My Financial and Tikkun Olam Goals
For Financial Wellbeing
55. Get a Raise… twice! (0/2)
56. Have $25,000 in savings at the end of 1001 days
57. Put an entire paycheck into savings
58. Sell something on ebay/amazon
59. Create a realistic budget and stick to it for at least 3 months (0/3)
55. This challenge will take place over the course of two year-end review periods, I think it is reasonable to strive for a raise in each.
56. This is an amount to strive for within the alotted time frame. Edits may be made to the number depending on my current and changing situation
57. There are some months with 3 pay periods. I think that one of those occasions I should be able to put the entirety of one paycheck into savings
58. Why the hell not?
59. I think I manage my money fairly smartly but I would like to have a better plan. Planning will help me to figure out where my money is and should be going and whether I can afford to save more or spend more, but differently, or both!
For Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam)
29. Donate blood (or at least try)
30. Cook a meal made from entirely local ingredients
31. Make an anonymous donation (not telling!)
32. Recruit 5 people to do the LiveSTRONG Ride (0/5)
33. Buy “Spare Change” from 10 different people (1/10)
34. Leave an obscenely generous tip
29. I am more than a little paranoid about needles. Ironically I also have many piercings, but that’s another story. I want to face my fear and at least go and try to give blood. If they turn me away, so be it. But I need to at least try.
30. As Ben will attest, I have become interested in “food propoganda” books and the slow food movement in general. Specifically, knowing where your food comes from. I want to work towards using more local ingredients but, at least once, I want to make a full meal (salad doesn’t count) from local (within new england) ingredients.
31. It’s a nice thing to do.
32. I had an amazing experience riding in the LiveSTRONG challenge last year. I am working with the people at the PA site of my office to work on recruiting people up here.
33. “Spare Change” is a newspaper that is put out by the homeless community in Boston. They buy the papers for 50 cents and sell them for $1. It is a proactive thing for the homeless community and I like supporting it. It’s only fair to spread out the helping to many different people.
34. I have worked in retail. I realize it is nothing like waiting, but I appreciate that people in any type of service industry work hard and they deserve to be treated with respect. I may be a pain in the ass customer sometimes, but I smile, and acknowledge that I’m a pain, apologize for it and smile. Exceptional service should be rewarded with an exceptional tip.
My Entertainment Goals
For Entertainment
60. Attend an NFL Football game
61. Plan an “Ice Cream Tour” of the Boston Area
62. Execute “Ice Cream Tour” for a group of at least 5 people
63. See a Broadway show
64. See at least 15 new movies from AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies (10th anniversary edition)
65. Go to the batting cages
66. Attend a Red Sox game at a stadium other than Fenway Park
67. See a (non musical) play
68. Read and watch “The Graduate”
69. See 7 movies in theaters
70. Go out one night and try “all the blue drinks”
71. Watch the Boston Marathon
72. Play in the BUWRFC Alumni Game
73. Ride a mechanical bull
74. Go to the beach 5 times
75. Try 10 new [local] restaurants
60. I love sporting events and I have never been to a football game.
61 & 62. Boston is a ice cream jewel. There are so many great places and it seems to me that people always go or bring their friends to the same 2 or 3 places. I want to put this together because I think it would be fun and because it will give me something fun to do with friends who come to visit.
63. I love the grandure of theature and I have seen shows in Boston and otherwise but I have never seen a Broadway show.
64. I watch the same movies over and over. I have also seriously neglected some of the classics. This will force me (encourage me?) to branch out and “get” all those cultural references.
65. This one’s for Ben. Plus I think that it would be fun.
66. I LOVE the Red Sox. LOVE. I have been to tons of games but only at Fenway. Another stadium… what a perfect excuse for a vacation!
67. I love musicals but plays should not be neglected. This can be any play including community theatre or other local productions.
