My Path to 101 in 1001

I love lists—just ask anyone who has ever worked with me. I especially like the little checkboxes I put on my handwritten lists. That feeling of accomplishment at checking something off as completed is one of life’s little pleasures. But I also like how lists can motivate, spur to action, and inspire us to work harder/do more.

Just over a year ago one of my fellow book clubbers blogged about creating a list of 101 things she wanted to accomplish in the next 1,001 days. Check out her original post here. I was immediately intrigued by the idea—one, because I love lists and two, I was feeling stagnant and thought this might be a way to energize my life and feel like I was actually accomplishing something. (A few years ago another friend and I started 30 by 30 lists—30 things we wanted to accomplish before we turned the big 3-0. My friend finished her 30x30 list and checked everything off and now has a much longer list that she’s working on. I never even finished CREATING my 30x30 list and have always felt a little bereft about that.)

I eventually asked my friend to send me the spreadsheet template she was using for her 101 things…she immediately forwarded it, saying she was excited to see what my list included. That was 10 months ago! But, don’t get me wrong. I’ve been working on building my list for quite some time. 101 is A LOT of things! And since I started the list awhile ago, I’ve already completed some of the items...but I’m keeping them on the list! (And since it's my list, I can do this). Some things are deep, some cheesy, some practical, some crazy--ultimately it's not about the things, but about setting goals and watching how I'm able to accomplish them (and learning about myself at the same time). Keeping in mind that I define the list (and it does not define me), I reserve the right to take things off/add things on as I deem appropriate!

So what’s my current status? 993 days remaining, 9% of tasks completed, and 3% of tasks in progress. And since #13 is complete (Start a personal blog), only 92 tasks to go!