lifeinflux

The 101

This year, more than ever, as I creep closer and closer to 40, I really want to shake up my life and ensure that I experience new things, spend a lot of quality time with people I want to spend time with (not HAVE to spend time with) and, most importantly, have FUN!!! I’ve revamped my 101 in 1001 list three times now since I wrote the initial list in 2009 and have not made much of a dent in it each time. The first list I completed 10 items. The second time around I completed fifteen. This time I completed less than a third of my list; however, at no point did document fulfilling any of my goals and the steps I took before, during and after. I also did a lot of things on my list simply because they were ON the list. That is a bit of a bummer. I never want to get so caught up in this site that I miss living my life. On the other hand, part of having this site is writing and recording my life. So I decided to remove the items I’ve completed or just don’t really want to do and start afresh this year and work hard to complete it in July of 2015. I’ll be 40 then and ready to take on new challenges in the next decade of my life!

My mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in 1001 days.

The criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of effort on your part) but not so overwhelming they cannot be accomplished in 1001 days. Tasks must be blogged on each day as I work through the list. Pictures will also be supplied as proof that the task is being worked and/or is completed.

The Start Date: 12/01/2012
The Finish Date: 08/28/2015

My list is split into four categories. Live is the first category and contains tasks and/or challenges that require me to get out of my comfort zone, interact with others and develop new relationships and friendships while preserving old friendships and family ties. Learn is a list of things I would either like to master or is something I am simply interested in investigating. I’ve tried to make sure the things I learn will either be physically or mentally challenging and/or fun. Because if it is not challenging or fun, what’s the point? Love is a series of tasks that are for me, that will improve my physical, mental and emotional well-being and make me and/or others feel good. Lush is exactly that – tasks that are a true pleasure and something I want to do for me just because. I mean, really. What is the point of having a list of things to do if some of them aren’t pure pleasure for pleasure’s sake!

The ListLive
1. Dip my feet in the Atlantic Ocean at sunrise, drive across the country and dip my feet in the Pacific Ocean at sunset.
2. Spend some time touring Europe alone.
3. Host a beach weekend for our friends.
4. Hike Ubehebe and Little Hebe craters (top to bottom and back again)
5. Attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival (set for 10/4 and 10/11 in 2013!!).
6. Attend the Calgary Stampede
7. Attend Coachella
8. Take and post 101 pictures of myself.
9. Attend BlogHer
10. Go salsa dancing
11. Go zorbing.
12. Take the Primal Leap.
13. Host one social event a month.
14. Try 101 new foods.
15. Run a 5K and then run a 10K.
16. Participate in the 100 strangers project.
17. Swim with sharks.
18. Swim 300 meters (12 laps) effortlessly.
19. Join a monthly book club that meets in person and attend each month. Note: I joined a book club but don’t attend regularly so that makes this a new goal.
20. Participate in a team sport.
21. Complete the 7-day Multi-Climate Complete Survivor Course
22. Create photography/gallery site.
23. Ride a zipline.
24. Go on a cruise.
25. Go on a blind date.

Learn
26. Learn how to ride a bike.
27. Learn to speak German. I don’t necessarily want to be LITERATE but business level German would be incredibly helpful (and cool to boot).
28. Learn to snowboard very well as opposed to what I do now which is manage to stay upright.
29. Learn how to fish.
30. Relearn how to roll a kayak.
31. Take salsa classes.
32. Create a successful blog.
33. Learn how to play chess well.
34. Make something using my new sewing machine.
35. Make paper, and then make something from that paper.
36. Record a CD of my own music.
37. Take an art class.
38. Learn to play guitar.
39. Participate in one of sh1ft.org’s photography projects.
40. Learn how to sail.
41. Learn to speak proper French.
42. Complete a creative bootcamp like NaNoWriMo or Scott McCloud’s Making Comics
43. Take a photography class.
44. Learn how to meditate.
45. Take a yoga class.
46. Learn how to knit.
47. Learn how to crochet.
48. Listen to 1000 new songs and find appreciation in music that is not within my comfort zone.
49. Get my SCUBA certification.
50. Learn bad-ass knife skills in the kitchen and apply them to the art of cooking frequently.

Love
51. Work on 20 Things to Stop Doing to Others
52. Meet online friends in person
53. Two hours a week are mine to spend as I like.
54. Be a mentor.
55. Spend an average of an hour each day that I am in town with Rascal training, walking and playing with him.
56. Read a book with Drue at least three nights a week.
57. Perform random acts of kindness to at least 5 strangers without expecting anything in return.
58. Meet my health goals: Reach goal weight (broken up into mini goals), walk 10,000 steps daily, avoid gluten and sugar since my body does not react well to them.
59. Shop at local farmers markets or local grocery stores.
60. Give myself 30 consecutive days of fun.
61. Compost.
62. Reduce the number of power vampires in the house by half.
63. Complete the family photo project.
64. Participate in the 365 days project.
65. Make 101 handmade, lovely things.
66. Donate whole blood every quarter.
67. Read 52 books in 52 weeks.
68. Give up swearing for 30 days.
69. Average eight hours of sleep a night.
70. Complete a CPR and basic first aid course.
71. Build a Habitat for Humanity home.
72. Conduct a one year happiness project.
73. Create a morning writing ritual.
74. Be debt free.
75. Have three months of savings tucked away that goes untouched.

Lush
76. Sleep and dine in a castle.
77. Have dinner at the French Laundry.
78. Attend the San Francisco Black and White Ball
79. Host a fabulous girls weekend!
80. Drink a milkshake at Fosselman’s.
81. Have dinner at Chez Panisse.
82. Go on every ride at Disneyland (even the kiddie ones)!!
83. Unplug for a week (no phones, no Interwebs, no television, no movies, no video games, nothing!)
84. Pay myself $20 for every item completed and then spend it as I wish at the end of the 1001 days.
85. Take a mud bath in Calistoga.
86. Go horseback riding on the beach.
87. New Goal: Make handmade cards for birthdays and holidays.
88. Spend the night in a museum.
89. Spend the night in a tree house.
90. Ride the Napa Valley Wine Train.
91. Go on a hot air balloon ride.
92. Hire a virtual assistant.
93. Rent a limo for the night.
94. Take the New York Dinner Cruise.
95. Eat beignets at the Café du Monde.
96. Pull off the perfect road trip.
97. Buy an original piece of art.
98. Facials, manicure and pedicure each month
99. Buy something unexpected, frivolous and totally impractical.
100. Go snorkeling in Bimini
101. Have high tea at Fortnum & Mason in London.