Reading by the Seashore

My 101 Things in 1001 Days

The Mission:

Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

When I stumbled across this concept, I knew that it would be something I would want to do. I am a list maker and I like to make goals, too. So here is my LIST ~

Humbling My Spirit (Spiritual Goals)
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

1. Daily Bible reading for 30 days in a row (0/30)
2. Finish the Bible Study for Becoming the Woman I Want To Be
3. Complete the study for the Purpose-Driven Life Journal
4. Keep a consistent prayer journal
5. Memorize 20 new Scripture verses (0/20)
6. Get involved in a SS class
7. Get involved in a ministry
8. Read at least 5 non-fiction Christian books (0/5)
9. Tithe 10% all of my paychecks

Educating Me (Education and Learning Goals)
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. ~Mark Twain

10. Begin learning Spanish
11. Read 3 old classics (0/3)
12. Finish all my Reading Challenges for this year (2008)
13. Participate in 2 new Reading Challenges (0/2)
14. Teach a mini-class for LCHEA
15. Make lesson plans/curriculum for Photography Class

To Imagine Is Everything (Creative and Arts Goals)
Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training. ~Anna Freud

16. Learn how to knit and complete a project
17. Finish my Christmas play
18. Finish research and begin my novel
19. Finish my 2006 scrapbooks
20. Start working on 2007 scrapbooks
21. Complete Project 365
22. Take another photography class
23. Blog at least 3x a week
24. Finish another Sudoku book
25. Finish another 1000 piece puzzle

Getting My Game On (Health and Fitness Goals)
It is amazing how much crisper the general experience of life becomes when your body is given a chance to develop a little strength. ~Frank Duff

26. Lose 10 pounds
27. Begin bike riding again
28. Practice Tai Chi 2x a week
29. Begin taking vitamins
30. Eat fruits/veggies 3x a day for 2 weeks
31. Get my cholesterol checked
32. Drink Green Tea 3x a week
33. Try at least one new recipe a month
34. Drink 5 glasses of water a day for 2 weeks
35. Take Abigail for a walk at least 3x a week
36. Find an optometrist and get my eyes checked

Home Is Where Your Heart Is (Home and Financial Goals)
May You Have Warm Words On a Cold Evening, A Full Moon On a Dark Night, and the Road Downhill All the Way to Your Door.

37. Pay off knee surgery bills
38. Begin a savings account
39. Make a budget and stick to it
40. Get my AIM 401K rolled over
41. Finish bedroom and office floors
42. Put up trellis in back yard
43. Plant flowers in back yard and front bed
44. Plant a butterfly bush in backyard
45. Plant some tomato plants in containers
46. Get or build a cat tree for the cats

It’s A Jungle Out There (Organization Goals)
First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. ~Napolean

47. Organize the guest room closet
48. Organize all the photos on the computer
49. Upload photos to be printed to CM site
50. Organize home files
51. Buy a home safe and use it
52. Update my wardrobe
53. Get and use a tickler file system

My Other Half (Marriage and Romance Goals)
Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.

54. Do two romantic things a month from the Romance Idea Calendar
55. Have two date nights a month (0/66)
56. Write a love letter/note once a month (0/33)
57. Get up to watch the sunrise over the ocean and take pictures
58. Eat at a restaurant we’ve never been to before
59. Do something around Charleston that we’ve never done before
60. Do something romantically extravagant
61. Do something to surprise my husband at least once a month (o/33)
62. Make sure Billy gets to go to a Clemson football game!
63. Plan a significant 40th birthday celebration (Oct. 31, 2009)
64. Plant a tree (Bradford Pear?) for our 4th anniversary (traditional – fruit/flowers)

Laughing Louder and Living Longer (Fun and Leisure)
Leisure, to some degree of it, is necessary to the health of man’s spirit. ~Harriet Martineau

65. Get a manicure/pedicure at least once a year (0/3)
66. Get a new blender
67. Have a Girl’s Night Out
68. Have a “real” tea party
69. Attend a play with Billy
70. Do something adventuresome I’ve never done before I went jet skiing and loved it!
71. Go on a photography drive on a scenic back road
72. Get and fly a kite with Billy

Leaving Footprints on My Heart (Family/Friends/Neighbors)
If you want to cry, I’ll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I’ll be your pillow. But if you want a friend, I’ll just be me!

73. Have a dinner party for one of our neighbors
74. Write or send cards to someone once a month(1/33)
75. Email or call C&W once a month(0/33)
76. Visit someone just to cheer them up
77. Visit someone on Billy’s list of people to visit with him
78. Go visit Jo with or without Billy
79. Do something once a month with family (mine or Billy’s)(1/33)
80. Send a “just because” package to a friend

Oh, the Places You’ll Go (Travel Goals)
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

81. Go to Atlanta, GA and visit the Georgia Aquarium
82. Go back to Biltmore Estate
83. Go to Washington DC
84. Go geocaching with Billy
85. Go camping/hiking with Billy
86. Go to a museum that we’ve never visited before
87. Visit Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner
88. Go to Carowinds
89. Visit the Tea Plantation

Just For Me (Personal Goals)
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable. ~Helen Keller

90. Begin and keep a gratitude journal
91. Make a list of 101 things that make me happy
92. Learn how to make crème brulee
93. Make bread from scratch
94. Release a book through BookCrossing
95. Try a new food I’ve never had before
96. Get a new coffee maker
97. Buy a fancy “date” dress that fits
98. Get in touch with 3 people whom I’ve lost contact with (0/3)
99. Try to meet at least 1 new person a month (1/30)
100. Start a quote diary for all my favorite quotes
101. Finish this list and record and photograph progress along the way

If you have built castles in the air; your work need not be lost. There is where they should be..now put foundations under them. ~Thoreau