101 in 1001

This post was previously posted on my business blog at the end of 2010. I have moved it to my personal blog because I plan to track the status of my personal goals here vs. on the business blog.

The past three years I have taken the time to write a list of goals for the upcoming year. (See 200820092010 was never completely scanned in.) It has been a great way to live intentionally and make positive changes in my life. My favorite part about making a list of goals is going back and reviewing them at the end of the year. While doing that for 2010, I peeked over to my 2008 and 2009 goals and I realized a few things. I learned that while there were a few things on my lists that weren't completed in their specified year, they did stay with me and I truly am completing them one-by-one. But I also realized, the goals that are not task related (new habits, new mindsets) are consistently taking longer than a year to really find a solid place in my life.

That said, this year I decided to do something different.

One of my favorite photographers/bloggers, Melissa Jill has been working on a 101 in 1001 list. That is a list of 101 goals to complete in 1001 days. I have seen lists like these floating around the web for years and I never really thought it was a realistic way to set goals. However, watching Melissa set her goals andcomplete them one-by-one has been super inspiring. Cap that with my tendency to take a little longer than a year to make changes and reach goals in my personal life and I think I have discovered something that might just work for me. :)

My friend Kate and I came together and started building 101 in 1001 lists back in November. I think we both still only have half of our lists completed. I do have enough to share with you all, at least for now. Here's a peak:

Start date: December 30, 2010 End date: September 26, 2013

  1. Complete this list by Feb 28, 2010.
  2. Blog every day for a month
  3. Blog three times a week for a year on my SLP blog
  4. Build a welcome (& thank you) packet to send to couples who book with me
  5. Buy a year’s worth of birthday cards, address and stamp them all at once
  6. Buy/make/give Tommy 5 "just because" gifts
  7. Change portfolio site to no longer be flash based
  8. Complete 12 consecutive months of a monthly photo theme or blog meme
  9. Complete 52 consecutive weeks of Gratituesday blog posts
  10. Do something extra special for Tommy's 30th Birthday
  11. Document life more on my blog, even if some entries need to be private
  12. Donate $5 for each goal I do not complete
  13. Enter some of my work into a photography competition
  14. Give a gift of something hand-made
  15. Go on a ski trip with Tommy
  16. Go to DC during a Cherry Blossom peak weekend
  17. Have a book printed of 1 year of Gratituesday's
  18. Have all Christmas gifts purchased/wrapped by Dec 1.
  19. Improve my business website search optimization
  20. Learn Yoga poses/flow I can do on my own without direction
  21. Make an album of our wedding pictures
  22. Meet Kate Nesi, finally! :)
  23. Obtain copies of our parents’ wedding portraits, frame them, and hang them in our home
  24. Participate in another triathlon
  25. Participate in the creation of a style-shoot for a blog or magazine
  26. Read one book per month for 3 months to better my business
  27. Refine workflow to have wedding galleries online within 2 weeks of the event
  28. Return to Nepal (with Tommy?)
  29. Run a Holiday Giveaway Series on my blog
  30. Run in 2 races > 5k
  31. See Third Day in concert
  32. Travel to the West Coast
  33. Simplify my internet presence
  34. Spend a day hiking
  35. Spend more time outside
  36. Submit a wedding for publication in a magazine
  37. Take a cruise with Tommy
  38. Take a dance class (at least 6 weeks)
  39. Take a trip on a train
  40. Try 5 foods I have never tried before
  41. Visit New England in the fall/winter
  42. Watch 5 I’ve-always-wanted-to-see-but-just-never-got-around-to-it-movies
  43. Write a Will
  44. Make the switch from PC to Mac
  45. Make my office as mobile as possible so that I can travel often without it interrupting my work
  46. Learn how to make sushi at home
  47. Attend a (at least 2-day) photography workshop
  48. Become a mother
  49. Tap into commercial photography (to be published)
  50. Train our dogs
  51. Take a cooking class
  52. Try geocaching
  53. Spend a whole week without using the computer
  54. Go on a picnic with Tommy
  55. Trade in my 4-door sedan for a small SUV
  56. Go to a roller derby match (again)
  57. Complete a 5-day juice fast
  58. Create something hand-made for a baby (mine or a close friend/family member's)
  59. Shoot 20 weddings in one year
  60. Learn how to use a grill
  61. Give up caffeine for one month
  62. Learn more about nutrition and begin cooking healthier meals
  63. Write and submit a guest blog entry for 5 different blogs.
  64. Buy a new house
  65. Participate in the Ragnar Relay

I'll be adding to this list and blogging about my goals as I reach them. I am very excited about this journey and also excited to be documenting it! Here's to 2011... and 2012... and 2013. :)

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

Liz Cook

Liz Cook is a wedding, birth, and motherhood photographer based in Central Virginia. Her intuition and creative perspective allow her to connect both professionally and personally with her subjects, and thus, her portfolio is saturated with authentic emotion. Whether she's sharing her story with fellow entrepreneurs or enjoying quality time with her husband and two daughters, Liz is both present and passionate about capturing and celebrating life. Her work has been featured by O "Oprah" Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Glitter Guide, Essence Magazine, domino, Rue Magazine, among others.