101 goals in 1001 days

Unless you are a johnny-come-lately like myself, you are probably well aware of the Day Zero Project's "101 goals in 1001 days." These lists are all over the blogosphere. I discovered this brilliant idea from Suki, of [Super Duper Fantastic]. Simply put, 101 goals in 1001 days is a list of "SMART" goals. What are "SMART" goals, you say?

"SMART" is a mnemonic device to help the goal-setter create specific, measurable, achievable, rewarding, trackable goals. Day Zero recommends the deadline of 1001 days, because "The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks."

Call it irony or call it fate, but by starting my 101 goals in 1001 days today, my deadline is March 31, 2012, exactly one week after my thirty-fifth birthday. Also known as a major milestone in my life.

Please join me on my journey to complete, and blog about, the 101 goals I hope to achieve before my milestone birthday. Without further ado, here are my goals:

Adopt a dog
Adopt a Solider
Attend mass every Sunday until my 35th birthday (Bonus pts: Holy Days)
Bake a loaf of bread the old-fashioned way.
Be inspired daily--document source of inspiration.
Become a non-practicing smoker
Become a UN Goodwill Ambassador
Buy a compass
Buy a sewing machine and use it to make 35 projects
Buy a stock
Buy my own domain
Buy myself flowers 35 times.
Carry a totem.
Celebrate a personal victory with a bottle of Champagne
Collect 1001 lost coins. Document discovery.
Compliment 35 people, in writing, for their accomplishment.
Create a portfolio of 35 things showcasing my creativity.
Create a sanctuary.
Create an exercise routine and commit to it.
Create my own "School of Athens" with 35 teachers
Design a signature menu and master it.
Discover or create the perfect tomato sauce.
Drink 1001 cups of tea.
Eat vegan for 35 consecutive days.
Enter a competition: a race, a writing contest, a bake-off, etc.
Feed 35 people
Feed the birds
Find a classical musician that I adore--learn all about him.
Find one beautiful thing about each day. Document discovery.
Finish college
Fly a kite
Get 5 facials from a professional
Get a percent body fat of 23%
Get certified in CPR and the Hemlich.
Give blood.
Give myself 35 facials.
Go horse back riding
Go on an audition--extra and background work counts.
Go one 35 trips to a museum
Go to an opera
Go to the dentist.
Have 1 friend who makes me laugh, 1 who lets me cry, 1 who will help me move
Have a boyfriend who reminds me of how far I’ve come
Have a job that I'm proud of and pays the bills
Have a solid start on a satisfying career
Have a wardrobe that reflects my style
Improve my posture
Knit a sweater
Learn how to select & apply make-up that compliments me.
Learn how to smile for the camera
Learn to say "please" and "Thank you" in 20 languages
Learn to speak French fluently with a flawless accent
Learn to surf
Learn when to try harder and when to walk away.
Live in SoCal for a year
Mail a postcard to PostSecret.
Make 35 Christmas decorations.
Make chocolates from scratch--start at roasting the cacao beans
Master eating with chop sticks
Meditate for 143 hours
Only eat meals I prepared from scratch for 35 consecutive days.
Open an Etsy shop
Organize a book club
Own a home
Own a luxurious monagramed spa robe
Own a pair of Loubutain's
Own a stocked tool kit & stocked medicine kit
Paint a picture, even if it's just a paint-by-number
Pick my own blueberries
Picnic 35 times. Even if it's in my back yard. Even if I'm alone.
Plant a garden
Play Roulette in Vegas.
Read 350 books
Read Dante's Divine Comedy
Read The Bible. Every chapter and verse.
Save $3500 to spend on March 23, 2012
See a show on Broadway
Send 101 thank-you notes
Sew a quilt.
Sleep under the stars.
Spend New Year's Eve in Times Square
Spend Thanksgiving serving meals at a soup kitchen.
Start a gratitude journal with 1001 things I am grateful for.
Start a retirement plan.
Submit 35 articles for publication
Take 1001 pictures
Take a pilates reformer class.
Take a ride in a hot air ballon
Take dance classes, preferrably ballet.
Visit a Native American reservation
Visit Costa Rica
Volunteer 143 hours
Wander for 1001 miles
Write 2 letters, 1 to myself & 1 to my husband, for our 1st wedding anniversary.
Write 35 poems
Write a letter to 35 people asking for their help with one thing on my list
Write a list of 101 things I have done--the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Write a list of 101 things to do before I die
Write my family tree
Write three novels