101 in 1001 | Take 2

So, earlier last year, I finished my 101 in 1001 list. No, by finished I don't mean that I completed it, but more so that the 1,001 days had passed. And out of those 101 things, I completed a whopping 28.

Yep. Twenty. Eight. I failed, simple to say. Honestly, I was disappointed, but I realized that when I wrote the list back in 2014, I didn't really know what to write - and I created some weird, unrealistic goals - and some that looking back, I just knew I'd never accomplish.

We've all heard the saying that life is fragile and time is fleeting, but 2017 has really showed me that we have to live each day like it's our last, because we don't know if it will be. After some deaths in my family, and the death of my good friend Ben last year, I'm more determined than ever to live a life that's fulfilling. And so, I'm starting again.

I actually originally wrote this post in October, and I had spent all of September really thinking about the list and what I wanted to accomplish. And then, I took a blog break (unwillingly, cause of a crazy busy time at work). But, I started the list on time and kept at it, determined to make it through.

Some of the list is trivial, some is stupid and some really may not happen, but I committed these 1,001 days to making sure I do as many as possible.

STARTED October 20, 2017

ENDS July 17, 2020

July 17th, 2020 is one day before my 26th birthday, and so I'm ending this list the day before I start a new year and a new chapter in my life - so here's to hoping my early twenties treat me well and that when I start my late twenties (vom), I'll be 101 things greater!

PERSONAL: (4/20)

1. Come up with 101 things and write them down. (October 2017) 
2. Sort through my wardrobe, donate or throw away things I don't wear. 
3. Once a month after initial cleanse, donate at least 1 item. 
4. Read 30 new books – for fun! (September-December 2018, 35 books)
5. Learn how to do makeup professionally – take a course with a MUA!
6. Fall in love. 
7. Learn how to make five new recipes – and perfect them! 
8. Build up my closet full of all the basics. 
9. Pay for the person behind me in line. 
10. Have a New Year's Eve kiss. 
11. Get to my goal weight once and for all. 
12. Volunteer at and give back to my old school. 
13. Find a cause/charity I'm passionate about and give of my time (+ money). 
14. Invest in great pairs of jeans. (May 2018)
15. Re-decorate my space at home so it feels more "me". 
16. Do one thing that's totally out of character. (November 2017) 
17. Write a letter to myself to open on July 17, 2020, when my 101 in 1001 list is over. 
18. Create and stick to a budget and savings plan (+ build my savings account). 
19. Create a 5 and 10-year personal and career plan, and compare it to my freshman year of college Personal Success Plan. 
20. Inspire myself again.
    
    
    FAMILY + FRIENDS: (2/10)
21. Send 25 handwritten letters to friends or family. 
22. Interview my grandmother about her life and preserve her words. 
23. Give five 'just because' gifts. 
24. Send a surprise care package to a friend. 
25. Go on a trip with just my brothers – the only people in my fam I haven't travelled with. (April 2018, Florida) 
26. Go on a girls trip with each of my friend groups. (1/3: November 2018, Minkateers, St Lucia)
27. Go on a trip with my entire family. (December 2018)
28. Plan a trip with my blogger friends. 
29. Have my tita (grandmother) teach me how to make an Arabic dish. 
30. Send flowers to someone one day out of the blue.
    
    
    BLOG + BIZ: (3/20)
31. Unsubscribe from email lists I no longer want to be part of. (December 2018)
32. Start my own company.
33. Step into a more creative role for work. (February 2018)
34. Blog three times a week for three months.
35. Start a new blog series.
36. Re-design my blog.
37. Publish three "how to" posts on my blog.
38. Write at least one personal post a month.
39. Travel for the blog.
40. Build my blog email list.
41. Attend a blog conference.
42. Make the switch to Wordpress.
43. Be featured on a website I admire.
44. Write a book/e-book.
45. Build my name in the industry in T&T, and be known for my work.
46. Speak at a conference or panel discussion.
47. Create my dream office space.
48. Become an Editor in Chief of a magazine. (January 2019, MACO People) 
49. Be featured in a magazine.
50. Establish and stick to my editorial calendar.
    
    
    HEALTH + WELLNESS: (1/12)
51. Unplug for a full 24 hours - no iPhone, laptop, TV, etc.
52. Go to bed at 10 pm every night for two weeks.
53. Give up all sugar for a month.
54. Journal every day for an entire year.
55. Become a morning person.
56. Learn to play a new sport. (December 2017, squash)
57. Work out five days a week for three months.
58. Drink only water for three months.
59. Go one month without shopping.
60. Read for 30 minutes every night for one month.
61. Run a half-marathon.
62. Make my bed every morning for a month.
    
    
    EXPERIENCES: (6/23)
63. Go to a Taylor Swift concert. (best night of my life, May 2018)
64. Go to Italy.
65. Watch the sun rise and set in Hawaii.
66. Visit Charleston.
67. See a TED talk live.
68. Have a real Christmas tree. (December 2018)
69. Visit the West Coast/California. (May 2018)
70. Travel to a new continent.
71. Go to Disney World.
72. Attend a murder mystery party. (August 2018, Killing for the Crown)
73. Hike to 5 different waterfalls/sights in T&T.
74. Visit 5 other Caribbean islands. (2/5: Barbados, St. Lucia)
75. Go on a solo trip.
76. Play Carnival again. (February 2018)
77. Walk a red carpet.
78. Go skydiving.
79. Go on a real picnic.
80. Pop champagne off the top of a building.
81. Fly in a hot-air balloon.
82. Drive in a convertible with the top down.
83. Learn how to ride a bike.
84. Have a white Christmas. (December 2018)
85. Take a staycation.
    
    
    JUST FOR FUN: (1/16)
86. Learn sign language.
87. Buy an iMac.
88. Buy myself one expensive handbag I'm lusting after.
89. Learn how to dive.
90. Have a font of my handwriting made.
91. Create my own Lightroom presets.
92. Leave a 100% tip for great service.
93. Brush up on my calligraphy skills.
94. Design a collection or product for a company.
95. Design a section for a carnival band.
96. Plant a tree.
97. Send a message in a bottle.
98. See a shooting star. (October 2017, ddi on a clear night!)
99. Read the dictionary cover to cover.
100. Get my initials engraved on a beautiful leather notebook.
101. Hide a note inside a book in a library or bookstore.

COMPLETED: 17/101

Do you do your own 101 in 1001 list? What's on your list?