The FULL List

Start date: November 6, 2008
End date: August 12, 2011

1. Donate something (goods, money, time) to a different charity each month (0/33)
2. Make a list of 25 things I like about myself, and 25 things I want to improve about myself. Keep it in my purse to look at on days when I’m feeling low or inspired to change.
3. Read 50 of the books on my ever-growing bookshelf before I purchase any more (though I can still trade books, accept them from people giving them to me, or use gift cards…because those things expire, you know!) (0/50)
4. Write at least 36 articles on Helium.com (that’s a little over 1 article per month of my challenge). The one article I’ve written on there is the top-rated in its category, but it has been nearly a year, and I haven’t written any more. I won’t be afraid! (0/36)
5. Write at least 2 short stories. Even if no one reads them. (0/2)
6. Submit at least 5 pieces of writing for publication or a contest (0/5)
7. Learn to drive a stick shift
8. Try at least 3 different kinds of cuisine I’ve never eaten before. (0/3)
9. Take at least 10 cooking classes. (0/10)
10. Learn to be unafraid of expressing my opinion, even if someone else doesn’t agree with me. What I think and feel counts for something too!
11. Find a job that challenges me intellectually, creatively, socially, and emotionally.
12. Read 10 of the classics that have been gathering dust on my bookshelf: The Grapes of Wrath, Gone With the Wind, The Fountainhead, Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, O Pioneers, The Good Earth, All the King’s Men, The Big Sleep, and To Kill A Mockingbird (ok, so TKAM is my favorite book ever, but it’s worthy of being read again!) (0/10)
13. Embrace my natural hair color! Salon blonde is becoming way too expensive and too much upkeep. I’d rather use the money for something else! But this doesn’t mean I can’t splurge on great salon haircuts (they’re cheaper than highlights!) ;)
14. Put at least $10/month in my piggy bank. Use the money for something special.
15. Declutter – my closet, my kitchen, my office, my son’s closet, my attic, my car. Donate what I don’t use to charity (see #1)
16. Institute a new shopping policy: If I want something, I must wait 1 week. I must ask how it fits into my life. If I still want/need/can’t stop thinking about it after one week, I can purchase.
17. No impulse purchases exceeding the amount of cash in my wallet. If I have to debit it, I have to think about it first.
18. Find a signature fragrance that I love to wear. Every woman needs a signature scent!
19. Find an attractive, stylish, functional purse that I love and can carry everywhere. Get rid of all the other purses cluttering my closet! (See #15)
20. Attend a play
21. Attend a ballet
22. Attend a symphony concert
23. Attend a rock concert (and dance like no one’s watching me!)
24. Attend a free arts event
25. Learn to do 50 pushups on my toes without stopping. So far I’m only up to 25
26. Spend more time with my grandparents. They are amazing, and I’m lucky to still have them here.
27. Visit 5 historical monuments. Pay attention to the tour guide/museum placards/brochures. Learn something from the experience. (0/5)
28. Compete in a race – 5K, triathlon, 10K, biking event, whatever. Train properly for it. Cross the finish line.
29. Visit at least 5 museums. Doesn’t matter what kind. Take my son with me so he can see all kinds of new, interesting, and fascinating things. (0/5)
30. Take an interest in our finances. Know to the penny how much we have in our checking account. Take responsibility for paying bills and helping to pay debt.
31. Buy stock in something. Research it, and make an informed decision.
32. Increase my contribution to my retirement fund. Put in the max that I can afford. Investing in myself and my future is important!
33. Take more pictures. Actually get in front of the camera, too!
34. Volunteer.
35. I will reach out to someone I don’t know who looks like they need help – directions, advice, or just someone to talk to. Sometimes we all need someone wiling to help us.
36. Remember peoples’ birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. Send them a card or email, or call them. It’s nice to be remembered.
37. Give one sincere compliment every day. Sincere being I very genuinely mean it - I'm not just giving a compliment in return for one.
38. Learn to accept a compliment. Even if it's just saying "Thank You.”
39. Read two nonfiction books. Broaden my literary horizons! (0/2)
40. Learn to look people in the eye when I talk to them. My childhood shyness always takes over…I get intimidated by looking people in the eyes. So I never do. Time to change that!
