mission 101 results
Today is the last of the 1001 days I took to work on my original Mission 101 list, so I've been reflecting.
Bolded goals are ones I accomplished.
Social
001. Get back in touch with my high school friends and see them when I’m home
002. Hang out with each of my in-town friends at least once a month
003. Write the stories I promised my family members several Christmases ago
004. E-mail home every two weeks
005. Say yes if I’m invited to do something and I’m available
006. Organize Mums’s photographs
007. Write Ruth at least once a month
008. Join a club
009. Get off the computer if I’m not on it for a specific reason
010. Be more open with Nathan about how I’m feeling
011. Read/watch everything on Daddoo's list
012. Make the art project I planned for Nathan
Health
013. Work out 2-3 times a week
014. Stop biting my fingernails and cuticles
015. Floss every night, including the teeth with the permanent retainer
016. Wear my removable retainers at least once a week, more often if they’re tight
017. Eat a fruit or vegetable every day
018. Get regular massages
019. Change birth control methods
020. Do stretches every day until I can touch my toes
021. Drink more water
022. Do yoga
Education
023. Learn some web design and HTML
024. Finish essays a day before they’re due
025. Type up some notes after each class to use as study material for tests
026. Learn to make coffee
027. Take Japanese classes
028. Practice my German by reading novels and watching movies in the language
029. Sign up for the editing professional sequence w/ the UC Berkeley extension program
030. Learn to read runes
031. Finish all the books I started once, then put down and forgot to finish:
-Moby Dick
-The Picture of Dorian Gray
-Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
-Fragile Things
-King Henry V
-The Tempest
032. Read the books that are on my yet-to-read list:
-Heart of Darkness
-Dhalgren
-The Sound and the Fury
-Ulysses
-Mrs. Dalloway
-Othello
-2001: A Space Odyssey
033. Start re-learning Spanish
034. Read the Bible all the way through
035. Learn to recognize some more constellations
036. Read or listen to the news
037. Graduate university with better than a 3.5 and no extra time
038. Learn to identify all the beach birds near my house
Financial
039. Save 10% of every paycheck
040. Keep track of the money I spend
041. Stop buying things impulsively
042. Pay the insurance on my truck myself
043. Find a job with health insurance benefits
Domestic/organizational
044. Move somewhere I can have pets
045. Adopt a kitten (or two) from the shelter
046. Stop leaving dirty dishes in the sink
047. Clean the house every weekend
048. Sweep the kitchen after dinner each night
049. Get rid of my clutter - paperwork, internet accounts, old clothing, etc.
050. Give away stuff I don’t want via Craigslist
051. Make a little more effort with my appearance
052. Cut my hair short
053. Figure out how to make my hair not frizzy
054. Back up the data on my computer
055. Move out of my mom’s house permanently
056. Rig my laptop so it will connect to the TV
057. Fix my old laptop
058. Make an album (or two) of all my photographs
059. Take my truck in for oil changes on time
060. Clean the truck out well every six months or so
New experiences
061. Travel to some other country in North or South America
062. Volunteer at the SPCA
063. (personal)
064. Enter a creative writing contest
065. See the Northern Lights
066. Go to a con in costume
067. Go to a ren faire in costume
068. Ride the Big Dipper 15 times in a row
069. Finish a Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle
070. Burn old schoolwork in a beach bonfire
071. Send something to Post Secret
072. Glue some chess pieces to a board and take an XKCD-style roller-coaster action shot
073. Go snowboarding
Recreational
074. Start riding lessons again, preferably cross-country jumping
075. Knit the binary scarf
076. Write in my journal 4-5 times a week
077. Play or sing in a musical group again
078. Beat Mario with minimal cheating
079. Finish all of Kenshin
080. Finish all of Bleach
081. Finish all of Soul Eater
082. Take a picture of myself every day for a year
083. Write a new poem on Daddoo’s memorial bench
084. Make banoffee pie
085. Dress up as all the Village People at once for Halloween
086. Make a dress out of old ties
087. Go for walks on the beach more often
088. Get my flight certificate renewed
089. Plant a garden and grow some of my own food
090. Get a new bike
091. Practice my flute regularly
092. Get a telescope and look at stars
093. Watch a meteor shower from the roof
094. Play my bass more
095. Make a Star Trek skant uniform
096. Keep a creative writing journal
097. Keep a dream journal
098. Watch every episode of Studio 60
099. Have a picnic in Golden Gate Park
100. Go stargazing in the mountains
101. Build a fort in Upper Campus
I accomplished a little over 50% of my goals, which I think is pretty good. A lot of the things I originally put on my list dropped off my radar as priorities, or lost my interest as the days wore on. Although I hope that I can get to full completion on my next list, I don't feel like this venture was at all a failure. But in many ways, looking back on how my life has changed during the past 1001 days is humbling.
