108 in 2008!

Well, here it is for everyone to see (I feel a bit nekkid). I respond really well to peer pressure, so the best way for me to accomplish my goals is to make them known to others. With that said, here's a list of 108 awesome goals for 2008. I tried to make them things that are actually do-able (with the possible exception of #52). I also respond strongly to people telling me there's something I can't do, so let me know if you think there's one of these that I'll never do, and I'll be sure to do that first.

As I was putting this together, I realized that many of these objectives began with "try to" or "attempt". Wondering why I would be so indefinite and lame with my aspirations, I immediately changed them all to be more inescapable. Like Yoda said, "there is no try, only do".

Those of you who know me may notice at least one very big goal missing from this list. What you're thinking of is less of a goal and more of a life-awesomating choice. There will be entire blog entries dedicated to that when it happens! Oh, the anticipation! I also may want to get a dog in 2008, but didn't want to put that on the list. I'd hate for some wonderful pooch to feel slighted because that was the thing I didn't get around to.

I'll update my blog as I cross these off the list. Feel free to throw random numbers between 1 and 108 at me with a loving push to "get on it, already!".

1. Lead a photo workshop project
2. Blog every day for a month
3. Re-start my 365 (photo a day) project
4. Give time to a volunteer / charitable organization
5. Get info on having a booth at a bridal expo and attend one to check it out
6. Learn Spanish and take a trip to Mexico
7. Have Dad teach me how to change the oil in my car
8. Make more connections with other wedding vendors (links for blog)
9. Call one of my friends once a week just to say “hi” and chat
10. Read the news every morning
11. Clean up my email inbox and external hard drive
12. Organize/clean all my closets
13. Go to yoga at least once a week for two months
14. Take a new class at the gym
15. Donate old clothes, shoes, stuff
16. Get our panoramic wedding photo framed and hung
17. Attend a big photo convention (WPPI, DWF, etc)
18. Invent something
19. Second shoot for a photographer I admire
20. Take a road trip to Graceland
21. Get in good enough shape to fit into my “i have a dream” clothes
22. Throw a surprise party for someone
23. Put together a book of my experimental photos
24. Take more “just for fun” photos with a point-and-shoot
25. Cook using a new recipe once a week for a month
26. Do something nice for someone anonymously
27. Spend an entire day watching movies
28. Initiate my photo/story project
29. Learn how to plant and not kill a garden (flowers, herbs, veggies)
30. Research and practice styles/techniques of photography I don’t
typically do (landscapes, studio set-ups)
31. Take another photo class/workshop
32. Read a book a month for 6 months
33. Brush up on the geography I’ve forgotten since school
34. Read three books that are business-related
35. Take good photos of my parents and mom-in-law
36. Fix the big pile of clothes that need re-hemming or buttons sewn
37. Design new business and comp cards
38. Go through all the kitchen cabinets, organize, and donate or
discard stuff we don’t need
39. Design a coupon to mail to clients
40. Order custom labels with my logo and “thank you”
41. Take a ballroom dance class
42. Start swimming at the Y and learn to do a good flip turn
43. Invite a couple friends over for brunch, tea and conversation
44. Start new practices to be more “green”
45. Visit a local photography gallery
46. Write a song
47. Write a letter to a friend to tell them why they’re important to me
48. Visit a relative I don’t see often
49. Take better care of my raggedy fingernails
50. Scope out more cool locations for photo shoots
51. Learn to drive a stick shift
52. Use the word “awesome” less often
53. Organize my recipe drawer
54. Clean out my car
55. Experiment with techniques that are outside the realm of
“technically correct” to see what kind of unique effects I can get
55. Have more face-to-face meetings with other vendors in the biz
56. Paint a mural or something interesting on one of the walls in our
house
57. Spend a month taking family portraits at the beach
58. Create color address labels with logo
59. Make a new vegan dish once a month
60. Come up with something new for my clients that other photographers don’t offer
61. Teach a photography workshop for kids (w/ exhibit at end)
62. Get back to practicing the guitar (before doing #49)
63. Figure out creative ways to cut back on spending
64. Teach my Dad how to use Photoshop, Lightroom, etc
65. Help Dad archive old family slides digitally
66. Find a way to advertise to people who want cool portraits for dating websites
67. Take classy/edgy nude shots of someone
68. Take “light painting” photos
69. Attend a class on html
70. Learn one new Photoshop trick a month
71. Give up all refined sugars for a week
72. Drink more tea instead of coffee
73. Start taking vitamins every day
74. Rent a piece of photo equipment I haven’t used yet and try it out
75. Visit Melanie in Athens and take some photos of Owen
76. Turn my computer room into a spiffy meeting room for my clients
77. Don’t watch TV for a month
78. Get a funky haircut
79. Read books to improve my vocabulary
80. Take a trip to Canada
81. Design/offer gift certificates for clients
82. Start a journal (on actual paper) for thoughts, scribbles, anything
83. Instead of driving, walk or ride my bike more often to get around
84. At a wedding, have my second shooter do a “photo booth” set-up
85. Create a yummy/healthy smoothie recipe to have in the mornings
86. Once a month, write a blog entry about someone I know and the cool things they do
(Mary’s films, Matt’s improv workshops, etc)
87. Meditate for a few minutes each day
88. Do all the planning for a fun date with Matt
89. Re-learn to play chess
90. Go through my magazine clip file and throw out ones I don’t want
91. Find a local place that recycles magazines and drop off “the pile”
92. Learn how to knit from mom
93. Completely re-design my website
94. Have someone take decent pics of me for my website
95. Attend more PUG meetings
96. Start an album of the pics Matt & I take on our anniversary
97. Post some pics and info on some of the buhzillion forums I’m on
98. Take some more portraits of pets and add section to website
99. Sell my hand-made cards (on etsy, in local shops, etc)
100. Go on more photo road trips with Matt
101. Take a series of abstract shots (for small canvas prints to hang)
102. Design a cool symbol to add to my logo
103. Have a photography meeting with Dave
104. Save my layout templates in P-shop
105. Update my recommended vendors list
106. Print labels with favorite quotes
107. Convert multiple shots into a panoramic image
108. Live my life so that the phrase “what if” isn’t necessary