101 in 1,001 | My Day Zero Project Goals | Personal!

Since I finally finished it, I thought I’d share my 101 in 1,001 list with all of you. This is something known as the Day Zero Project. The idea is to come up with 101 goals that you’d like to complete in 1,001 days, which is roughly 2.75 years. You want the goals to be “specific, with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined”. Nothing like “get better at skiing” or “think more positive thoughts” — there’s no way to say “okay, I completed that goal”. You also want the goals to be a mix of realistic and challenging. 101 tasks can seem daunting on its own, but if every single task is something like “write a book”, “travel to New Zealand”, or “paint a masterpiece”, there’s no way you’re going to make headway.

I’ve split my list up into categories here just for easy blog posting, but I really just spent time thinking of things I really wanted to accomplish. I wanted the list to be such that when the 1,001 days is up, I could look back and think “hell YEAH, I did all that”. You can look at the Day Zero Project website for inspiration, which was handy at times, but try not to copy other peoples’ goals word for word. It took me a long time (over a year) to finally complete this list. I made a list of maybe 50 things initially, and it took me a while to add more. I then got it up to around 75 goals, but then pared it down, realizing some of the tasks weren’t things I was passionate about. I finally finished it on February 6th, which is my official start date. Along the way, I accomplished a few of my previous goals. I went on a road trip (from Scarborough, Maine to Cincinnati, Ohio); I hosted a networking party (a photographers’ get-together in Hallowell, Maine); I made an awesome Brenizer Method engagement photo; I had a logo designed for my business; I went kayaking; and I was featured in 10 (more, actually) online and in-print publications. BAM! So here’s my current list… as I complete tasks I’ll be posting on here about it. 🙂

Start Date: February 6th, 2013
End Date: November 4th, 2015

Travel

1. Go on a trip outside of New England with my brother. (Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time!)
2. Visit 5 states OUTSIDE of New England. (0/5) (It’s important to clarify, since I travel around New England so often for my job!)
3. Travel outside of the US! (I’ve only been outside the US once, when I was maybe 6 or 7, to Canada, and I don’t even remember it.)
4. Go camping with just Nate. (We’ve been several times with his family, but I’d love to spend a camping trip with just my husband!)
5. Go on a road trip with my grandparents. (Yes, my grandparents are awesome, they love to travel, and they have a huge, awesome camper!)
6. Go on a trip to Washington DC with my Mom. (We have a trip planned for April!)
7. Visit Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and have my photo taken with the Mothman statue. (I’m also a huge Mothman nerd!)
8. Visit Alec in Chicago. (He’s one of my bestest friends and moved out to Chicago a couple years ago.)
9. Visit Caitlin & Rob in New Mexico. (Some of my other awesome friends!)
10. Visit 5 places on my “Places I Want to Go” list. (0/5) (These are all specific – and mostly restaurants!)
11. See the Hollywood sign in person.
12. Visit the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.
13. See the White House in person.
14. Visit the Brooklyn Bridge.
15. Visit San Francisco.
16. Visit the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia.

Just For Fun & Family

17. Go to a zoo.
18. Eat at 25 places from my “Places I Want to Eat” list. (0/25) (Yes, I keep such a list. It is awesome.)
19. Read the Bible. (I’m not religious, but I’ve always been fascinated by religion, and find the Bible to be a wonderful source of inspiration.)
20. Visit a psychic or medium.
21. Go to a live taping of either The Daily Show or The Colbert Report.
22. Make a list of 100 things that I love. (27/100) (It’s important to focus on the positives!)
23. Go hang-gliding.
24. Take a belly dancing class.
25. Ride a segway.
26. Go ghost hunting in 5 different places. (0/5) (My brother and I are big Ghost Adventures nerds.)
27. Go zip-lining.
28. Make a memory jar to open and read on New Year’s Eve. (I have one already made – and half-filled already!)
29. Dye or highlight my hair.
30. Do a shoot with bobbi+mike.
31. Make 10 different kinds of homemade ice cream. (0/10)
32. Spend 3 vacations (at least 3-4 days) with family members. (0/3) (I have TWO planned for this year, potentially three!)
33. Do 10 Pinterest crafts. (0/10)
34. Ride in a hot air balloon.
35. Book a shoot with the Boudoir Vixen.
36. Enter something in a bake-off or cook-off.
37. Do 10 activities with Anne. (0/10) (My mom-in-law!)
38. Have 25 meals with friends. (0/25)
39. Make a list of 101 things I’ve already accomplished in my lifetime. (0/101)
40. Attend a cook-off (chili, ribs, whatever).
41. Attend a strawberry festival, a blueberry festival, and a garlic festival. (0/3)
42. Try 50 new recipes. (0/50)
43. Go to a wine tasting.
44. Attend a PostSecret event.
45. Go on a haunted hay ride.
46. Be part of a flash mob.
47. Meet Robert Alvarado.
48. Do 10 activities with Rebecca. (0/10) (My sister-in-law!)
49. E-mail Gramma at least once a month. (2/33)
50. Make homemade kahlua.
51. Shake Barack Obama’s hand. (I’ve seen him in person twice now, but haven’t met him!)
52. Successfully make macarons.
53. Paint my nails in 10 unique/interesting ways. (0/10)
54. Start a garden.
55. Write 100,000 words on 750 Words. (2,307/100,000)
56. Go to a shooting range.
57. Get another tattoo.

