I’ve always loved setting goals and working towards achieving them. I read somewhere that setting goals creates the same feel-good chemical response in the brain that people get from exercise or chocolate, and I believe it.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that I stumbled across Day Zero Project, an online goal-setting website. (http://dayzeroproject.com/)
The basic premise is to create a list of 101 goals to complete in 1001 days, which is just shy of 3 years. The online website allows you to track your progress on the list, gives you a progress bar, allows you to add notes or pictures to various goals to keep track of them.
101 goals is definitely a lot. The first time I created a list in 2012, I probably came up with about 60 on my own. The great thing about the site is that it gives tons of goal ideas that people can add to their own lists. It even breaks down the goal ideas by category under the tags feature (http://dayzeroproject.com/tags/).
A few benefits I received from this site:

• It forced me to think about long-term and short-term goals. When you’re trying to come up with 101 goals and have the span of almost 3 years, it forces you to think beyond the next couple months.
• In order to reach 101, I had to go outside my comfort zone. Running a half marathon was one of my initial goals on my 2012 list. I might never have attempted this type of race if I hadn’t put it down on my list.
• Having 101 goals made me infuse more balance into my life. Before Day Zero Project, I had an unhealthy fixation on my weight. I sidelined a lot of other important aspects of my life in pursuit of a smaller body. When I made my Day Zero Project list, I had some health and fitness related goals, but I also had travel goals, family and relationship goals, financial goals, writing goals, self-development goals… I grew more between 2012 and 2014 than I did in my previous 22 years of life combined. This list of goals contributed a lot to my growth.

For anyone who’s even mildly intrigued by this idea, I would encourage them to give it a shot. Coming up with 101 goals might seem daunting, but the site makes it a fun experience. Even if you don’t reach all 101 goals, it’s still going to be a great time. The first time I made my list, I only reached about 70, but I’m sure I wouldn’t have achieved half of those goals if I hadn’t made the list in the first place.
By: Kayla Van Egdom