A new and improved 101 in 1001

Way back when, a few months after I first started following the blog of the talented mentor and friend, Melissa Jill, I borrowed (not stole, ’cause Melissa’s the first to encourage you to share in this industry ), the idea of adapting a 101 in 1001 list.

What, exactly, is that? Many of you have probably heard of this, but to the unfamiliar, it’s a list of an assortment of goals you want to accomplish over the course of nearly 3 years. Thanks to Melissa, I created my first 101 in 1001 on Jan. 1, 2008. Then, I promptly forgot about it. (Here it is, if you’re curious). When Melissa recently blogged about her version 2.0 of her 101 list (’cause, you know, she actually FINISHED her first one!), I got to thinking it’d be nice to give my own 101 a fresh new start (and the attention it deserved).

Looking back at my old list, I’m amazed to see I accomplished over a third of what I wrote down. As Melissa writes in her blog topic on the subject, people who write down their goals are much more likely to be successful in reaching them, and I couldn’t help but think she was on to something. So here’s to tackling everything that’s on this list of mine (and as you can see, I’ve left a small bit of wiggle room to add a few more goals too!). They may not all become reality, but if you don’t visualize ‘em first, how do you know how much you’re willing to try, eh? Wish me luck!

START DATE: March 7, 2010

END DATE: December 2, 2012

1) Travel Europe (Completed 7/10)
2) Visit New England (Completed 5.30.10)
3) Visit Seattle
4) Take a picture of myself visiting NYC in Times Square (Completed 4/23/10)
5) Go sledding (Completed 12.27.10)
6) Take a hot air balloon ride
7) Take a cruise with Nick
8 ) Visit a friend in a different state at least once a year
9) Pay for the meal of a stranger (drive thru counts!)
10) Help a local charity on a monthly basis for a whole year
11) Read the Bible in one year
12) Join a Bible study
13) Learn the art of relaxation breathing
14) Adopt a family at Christmas
15) Ring the bell for the Salvation Army
16) Read three books a month for a year
17)  Watch the entire series of Friday Night Lights
18) Art direct and create a video with my Flip camera
19) Create a coffee table book of my trip to San Francisco
20) Create a coffee table book of our Europe travels
21) Spend an entire day with my remaining grandmother
22) Tape record/videotape grandmother sharing stories about how she and grandpa met (Completed 8.1.10)
23) Babysit for a friend and/or family member at least once every six months
24) Put a bun in the oven (had to throw that one in!
25) Cook dinner three times a week for six months
26) Create a easy-to-search cookbook for my favorite recipes
27) Migrate all my old CDs into digital music
28) Practice yoga once a week for an entire year
29) Run another half-marathon
30) Revamp my living room
31) Put flowers on the graves of my decease grandparents
32) Research a well-known photographer
33) Replace the roof on our house
34) Cook Indian food (Completed 6.2.11)
35) Learn how to cook with a pressure cooker
36) Start an herb garden (Completed 6.8.11)
37) Knit 3 projects a year
38) Sit down at the piano once a week — even if it’s for 15 minutes— for an entire year
39) Create a collage of prints of my travels; hang them in the living room (Completed 7.22.11)
40) Have Nick and I’s pictures taken professionally again (Completed 8.16.10)
41) Create pricing booklets
42) Fully integrate ShootQ into my business
43) Begin using SmugMugs for my picture hosting
44) Work on SEO for my Web site
45) Develop packaging for my products (Completed 4.20.10)
46) Join WPJA
47) Shoot my first maternity shoot (Completed 6.11.10)
48) Go to another photography workshop
49) Attend WPPI (Completed 2.20.10)
50) Post once a week on the forums I belong to for three months straight
51) Get inbox down to zero every day for three months’ straight
52) Create holiday card templates for clients to order
53) Introduce new line of guestbooks and albums
54) Read 12 business books in a year
55) Begin using Quickbooks
56) Implement client surveys to get their feedback on how I’m doing
57) Create Christmas ornaments for my past wedding clients of each year (12.23.10)
58) Second shoot a wedding with Melissa Jill
59) Second shoot a wedding with Tina Jay
60) Get letterpress business cards made (Completed 3.22.10)
61) Begin a client referral program
62) Hang a hammock up in the backyard (Completed 6.24.10)
63) Bake a pie. From scratch. (Completed 7.30.10)
64) Take a family vacation
65) Clean out my closet each year
66) Purchase the 35 1.4 lens (Completed 8.12.10)
67) Purchase a laptop (Completed 12.17.10)
68) Begin to offer slide shows at receptions for my clients
69) Keep a gratitude journal
70) Take a jewelry class
71) Read a classic novel (Completed 2.18.10)
72) Go fishing with Nick
73) Ride in a bike ride with Nick
74) Join PPA
75) Learn how to play cribbage (with Nick)
76) Throw a party for someone
77) Go to a taping of Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me in Chicago
78) Complete a Photoshop tutorial
79) Take pictures of my college campus (for myself)
80) Have my photography work published on a style/wedding blog (Completed 10.3.11)
81) Have my photography work published on a Web site
82) Begin fostering relationships with vendors I work with
83) Create a canvas from my work
84) Shoot a session for free
85) Take swimming lessons
86) Watch all 100 movies on AFI’s 100 Greatest American Movies list
87) Go to a fancy New Year’s Eve party (Completed 12.31.10)
88) Have a date night once a month with my husband for an entire year
89) Make a mix CD for a different friend every month for a year (Completed April 2010-April 2011)
90) Create a birthday list of family’s birthdays and send a card out to everyone for their birthday. On time (for a change).
91) Begin creating ShowIt +Sites for my clients
92) Organize my spice cabinet (can you tell I’m Type A?)
93) Flex my writing muscles and write a short story
94) Start a Tumblr account (Completed 2.11.10)
95) Memorize a song on the guitar, record it and share it (just for fun)
96) Discover the beauty in poetry
97) Go waterskiing (Completed 6.27.10)
98) Buy a really amazing chef’s knife and learn how to sharpen it myself
99) Watch the entire series of The Wire
100) Learn how to side braid my hair
101)