Relaxation

58. Go a full day without touching the computer once a month. (2/33) (This is a big one, since computer work, in many forms, is a HUGE chunk of what I do.)
59. Get a 1-hour massage. (Way overdue.)

Learning & Nerdiness

60. Read 50 new-to-me books. (0/50) (This one I think will be the most challenging. As much as I love reading, I often feel like I don’t have time. But I need to MAKE the time!)
61. Learn how to drive a stick shift. (I never learned, but my husband is great at it!)
62. See a Ron Mueck installation in person.
63. Learn how to change a tire & change the oil in the car.

Professional Self-Improvement

64. Become a certified professional photographer through PPA. (This isn’t something that’s required or necessary, just something I’d like to challenge myself with.)
65. Participate in the 100 Strangers Project. (0/100) (Something I think will be hugely challenging to me, but so rewarding.)
66. Do 10 shoots from my Dream Shoots list. (0/10) (Some of these are wild, some are simple, but I just want to push myself creatively!)
67. Photograph a birth.
68. Photograph 1 destination wedding (that requires me to fly there).
69. Do a ring shot at EVERY 2013 wedding.
70. Have a photo shoot or wedding featured on Rock n’ Roll Bride.
71. Create and implement a flow board for my photography workflow. (The board is designed and has been sent off to the printer!)
72. Take a photo every day for a year and make a book out of it. (0/365)
73. Blog something personal at least once a month. (2/33)
74. Create a really awesome wedding photo using the Brenizer Method.
75. Go on a road trip with the sole purpose of photographing people & things along the way.
76. Hit 200 weddings. (133/200)
77. Enter some photographs in a print competition. (Placing is optional. 😉
78. Host a photography scavenger hunt around Portland and give away a prize.
79. Attend 10 photography-related get-togethers. (0/10)
80. Take photos at Burning Man.
81. Capture an awesome lighting bolt photograph.
82. Attend a photography-related workshop.
83. Get a photo pass for a concert or event.
84. Sell 10 prints on Etsy. (0/10)

Fitness & Self-Improvement

85. Lose 50 pounds (aka get down to 150 pounds). (0/50) (I’ve been overweight for way too long!)
86. Run in a zombie 5k or 10k. (There’s several options for this, and I just think it sounds like crazy amounts of fun.)
87. Go rock climbing.
88. Run in a Color Run. 89. Run a 5k. (I have signed up for one in July – eep!)
90. Run a 10k.
91. Work out for 365 total days. (4/365) (Doesn’t need to be 365 days in a row – just 365 days total!)
92. Complete P90X.
93. Go vegetarian for 30 straight days. (0/30)
94. Learn how to swim. (Yup. Don’t know how.)
95. Work up to the point where I can do 10 pull-ups consecutively.
96. Take 50 walks/runs/jogs around the neighborhood. (0/50)

Charity & Giving to Others

97. Donate blood 3 times. (0/3)
98. Bake something for 10 of my friends’ & family members’ birthdays. (0/10) (I love baking, and I love giving gifts – win win!)
99. Donate free wedding day coverage to a couple in need.
100. Loan out $300 on Kiva. (0/300)
101. Log 100 hours of volunteering. (0/100)