68. Cultural references understood and appreciated
69. I always say that I want to see movies, but I never go. I think 7 is not an unreasonable number.
70. One night, way back, my mom and Nancy went out and told the bar tender to give them “all the blue drinks”. Clearly this was a memorable enough experience that the children were told about it. I think it should be a tradition!
71. I have lived in Boston my whole life. In high school, one of my best friends lived at the bottom of Heartbreak Hill. I still have never seen the marathon. Even though I work for a Brittish based company without a sense of humor and, thus, we do not get Patriots Day off, I will make it happen!
72. At the last alumni game, I was instructed not to play due to neck problems. All I’m asking for is one scrum people!
73. If you know me, this is no surprise. It would be fun.
74. Something you should know about me: I am essentially solar powered. I slather on the 45 like any good red head and sit in the sun. Vacation beach days will be evaluated on an as-need basis
75. I tend to get into a rut and when I find something I like, I go there often. I specified “Local” because when I’m away from home, I’m a. more likely to go out for meals and b. most likely to visit a new place that I will never visit again. The goal of this goal is to broaden my horizons in my neighborhood and to try new things instead of the same old same old.
My Adventure Goals
For Adventures
11. Swim in the pacific ocean
12. Plan and take a vacation to somewhere that can not be reached by car/bus/train
13. Ride on a Motorcycle
14. Go Skydiving
15. Go skinny-dipping in daylight hours
16. Climb a mountain
17. Go apple picking and make something besides apple crisp with the apples
11. In my conscious life, I have never been to the west coast. I haven’t seen the Pacific Ocean, let alone put any part of my body into it. This goal falls into an overall theme of travel and adventures. I want to try new things and go places I have never been.
12. Another true adventure. I drive a lot of places. It’s easier to go away to someplace close by or simple. I have also only traveled to places within the US and Canada and Israel. I want to go outside the box… literally.
13. So badly, I want to ride a motorcycle. SO badly.
14. Originally this goal was to go to Mardi Gras. However, this goal was a somewhat random addition to this list and it isn’t all that important to me. I recently met someone who is an avid skydiver. While it is something I would have never considered before, I am inspired and intrigued by her stories and think it would be an amazing adventure to take.
15. Things I love include: sunshine, swimming and nudity. Hello, beautiful medly of happiness.
16. It’s been a while since I’ve climbed a mountain, my usual hike-esque adventures are more paths and gorges. Mountain tops are majestic and the world is far more beautiful from the top.
17. Apple picking is extrodinarily enjoyable. Fruit that is eaten directly from the tree tastes sweeter. However, I have a bad habbit of sticking to my favorite recipes and for apples, that’s apple crisp. I want to make something else (but not pie, because I don’t like pie)
My Personal Growth Goals
For Personal Growth
76. Go 4 weeks without “snoozing”
77. Make 5 new friends
78. Get a Horizontal Driver’s license
79. Learn how to throw a football (so I don’t throw it like a rugby ball)
80. Send a secret to PostSecret
81. Go out for dinner at a nice restaurant alone
82. Go to the movies by myself
83. Live without room mates (i.e get an apartment of my/our own)
84. Be driven in a car by Alex P
85. Learn how to change the oil of my car (learning doesn’t mean I have to actually do it)
86. Wear something other than jeans to work for 2 weeks [yoga pants do not count]
76. I am the Queen of Snooze. I can snooze for hours. I usually set my alarm a half hour before I want to get up, which is about 10 minutes before i NEED to get up. After snoozing once, I am then able to hear the exact moment my alarm clicks on (it starts soft and gets louder) and turn it off. My propensity to snooze is ironic as I take the repetitive beeping of the alarm (and all other appliances that beep) as a personal offense. I need to learn how to get out of bed. What better way than with 101 in 1001 motivation!
77. I need more friends. I can’t spend all of my time with the same 3 people and Ben. It’s not healthy.
78. In MA, under 21 licenses are vertical. I had to renew my drivers license a month prior to my 21st birthday. I went to an out of state school and needed a valid driver’s license. With my september birthday, I would have been at school in another state on my 21st birthday. So for about 4 years, I’ve been legally consuming alcoholic beverages with an under 21 license. Even though its a few more years until it expires, it’s time.
