Hi, friends! Today I’d like to share with you an update of my 101 in 1001 goals. I accomplished a lot over the summer and can’t wait to share with you all the great progress I made while working in Houston. I’d also like to share with you some of the things I’ll be working on this upcoming semester. With the changing of seasons, you know it’s the prefect time to reevaluate priorities and to set sight on the goals that you want to achieve.
With my recent (quick) break from work and school, I had some time to think about what goals I wanted to work on this coming semester. I talked a little bit about it here, but this next month I will be focusing primarily on preparing for (and hopefully passing) my PhD qualifying exams. So most of my time will be spent on accomplishing that lofty goal, but there are a few other ones I’ll be trying to fit in a long the way to making sure my life remains as balanced as possible!
Let me know if you start a list of your own or if you are already in the midst of one. I’d love to keep each other accountable and hear how you are progressing! You can find my full updated list here and a list of all 101 in 1001 posts here.
Recently completed goals and/or recent progress:
8. Move 10,000 steps per day for one month. Whew! This goal was trickier to achieve than I initially imagined. You would think finding time to get 10,000 steps in a day would be a piece of cake, but as it turns out, it becomes much harder when you work at a desk job for 10 hours of the day (as was the case for me this summer). The key for me was making time to take a walk break outside every couple hours. NASA JSC has a really nice pond and is set up very similarly to a small college campus with lots of nice walkways and trees that making taking walk breaks a breeze (literally!). Over the course of the day, these little walk breaks added up and were vital to getting in my steps each day. Walk breaks are one of the best things I’ve found to clear my mind and keep me motivated throughout the challenges of a day as well! So there’s multiple benefits to taking a few minutes to move and soak up that sunshine!
12. Drink eight glasses of water per day for at least two weeks. This was another tough goal that I worked really hard at to achieve. The key to my success was making sure to bring a water bottle with me everywhere. And I mean everywhere! It was also helpful to set mid-day goals, like drinking a full Nalgene bottle by lunch and another one before I left work. Having those bench marks really helped to keep me on track throughout the day without feeling like I had to chug all 64 oz at once right before bed.
14. Eat the recommended serving of vegetables each day for one week. I talked about this goal extensively in this post on going plant-based. You can read all about my reasons for taking the leap and how it’s going there. So far though, I couldn’t be happier with eating more veggies on a daily basis!
40. Incorporate braids more often. I’ve finally begun to experiment more with braids and to use them as a part of my weekly routine–especially when hiking. I had so much fun trying out a fun crown braid while in Austin too!
57. Try five new foods. (16/5) As of my last update, I had completed this goal with flying colors. However, it turns out that I love trying new foods and so it didn’t stop there! Since then I’ve added the following new foods to my growing list–Pupusa, Tamale, traditional Ramen, Kouign-amann, Horchata, Octopus, Lamb, Creme Brulee, Polenta, Madeleines, and Mango Rice. I think it’s safe to say that trying new foods has become somewhat of a hobby of mine! 😛
70. Go to a Red Rocks concert with friends. – More to come on this later, but I LOVED going to the Greensky Bluegrass concert at Red Rocks a few weekends ago. The venue is stunning and I already can’t wait to get tickets for my next concert there! Dancing under the stars to live music?! Yes please.
76. Visit five National Parks. I’m so excited to share with you my adventures in three–yes THREE!– new National Parks I visited this summer. I’ve since added Zion, Bryce Canyon, and the Grand Canyon to my list of National Parks visited! Can you guess which one is my favorite so far?
87. Watch a sunset. I had the opportunity to watch the sunset at the James Turrell Skyspace at Rice University this summer. I’d highly recommend going if you are in the Houston area in the evening!
88. Watch a sunrise. While camping in southern Utah this summer, we went on a sunrise hike in Bryce Canyon. Not only were the colors of the sun and sky and clouds awe-inspiring, but the changing colors of the hoodoos there were like the lighting of the canyon on fire. It was stunningly beautiful and breathtaking.
92. See ten classic films. (3/10) I’ve been working my way through this one slowly but surely over the course of the summer. So far, I’ve watched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, An Affair to Remember, and The Seven Year Itch. What are you favorite classic films? I’d love to hear your recommendations!
94. Buy something at a flea market. I went to the Rice Village flea market last month and bought a beautifully hand-crafted necklace. And while my goal was to purchase something tangible at this market, I found something much more.
99. Volunteer once a month. (6/12) Volunteering is one of my greatest passions, especially when it involves working with students in STEM fields. Over the summer I had the opportunity to mentor high school students interested in working at NASA, as well as heading up the Graduate Student Group at NASA JSC and helping with the Outreach Committee for community involvement.I can’t wait to see what other opportunities come up this next semester!
Upcoming goals:
13. Take REC classes three times per week for three weeks. While this next month will be heavily focused on studying for my prelims, I think it will be equally important to fit in time for destressing and exercising. I’m convinced that going to Yoga and Pilates will help to ease my mind between long study sessions, while also helping to get my blood moving.
18. Find a practical daily routine. Along the same note, I’d love to find a daily routine that allows me to get in everything I need to do for the day–studying, working, exercising, and blogging–without sacrificing too much of my health and mental well-being. Gotta fit that sleep in at some point too! 😉
51. Throw out twenty things and do not replace them. I’m excited to be back in Colorado for so many reasons, the most surprising of which is to finally spend some time going through the last remaining boxes (from moving!) and get rid of a bunch of stuff. Turns out that when you move as much as I do, you accumulate a lot of those “catch-all” boxes that never seem to go away. I’d like to finish unpacking once and for all!
53. Unplug one day per week for one month. After unplugging for a full week in Utah, I can unequivocally see the benefits of getting back to nature and away from social media on my health and well-being. Unplugging and being present in my life and not filling every waking moment with social media or television needs to be a top priority for me this semester. And while my job and school mandate that I use a computer every day, I think that dedicating one day a week to unplug is definitely manageable!
89. Build a fort. Because why not?!
Updated Count: 32/101 goals in 447/1001 days
What about you? Have any goals you are focusing on in the upcoming months? I’d love to know!
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