41. Go see a professional, major-league sporting event – baseball, hockey, basketball, doesn’t matter.
42. Visit a foreign country. Even if I just step over the border. I have a passport, but I’ve never used it. High time I did!
43. Eat at a well-known, raved-about, starred restaurant.
44. Learn about another culture from someone who is a part of that culture. Ask lots of questions, and really try to understand.
45. Do something physically adventurous – white water rafting, hiking, mountain climbing, cave diving…you get the idea.
46. Take my parents out to dinner. They’ve done a lot for me, and often I take it for granted.
47. Host a fancy dinner party. I’ve always wanted to. And after all those cooking classes I’m going to be taking (see #9), the food will probably be pretty good!
48. Spend a weekend in New York City.
49. See a Broadway show.
50. Buy a really nice matching bra and underwear. Even if no one else (well, aside from my husband) sees them, I’ll know they’re there. And good undergarments make your clothes look better anyway!
51. Buy at least one nice piece of furniture for my house. On my list of possibilities: a buffet/wine cabinet for my dining room, a headboard/footboard for my bed, a new sofa.
52. Buy at least one big-ticket appliance for my house. On that list of possibilities: a refrigerator, a range, a washer/dryer. Make sure the new appliance is an Energy Star appliance.
53. Make a will. It’s scary, and morbid, and not pleasant to think about, but I have a child now, so I have to.
54. Make at least one environmentally-friendly alteration to my house.
55. Make at least one home improvement without asking for my husband’s help (though I will probably get his advice, solicited or not).
56. Buy something ridiculously expensive for myself. Because I deserve it. And I saved my pennies so I could afford it (see #14). And thought about it for at least a week before I bought it (see #16).
57. See at least 5 of the top-rated movies on IMDB’s list that I’ve never seen before (just for the record, I’ve only seen 31 of these). I will watch these movies undistracted (i.e. no book/magazine), with the volume up.
58. Read/watch/listen to the news every day. Because I get too caught up in my own life sometimes to stop and listen to what’s going on in the world.
59. Say “No” more often. I can’t please everybody. They’ll just have to deal!
60. Have a long conversation with a total stranger.
61. Kick my soda habit for good! I’m down to one a week now. I’d love to be down to none at all.
62. Rid my house of every non-eco-friendly cleaning product that’s left.
63. Plant a tree.
64. Stop caring so much about what people think of me. Do something to really prove to myself that I don’t care.
65. Go on a date with my husband at least once a month. Go on a “date” with my son at least twice a month. (0/33, 0/66)
66. Get a real, professional massage.
67. Make a new friend.
68. Keep in better touch with my old friends.
69. Take a “girls only” road trip with my mom.
70. Get rid of 101 things in my house that I don’t need (0/101)
71. Read the book Twilight, since everyone is making such a fuss about it.
72. Visit a new state
73. Organize a girls’ night and go have fun!
74. Complete an entire newspaper crossword puzzle by myself – no help!
75. Visit a fortune teller or a palm-reader (just because I’ve always been curious)
76. Go wine tasting
77. Try 10 new restaurants in my area (0/10)
78. Be on television!
79. Go see a comedy show
80. Host a game night
81. Make Thanksgiving dinner for my entire family
82. Buy a Christmas present for a child in need
83. Make one day per month TV free (0/33)
84. Make one day per month Internet free (0/33)
85. Expand my garden to grow more veggies and herbs
86. Bake a cake from scratch for a special occasion
87. Go to a vintage car race with my husband
88. Go to a formal event. Buy a pretty dress for the occasion.
89. Donate blood
90. Take a ballroom dance class
91. Surprise at least 5 people with something that makes me think of them (0/5)
92. Take my son to Wake Forest, so he can see where Mommy went to school
93. Build a snowman with my son
94. Do something kind for a stranger
95. Teach someone how to do something new
96. Go running on the beach
97. Surprise my husband with a full homemade dinner (including bread and dessert)
98. Organize my photographs.
99. Put $1 for each goal accomplished within 1001 days into my piggy bank
100. Donate $5 for each goal not accomplished within 1001 days to a worthy cause
101. Make a new 101 list when this one’s done!

And I'm off!