79. I can’t throw a football. It’s a useful skill to have.
80. I love PostSecret. It would be very therapeutic to send in a secret.
81 & 82. Doing things alone is a scary experience. Especially things that people usually do with others. These will pull me out of my comfort zone and force me to make decisions on my own and not try to make decisions with or for someone else, which is what usually happens in these situations.
83. I had my own apartment for a year in college and it was the greatest thing ever. I’d like to have a place that is just mine again (or ours, since Ben and I will most likely be moving in together). Where I can eat anything in the fridge, everything in the shower is mine, I can spread out past my bedroom and I want to watch everything on the DVR.
84. I have been babysitting for Alex since she was almost 5 years old and her sisters were 3 and 6 mos. Alex will be 16 in December. I can handle it, really.
85. As per the demand of my father, I learned how to change a tire when I brought my car to college. Basic car maintenance is important and I’d like to learn more of it. The oil needs to be changed frequently so why not start there?
86. While I love getting dressed up and looking nice and put together, I am lazy. Mostly due to my snoozing problem mentioned at the beginning of this list. Let’s just say that love sleeping more than I hate having to rush in the morning. I can usually put myself together (my hair and I get along very well) but, since my company has a casual every day, it’s usually jeans, a simple top, a little makeup, boots or sneaker shoes (with heels in my bag) and go. I want to be able to have time to put myself together, not wear jeans and not cheat and wear yoga pants (because sometimes i do that) no matter how comfortable and amazing they are.
My Creativity Goals
For Creativity
43. Send 10 birthday cards, by mail, to 10 different people
44. Start blog to chronicle 101 in 1001 and make at least 200 posts
45. Make a toast
46. Pose nude for an art class
47. Make 3 things from my Julia Child cookbook
48. Teach someone how to crochet
49. Recover kitchen chairs from Nancy (or else get rid of them)
50. Make a blanket for myself
51. Make Cheese
52. Make pizza from scratch with aforementioned Cheese
53. Take an art class
54. Bake bread from scratch
43. Everyone loves mail. Mail on your birthday is even better.
44. This is my blog! I want to be able to share my goals and my progress.
45. I want to be able to make a toast to a friend on a happy occasion
46. I really do like myself. I am very comfortable with my body and happy to be so. I think that I would benefit from having a creative outlet in which to express this. Posing for an art class, especially nude, will be a good way for me to do this while also breaking out of my comfort zone.
47. I have loved Julia Child since I was about 3. As my dad says, she was tied for first with sesame street. I have a cook book that my dad had signed by her when I was 8. I have never used this cook book. It’s about time I give these recipes a try!
48. I love crocheting. In my opinion, it’s MUCH easier than knitting and I’m pretty excellent at it. (draw your attention to my skills in Ben’s Kippah). There must be someone who wants to learn how and I’m happy to teach
49. This goal is more of a “don’t be lazy” goal. I got some kitchen chairs from my mom’s friend and they are really nice and wood with heinous fabric upholstery. It doesn’t take that much work to recover them but it needs to be done. If it isn’t done, they need to go!
50. I make lots of things for other people. I’ve made about 50 kippot for people over the years, blankets for my friends, for new babies, scarfs galore, baby clothes and I’m currently working on a giant blanket for my brother. I need to make something for myself .
51. I read the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. She made reference to the The Cheese Queen. Since then, I have desperately wanted to order the kit and make cheese.
52. I also want to make pizza, what better way than with home made cheese.
53. I consider myself a very artistic person, but i have never really worked within guidelines. I would love to take a class and develop some skills to go along with my creativity.
54. I make lots of things, but I have (had) never attempted bread. I am proud to say that this is a completed goal that I will continue to experiment with.
