In the spirit of this, I have some resolutions for 2014. Read about them in this post.
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No, that's not some weird binary code. This is a modified form of my "bucket list." It's called the Day Zero Project, and here's how it works:
The Challenge:
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 your part).
Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. 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 organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities. {source: dayzeroproject.com}
Now, some of the items on my list are things I have actually done before. But if they ended up on the list, I realize that it has been quite some time since doing these things, and I may need a little push to get myself to do them again (i.e., camping, running a 5k). The numbering has nothing to do with priority - they're just there to show me I have 101 activities. The italicized ones are completed ones (often with links to a post about it), so check back here to see what I've done lately!
Start Date: July 11, 2010
End Date: April 8, 2013
2. Fly Space A
3. Win or come in second at a trivia night - 2nd place! 6/1/11
4. Go camping with B
5. Take a surfing lesson
6. Go sailing - need some more practice (or a bigger boat) 4/9/11
7. Ride in a hot air balloon - a "tethered" ride, but totally counting it 6/17/11
8. Kiss in the rain
9. Go to a shooting range and shoot a gun
10. Donate my hair again 8/30/10
11. Have a baby (or start the process of adoption if need be) - 1/26/12
12. Change my name on/renew my passport
13. Go skinny dipping
14. Send fan mail to a celebrity
15. Bake a pie (including the crust) from scratch 3/28/11
16. Learn 5 guitar chords solidly
17. Perform on stage in a play or musical
18. Be vegetarian for a week 9/15/12
19. Go on an overnight cruise
20. Get CPR re-certified
21. Run a 5k with B - use the Couch to 5k training plan to do it
22. Join a sports league with B
23. Sing karaoke in a bar 12/10/10
24. Sew something from a pattern
25. Visit the 3 states I've never been to--Utah, Hawaii, Vermont (0/3)
26. Eat lobster
27. Read the entire Bible (including the Catholic books, of course)
28. Watch the sun rise and set in the same day
29. Crash a wedding and its reception
30. Watch a meteor shower
31. Read something by Proust
32. Pray a rosary on the beach with B
33. Use the order "I don't care what it is, as long as it's pink" at a bar (I didn't use those exact words, but I tried it at 2 different bars and the bartenders were idiots)
34. Bake and decorate a shaped/sculpted cake
35. Donate blood again
36. Donate $5 to charity for each task I don't complete
37. Cook Thanksgiving dinner with minimal help from my mother - 12/25/11
38. Make ice cream from scratch 8/1/12
39. Go kayaking 5/7/11
40. Get a picture of a dolphin in the ocean/bay/gulf - (I got a good mental picture while kayaking, so I'm counting it)
41. Crochet or knit a scarf
42. Learn to make 5 cocktails with at least 3 ingredients each (0/5)
43. Go parasailing
44. Floss every day for a month
45. Go to a roller derby again
46. Color an entire coloring book
47. Learn to make 10 new desserts (10/10): blueberry cobbler, doughnut muffins, faux chocolate eclair, faux tagalongs, cake balls, cream puffs, apple crumble, chocolate mug cake, banana pudding, funfetti dip
48. Go golfing
49. Try yoga 10/6/10
50. Go to a Zumba class 8/13/10
51. Participate in a flash mob dance
52. Read a graphic novel
53. Do a Navy PRT, meeting at least Good requirements for my age/sex
54. Do at least 10 random acts of kindness (7/10) - took pictures for BrittDill's courthouse wedding (10/29/10), helped new church friends fix up their new house the day we met them (1/16/11), found and mailed collar devices for Sespi's husband (5/20/11); sent drawstring bag to Redditor (5/2/12), ran after woman who left iPhone at cash register (7/2/12); sent clothes to fellow blogger's children, sent extra package for secret santa
55. Volunteer at Habitat for Humanity [again] at least 5 times - 7/28/10, 12/3/10, 3/25/11, 4/6/11, 7/30/11
56. Tip a great server 50% or more
57. Go geocaching and actually find something 10/10/10
58. Read 5 books suggested by friends and family (4/5) - The Lightning Thief, Gone With the Wind, Heaven Is For Real, Water for Elephants
59. Watch 8 new(ish) movies at a theater--trust me, this is a stretch for me (2/8) - Something Borrowed, The Muppets
60. Go to a farmer's market and buy something 7/21/11
61. Do the A-Z Travel Challenge (click here for explanation and updates) (19/26)
62. Go fishing and catch something
63. Watch a movie from the year I was born (1984) - 11/21/10
64. Go to a drag show
65. Attend a comedy show, try to sit near the front
66. Don't eat sweets for 2 weeks straight 3/13
67. Go to an iMAX movie
68. Attend or sing in a performance of Handel's "Messiah" - 12/3/11
69. Go on a picnic with B
70. Go to a minor league baseball game again - 8/23/12
71. Memorize 5 Bible verses (2/5)
72. Cook something from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Ratatouille 9/9/12
73. Put flowers on a friend or family member's grave
74. Watch 10 of IMDB's Top 250 Movies that I've never seen before - Crash (#221: 8/13/10), Pulp Fiction (#6: 10/22/10), The Matrix (#23: 12/3/10), Toy Story (#148: 12/10/10), The Social Network (#183: 2/11/11), Toy Story 3 (#30: 2/4/11), Inception (#8: 3/19/11), The Godfather (#2: 3/25/11), The King's Speech (#124: spring 2011); A Streetcar Named Desire (#208: 9/24/11)
75. Have my rings cleaned
76. Give $30 to a missionary that I barely know
77. Learn to do a cool trick on my boogie board
78. Go to a line dancing bar and participate
79. Go to an Air Show - 11/13/10
80. Host at least 15 visitors staying at our place (14/15) - My mother on 10/23/10; my mom and dad 7/1-4/11; my nephew 8/13/11; my mom again 9/14-17/11; Navy friends from Virginia (family of 4!) 10/20/11, my mom (after Cora's birth) 1/29-2/6/12, my mother-in-law 2/12-18/12, my parents 3/9-11/12, my mother 7/8-10/12, my mom again! 8/23-26/12
81. Not complain for an entire week
82. Throw at least 5 parties (3/5) - Clean Out the Pantry Party 8/28/10; Hurricane Birthday Party 6/3/11; Cora's First Birthday 1/26/13
83. Attend a college football game again 11/25/11
84. Go on a retreat
85. Pray outside an abortion clinic
86. Go to a murder mystery dinner or host one of my own
87. Go to a Rocky Horror Picture Show showing at midnight 07/23/10
88. Climb a tree
89. Leave a book for Book Crossing
90. Participate in 5 Post Crossings (0/5)
91. Visit a national park
92. Go tubing - 6/25/11
93. Make sangria 3/13
94. Go a week without buying anything (including food/groceries)
95. Gamble at a table game in a casino
96. Go to an opera
97. Dress like a cow and get a free Chick-Fil-A combo on Cow Appreciation Day
98. Make a cheesecake, even though I don't like it
99. Leave an inspiring note in a library book
100. Attend or sing in a concert with a symphony orchestra. 10/2/10--Pensacola Symphony
101. Celebrate life in some way on Day 1001
Any and all help is welcome to help me accomplish any of the activities on my list!
Current progress: 43/101 (42.6%), updated 3/14/2013
By making my list, I actually helped another blogger and fellow Navy wife cross something off of her list (inspire someone else to make a Day Zero list). Marj over at Raising Roscoe even blogged about it, cheering me on, complete with motivational sign! Check her entry out!