In 2006, I created a list of 101 preset goals to complete in 1001 days. This project is known as Day Zero. I completed the project in August 2009, but was far from accomplishing all of those goals. I was not able to complete many of these goals because they were not designed to be accomplish-able.
Good goals must be specific. I had a goal to work at a bank. When writing the goals list initially, I was assuming I would be working as a teller or some other position within the bank. I accomplished the goal without ever being hired by a bank because I did IT contracting and just so happened to deploy some PCs at a bank. Technically, I did work at a bank. So, the goal was accomplished because it wasn’t specific enough.
Good goals must be realistic. As much as I wanted to visit all 50 States, spend a night in Paris, and see the Berlin Wall in just 1001 days, it just was not possible. I could never complete those goals, unless I somehow won the lottery and didn’t need to work or go to school.
Good goals must be worth-while. As romantic as I thought it would be to lay in an intersection with the woman of my dreams, it does not help me grow as a person. It’s fun, sure, but most of the fun comes from the spontaneity of it. If it is a goal, it becomes something I have to do. I wasn’t motivated to accomplish this goal because it wasn’t worth-while.
Good goals must be measurable. I had one goal that I couldn’t complete because I did not know whether I had yet completed it. The goal was to become fairly fluent in Spanish. How can you determine that you have accomplished this goal? I never could so I never completed it.
I am working on starting a new Day Zero project. Most of the goals I am setting for myself are audacious. I am really going to challenge myself this time around. All posts relating to this project will be tagged with the zero day label. I am still looking into developing the best way to separate the content on my blog by topic.
Stay tuned for the list of goals and frequent posts on my progress!
Stay classy, fellow bloggers.