My Intellectual Development Goals
For Intellectual Development
1. Take the GREs
2. Apply to Grad School
3. Re-Read Moby Dick
4. Read 2 non-fiction history books
5. Walk the freedom trail
6. Read 5 books recommended by others (0/5)
7. Visit a museum I’ve never been to
8. Read 15 books previously unread from the BBC top 100 list (0/15)
9. See “Schindler’s List”
10. Finish a book in a day
1. My company offers tuition reimbursement. There is no reason why I shouldn’t take advantage of this benefit. In order to do that, I first have to take the GREs
2. Adding to no. 1, it has been my mother’s new obsession to tell me how lucky I am that I can still recieve tuition reimbursement as many companies have cut it from their benefits. I want to at least have figured out what program I want and applied to grad schools by the end of 1001 days.
3. Junior year of high school, I had the WORST English (Language Arts?) teacher ever. She would come in and sit at her desk and do nothing. We would be assigned books to read but not really. There is no real consequence for not completing the task. As long as you could answer general questions that were found in any well written cliff’s note, you were ok. The one I avoided most vehemently is Moby Dick. I think I owe it to Herman Melville to give his book another chance
4. Ben loves history. I want to read these non-fiction history books for him. I hope he appreciates that.
5. I live in Boston and have for my whole life. I know there is a lot of history and I really appreciate it and I think the freedom trail would be a good way to explore it that I have never experienced before. (Plus Ben really wants to 
)
6. The best books I have read are the ones that someone else has recommended to me.
7. I love museums.
8. I have already read 24 of these books. 15 more is a reasonable number. Who knows, maybe I’ll finish more!
9. I need to watch“Schindler’s List”. I have been to the Holocaust museum in DC and Israel (twice) and I have never seen this movie. I’m a bad Jew.
10. This goal also has to do with relaxation. Taking the time to read is important. If I am able to finish a whole book in a day, it means that I was able to take large chunk of consecutive time for myself.
My Fitness Goals
For Fitness
22. Pass to a Yellow Belt in Kung Fu
23. Ride the 45 Mile LiveSTRONG in Philly
24. Fit into my “skinny” jeans
25. Start the day with sun salutations every day for 2 weeks, 3 times
26. Walk to work 3 times
27. Be able to dead-lift 60lbs (2-30lb barbells)
28. Gym/Fu/Yoga at least 350 times (avg of 10 times per month) for all 1001 days
22.I stated Kung Fu In August after my co-worker essentially pestered me into it. As it turns out, I really love it! I love the physical activity and, after rugby in college, In needed an outlet for releasing aggression. For that, the gym just doesn’t cut it quite like tackling a pad (rugby) or making perfect contact with a kick (kung fu). Progressing to a yellow belt is a very conservative goal to achieve within 1001 days.
23. The LiveSTRONG Challenge Is a bike ride or run/walk that supports Lance Armstrong’s LiveSTRONG Foundation. (More about this when explaining recruitment goal). Each location has a 10, 20, 45, 75 and 100 mile ride (It’s important to note that the Philly ride is ALL uphill). This past August, I rode with my brother on my company team. I completed the 20 mile ride while my brother, the student/cyclist rode 100mi with ease. This was a bit of a challenge for me, especially since I had not ridden my bike NEARLY enough during the year. Within the next 1001 days there will be 2 more challenges that I can/will participate in. I am going to work towards the 45 mile ride.
24. I have a pair of skinny jeans. They mostly fit but it’s not pretty. My goal is go tighten up enough so that they go on and zip and I can sit comfortably in them without wanting to take them off and put on yoga pants.
25. Sun salutations are a great way to get the blood flowing and to stretch out. I need to work on my energy in the morning and this will be a great way to do so.
26. I currently live ~2 miles from my office, about 40 minutes. I also live on the bike path which spits out RIGHT behind my office. Once it gets warmer, there’s no excuse.
27. Dead lifting is one thing that I’ve always had trouble with. My hips and legs and lower back are the parts that need the most strength building. This goal will help me to increase my strength.