At the beginning of this mission, I was twenty-one. I was still a student, living with my boyfriend right across the street from the beach, working part time for the university as an online course editor. I had such grand plans for life after graduation--I imagined myself moving away with Nathan, going up to Oregon to pursue flight training or freelance editing or something, getting a couple of cats and setting up an independent life. My health was good, I was learning and doing things I enjoyed, and I was surrounded by good friends.
I'm twenty-four now. Within the past 1001 days, I received my bachelor's degree and my professional certificate in editing, found myself a job (enjoyable, if poorly paid), crashed my car, got a cat, joined an orchestra, made several great new friends, started and stopped a few prescriptions, broke a rib (probably), cut my hair, went to Comic Con, discovered Pokémon, and took a Scot on a road trip. The mission inspired me to rediscover several things I used to love, to pursue interests I might not otherwise have pursued, and to connect with both old friends and new, which has all been wonderful and good for me. But at the same time, my health began to decline, thanks in large part to anxiety and depression; I've only just started getting it back under control, and it gave me a very bad year and a half. And now that the mission is over, I find myself recently single and still living at home with my family, unable to even afford my own place.
I don't know who was the better woman--the twenty-one-year-old or the one I am now. Certainly I was happier back then, and healthier, and more hopeful. But I'm smarter now, more experienced, and more independent, even if I still live with my mom (at least it's not in her basement). I've gone forward in some ways and backward in others. It's a little discouraging.
All the same, I plan to start a new mission tomorrow. By the time that one's over, I'll be twenty-seven. I wonder where I'll be then?
Bolded goals are ones I accomplished.
