for a homeless person and eat with them. (11/12/16- Janell)
13. Become a regular at a restaurant or bar.
14. Pull an all-nighter just talking with a friend. (11/10-11/16)
15. Own a pair of heels in every color of the rainbow. (5/6 done; red, orange, green, blue, purple)
16. Do five things that legitimately scare me. (4/5 done; 11/15, 12/15, 1/16)
17. See a performer I really care about in concert. (8/24/17- The Temptations)
18. Spend 3 weekends camping with no electronics (1/3 done; 8/17)
19. Participate in 5 community events (festivals, charity, flash mobs, etc) (5/5 done; SXSW 3/16, Zilker Park musical 7/16, Storytelling Hour 8/16, Flash Mob 12/16, Women’s March 1/21)
20. Censored
21. Go on a beach trip with girlfriends like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. [FORGIVEN]
22. Do balloon paint art like in Princess Diaries. (10/22/16)
23. Go to a Meet Up. (5/10/16 board games)
24. Go horseback riding. (9/15)
25. Take five dance classes.
26. Censored
27. Be outside for sunset and don’t go back inside until after it rises.
28. Take at least one picture every day to document the day. [FORGIVEN]
29. Create a playlist each month.
30. Slow dance in the rain. (9/3/17)
31. Do the 36 questions to fall in love with somebody. (1/14/17)
    1. see the questions here
32. Be in the audience for the taping of a TV show.
33. Get a tattoo. (8/6/15)
34. Get a record. (12/6/15)
35. Create art out of 5 favorite quotes and display in my home.
36. Finish reading the Harry Potter series with my dad. (9/11/16)
37. Sing at a karaoke bar. (9/8/17)
38. Ride a jet ski. (8/9/16)
39. Spend an entire day outside.
40. Go on a meditation retreat. [FORGIVEN]
41. Do something normally social (seeing a movie, going to dinner…) on my own. (7/18/16 went to see Finding Dory)
42. Meet a celebrity I admire. (Cobie Smulders, 4/16/17)
43. See a Broadway show. (Hedwig and the Angry Inch & A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, 7/15)

Health/Self-betterment

44. Go 21 days without desserts, 3 separate times. (3/3 done 3-4/16, 4-5/16, 5-6/16)
45. Do the Couch to 5k. (8/6/17)
46. Publish at least 50 blogs. (30 done) [FORGIVEN]
47. Start my retirement fund. (3/6/16)
48. Finish my college scrapbooks. (7/13/16)
49. Write a letter to myself twice a year. [FORGIVEN]
50. Eat raw for a week. (6/16)
51. Do a weight-training program (1 month minimum) from start to finish. (8-9/17)
52. Journal at least once a week. [FORGIVEN]
53. Try 15 foods I say I don’t like or don’t eat. (15/15 done- lobster bisque in Maine, peach and plum at camp 8/15; mochi 9/15; boba 9/15; deviled eggs 10/15; pumpkin seeds AZ 12/15; sunflower seeds 12/15; ramen, pork, seaweed, shrimp, cole slaw NY 1/16; jalapeño, sushi, lox OH 1/16)
54. Go to bed at the same time every day for one month. (7-8/17)
55. Go through one week in which I COOK/PREPARE everything I eat. (no frozen foods or snacks as meals!) (1/24-20/17)
56. Read at least one news item each day for a month. (7-8/15)
57. Free write 10 minutes a day for a month. (12/15-1/16)
58. Do brain exercises every day for a month. (11/15)
59. Finish or throw away all needlepoint projects.
60. Make a list of things I want in life, keep it visible, and update as needed.
61. Write down what I’m thankful for every day for a month. (11/15)
62. Do the 7 minute workout every day for a month. (1/16-2/16)
63. Censored
64. Censored

Skills

65. Learn to play piano well enough to accompany myself. [FORGIVEN]
66. Take a voice lesson. (2/8/16)
67. Take a glass blowing lesson. (2/20/16)
68. Learn how to moonwalk.
69. Learn to French braid. (11/15)
70. Learn how to create mashups on Garage Band or something like it.
71. Learn how money works (budgeting, saving, loans, interest, etc)
72. Learn how to build a fire. (8/11/16)
73. Learn how to drive a stick shift. (5/4/16)

Service

74. Give blood ten times. [FORGIVEN]
75. Make a tangible difference in one person’s life. (crossed off 6/19/16)
76. Volunteer as a consistent tutor/mentor. (crossed off 2/4/18)
77. Donate 101 items/hours. (donated to Goodwill, 8/15 & 12/15)
78. Volunteer at a nursing home or hospice. (7/16)

People

79. Reach out to 20 past acquaintances. (8/20 done) [FORGIVEN]
80. Record Story Corps interviews with both parents. [FORGIVEN]
81. Have one interaction with a stranger every day for a month. (1/16)
82. Cook my mom a real dinner. (5/8/16)
83. Write my dad a song. Play it for him on the guitar. [FORGIVEN]
84. Censored (5/20/17)
85. Censored
86. Write a letter to every past teacher I can remember/find.
87. Spend one day writing a note to everyone important in my life thanking them and send it to them.
88. Spend a day taking my younger cousins to do whatever they want to do.
89. See all 13 cousins. (12/13 done)
90. Create some sort of family tree.
91. Take a plane trip to visit a friend. (7-8/17)

Learning/Culturing

92. Watch every movie on the AFI top 100. (64 to go)
    10. see the list here
93. Become an expert on pop culture and social issues of the ‘60s.
94. Be able to identify every part of my car’s engine.
95. Learn how to make a t-shirt quilt (and make one). (12/15)
96. Take a beginner’s course in graphic design.
97. Watch every movie on AFI’s top 100 love stories. (57 to go)
    1. see the list here
98. Read 10 classic books (10/10 done- The Princess Bride, 9/15; Fahrenheit 451, 11/15; Wuthering Heights, 1/16; To Kill A Mockingbird, 2/16; Pride and Prejudice, 7/16; Catcher in the Rye, 7/16; The Little Prince, 8/16; The Old Man and the Sea, 11/16; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 2/17; Slaughterhouse Five, 4/17).
99. Read one book about/set in each continent. (5/7 done- The Last Promise, 8/15; Will Grayson Will Grayson, 9/15; I Am Malala, 4/16; The English Patient, 5/16; The Thorn Birds, 6/16)
100. Learn the backstory of every hero/villain that has been portrayed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And finally…

101. Put $20 into savings for each item completed on this list, and make a public announcement for every 10.

Here’s to challenges, making the most out of life, and public accountability! Feel free to ask me how it’s going!

Until next time!