28. By setting a minimum attendance for Kung Fu and other fitness activities, I’m setting myself up for success. I feel better when I work out on a regular basis. I also do much better on a schedule.
My Health Goals
I’ve decided to copy Liz’s format and go through my goals, section by section, and explain why I put them on my list.
I’m going to start with my Health Goals
For Health
18. Drink at least 2L of water every day for 30 days
19. Take a full week off from work (week vacations using company holidays as one of more of the days does not count)
20. Eat only things prepared at home (or someone else’s home) for 30 days
21. See a dermatologist
18. Water is good for you. There are days that I find myself so thirsty that I can’t function. I usually wake up in the middle of the night thirsty as well. This goal’s intention is to create a good habit of drinking a lot of water. My body needs it, so why not comply?
19. I have been VERY bad at taking days off. I started my job in January and didn’t take my first vacation day until May. As of the beginning of September, I has only taken 4 vacation days (of my 15 for the year). This goal is designed to encourage vacations. Taking a day off a day here and there is NOT enough for a vacation. My first full week off for the year will be Thanksgiving, and I’m using 2 company holidays for it. I need to not be afraid to take time off and use up my vacation days.
20. I usually try to prepare meals at home but I get lazy, as we all do, and I neglect to go food shopping. This results in getting takeout, going out to lunch and scrounging. I want to be able to go a full month without eating out.
21. I am a red head. I have fair skin, lots of freckles and I get at least 1 bad sunburn a summer (if not more). I really should have seen a dermatologist already.
One Week In
We have officially been at this for one week. 7 days. 168 hours. 10,080 minutes (give or take). So far I have fully completed one goal! Sure, our bread didn’t rise, and the recipe instructions completely neglected 2 of the ingredients, it tasted ok. The important thing is that it had the potential to be delicious. With 1/2 c. honey and 3 Tbsp molasses, you’d be delicious too! But coming out of the oven it tasted the way it did on the way in, like dough… except hot.
I’ve also started on some of my other goals. I am actively working on my water consumption within 30 days, drinking at least 2L a day. This has served to be easier than I expected. I have a water bottle at my desk (reusable of course) which is ~25oz. I make sure I drink at least 3 per day, which is well over 2 Liters. On the upside, I get extra exercise when I walk to the bathroom 10 times a day!
Other Goals Updates:
- On track for my Kung Fu classes (or gym visits) per month. I just love having my ass kicked regularly!
- Spoke to the brother on his birthday. Unlike Liz, I am counting this, regardless of its association with birthdays. I am not, however, counting any text message interactions I have with him, regardless of how much they entertain me.
- Started a book that falls into the BBC top 100 category and it was recommended by Ben, One Hundred Years of Solitude
- Jes has offered to assist in the “swim in the pacific ocean” goal by using her LA location as a lure
So far, so good!
The Beginning…
In the last 1001 days I have: Played a lot of rugby, spend 2 summers as a nanny, moved into (and out of) a house with 7 (whacked out) girls, pretended that I lived at oakdizzle, made some PLDs, used too many acronyms, gotten a concussion, embraced YOLO (you only live once), had an amazing senior year, graduated from college, moved back in with my parents, quit coffee, spend 9 months unemployed, sent out about 150 resumes, started dating an amazing guy, met his parents (and part of his large family), started a great job, made new friends, moved out of my parents house and into a great apartment with amazing people, introduced my parents to Ben’s parents, started Kung Fu, and decided to start a new chapter of my life (among other things).
In the next 1001 days, Starting tomorrow, October 1st, 2009, Liz, Jessy and I will be starting a new adventure together. We will be starting a long term project (described below) and have each started a blog to chronicle the challenges and successes we face throughout this endeavor to which all of us are contributors.
The mission of this project is to complete 101 goals in the period of 1001 days. (About 2.75 years) These 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).
Wishing myself and my co-conspirators good luck (or break a leg!)
samanthajess