Social
001. Get back in touch with my high school friends and see them when I’m home
002. Hang out with each of my in-town friends at least once a month
003. Write the stories I promised my family members several Christmases ago
004. E-mail home every two weeks
005. Say yes if I’m invited to do something and I’m available
006. Organize Mums’s photographs
007. Write Ruth at least once a month
008. Join a club
009. Get off the computer if I’m not on it for a specific reason
010. Be more open with Nathan about how I’m feeling
011. Read/watch everything on Daddoo's list
012. Make the art project I planned for Nathan
Health
013. Work out 2-3 times a week
014. Stop biting my fingernails and cuticles
015. Floss every night, including the teeth with the permanent retainer
016. Wear my removable retainers at least once a week, more often if they’re tight
017. Eat a fruit or vegetable every day
018. Get regular massages
019. Change birth control methods
020. Do stretches every day until I can touch my toes
021. Drink more water
022. Do yoga
Education
023. Learn some web design and HTML
024. Finish essays a day before they’re due
025. Type up some notes after each class to use as study material for tests
026. Learn to make coffee
027. Take Japanese classes
028. Practice my German by reading novels and watching movies in the language
029. Sign up for the editing professional sequence w/ the UC Berkeley extension program
030. Learn to read runes
031. Finish all the books I started once, then put down and forgot to finish:
-Moby Dick
-The Picture of Dorian Gray
-Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
-Fragile Things
-King Henry V
-The Tempest
032. Read the books that are on my yet-to-read list:
-Heart of Darkness
-Dhalgren
-The Sound and the Fury
-Ulysses
-Mrs. Dalloway
-Othello
-2001: A Space Odyssey
033. Start re-learning Spanish
034. Read the Bible all the way through
035. Learn to recognize some more constellations
036. Read or listen to the news
037. Graduate university with better than a 3.5 and no extra time
038. Learn to identify all the beach birds near my house
Financial
039. Save 10% of every paycheck
040. Keep track of the money I spend
041. Stop buying things impulsively
042. Pay the insurance on my truck myself
043. Find a job with health insurance benefits
Domestic/organizational
044. Move somewhere I can have pets
045. Adopt a kitten (or two) from the shelter
046. Stop leaving dirty dishes in the sink
047. Clean the house every weekend
048. Sweep the kitchen after dinner each night
049. Get rid of my clutter - paperwork, internet accounts, old clothing, etc.
050. Give away stuff I don’t want via Craigslist
051. Make a little more effort with my appearance
052. Cut my hair short
053. Figure out how to make my hair not frizzy
054. Back up the data on my computer
055. Move out of my mom’s house permanently
056. Rig my laptop so it will connect to the TV
057. Fix my old laptop
058. Make an album (or two) of all my photographs
059. Take my truck in for oil changes on time
060. Clean the truck out well every six months or so
New experiences
061. Travel to some other country in North or South America
062. Volunteer at the SPCA
063. (personal)
064. Enter a creative writing contest
065. See the Northern Lights
066. Go to a con in costume
067. Go to a ren faire in costume
068. Ride the Big Dipper 15 times in a row
069. Finish a Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle
070. Burn old schoolwork in a beach bonfire
071. Send something to Post Secret
072. Glue some chess pieces to a board and take an XKCD-style roller-coaster action shot
073. Go snowboarding
Recreational
074. Start riding lessons again, preferably cross-country jumping
075. Knit the binary scarf
076. Write in my journal 4-5 times a week
077. Play or sing in a musical group again
078. Beat Mario with minimal cheating
079. Finish all of Kenshin
080. Finish all of Bleach
081. Finish all of Soul Eater
082. Take a picture of myself every day for a year
083. Write a new poem on Daddoo’s memorial bench
084. Make banoffee pie
085. Dress up as all the Village People at once for Halloween
086. Make a dress out of old ties
087. Go for walks on the beach more often
088. Get my flight certificate renewed
089. Plant a garden and grow some of my own food
090. Get a new bike
091. Practice my flute regularly
092. Get a telescope and look at stars
093. Watch a meteor shower from the roof
094. Play my bass more
095. Make a Star Trek skant uniform
096. Keep a creative writing journal
097. Keep a dream journal
098. Watch every episode of Studio 60
099. Have a picnic in Golden Gate Park
100. Go stargazing in the mountains
101. Build a fort in Upper Campus
I accomplished a little over 50% of my goals, which I think is pretty good. A lot of the things I originally put on my list dropped off my radar as priorities, or lost my interest as the days wore on. Although I hope that I can get to full completion on my next list, I don't feel like this venture was at all a failure. But in many ways, looking back on how my life has changed during the past 1001 days is humbling.
At the beginning of this mission, I was twenty-one. I was still a student, living with my boyfriend right across the street from the beach, working part time for the university as an online course editor. I had such grand plans for life after graduation--I imagined myself moving away with Nathan, going up to Oregon to pursue flight training or freelance editing or something, getting a couple of cats and setting up an independent life. My health was good, I was learning and doing things I enjoyed, and I was surrounded by good friends.
I'm twenty-four now. Within the past 1001 days, I received my bachelor's degree and my professional certificate in editing, found myself a job (enjoyable, if poorly paid), crashed my car, got a cat, joined an orchestra, made several great new friends, started and stopped a few prescriptions, broke a rib (probably), cut my hair, went to Comic Con, discovered Pokémon, and took a Scot on a road trip. The mission inspired me to rediscover several things I used to love, to pursue interests I might not otherwise have pursued, and to connect with both old friends and new, which has all been wonderful and good for me. But at the same time, my health began to decline, thanks in large part to anxiety and depression; I've only just started getting it back under control, and it gave me a very bad year and a half. And now that the mission is over, I find myself recently single and still living at home with my family, unable to even afford my own place.
I don't know who was the better woman--the twenty-one-year-old or the one I am now. Certainly I was happier back then, and healthier, and more hopeful. But I'm smarter now, more experienced, and more independent, even if I still live with my mom (at least it's not in her basement). I've gone forward in some ways and backward in others. It's a little discouraging.
All the same, I plan to start a new mission tomorrow. By the time that one's over, I'll be twenty-seven. I wonder where I'll be then?