What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

I have to choose only one? Or is the purpose of this question perhaps to motivate a person into doing just that, as a way of prioritizing?

In that case, I suppose I would select finishing college. I’m coming up on my twentieth high school reunion (not this year, but soon) and in those twenty years that goal has never really quite gone away. There have been several times I’ve chosen not to go back or continue and there was a long period when college didn’t pass a cost-benefit analysis — I wasn’t at all certain I’d increase my income enough to offset the cost of student loan payments.

That last reason went away with my job at Intuit, and that fact is one of the larger reasons I finally decided to go ahead and do it. Life won’t be fun for me financially for the next three to five years, but I’m hoping to come out of it on the other side with a degree.

Money held me back, and I do worry about the student loan payments — but I believe that removing the higher income I’d had has given me a different outlook that may lead to a different outcome. I’ll know in a few years.

Project URL: http://sonria.org/project/101-in-1001

List: http://sonria.org/blog/2010/day-0-may-15-2010

I fell off the wagon this week, although there was a very good reason: a I got a job, at least for a little while. I actually already had accepted the offer when I made last week’s post, but I wanted to wait until I actually started before making any sort of announcement.

It’s an interesting place to work, and things seem to be going well, but it’s the first time I have worked the pre-8:00 shift since I was 22, which was longer ago than I care to talk about. Adding to the situation, my non-morning-person tendencies had asserted themselves even more strongly during five weeks of unemployment than they had at Intuit, where my base hours were 9-6. So, it’s been an adjustment — although certainly not an unwelcome one!

This being said, a reason is not the same as an excuse, and the reason I’m making a post with bad news is to give myself an incentive to follow up with good news next week.

21. Complete and post a three-item thankful list every day for 180 consecutive days.

Because I started the job, I will go ahead and give myself credit for this week even though I missed (and subsequently made up) two days. But I’m not going to allow myself to get away with it again.

97. Make one substantive blog post per week for 26 consecutive weeks.

I am not, however, going to let myself get away with missing this one due to the presence of WordPress’ delayed-posting feature. So, I’m resetting back to zero — again. This being said, I have a couple of ideas in mind for posts, and a day and a half of weekend left.

101. Post progress each Saturday.

It wasn’t exactly progress, but here’s the post.

Next Update: July 16, 2011

Project URL: http://sonria.org/project/101-in-1001

List: http://sonria.org/blog/2010/day-0-may-15-2010

I’m starting to run out of steam a little, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. That’s because, while I didn’t get much accomplished this week, I got a lot of groundwork laid. In other words, I should start posting some interesting updates starting as early as next week. Or so I hope…

21. Complete and post a three-item thankful list every day for 180 consecutive days.

I did get restarted after the reset I decided to do last week — and haven’t missed. So I’m now at six days.

36. Write a real letter, sent through postal mail, each month for 12 consecutive months.

Someone in my life is going to get a surprise fairly soon. <smile> And I get to advance this to two consecutive months now.

89. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind.

I posted the answer to #15 yesterday.

97. Make one substantive blog post per week for 26 consecutive weeks.

Despite running out of steam, I did meet this requirement, and not just with one or two posts either. This now takes me to six consecutive weeks.

101. Post progress each Saturday.

Here we go! On to next week…

Next Update: http://sonria.org/blog/2011/day-421-july-9-2011

“Are you planning to become a professional photographer?” he asked me.

“No,” I answered.

“Then why are you bothering?”

He had a pretty good point. Since the classes are continuing education and not qualified as “career training,” I’ve been paying for them out of my own pocket — and they are not cheap. Given that the purpose of taking them is really thus for my own entertainment and that I need to cut expenses thanks to my lack of income, it can seem foolish to keep paying for them.

To be fair to myself, I paid for this summer’s classes before I made the decision to leave Intuit. But I could have applied for a refund; the money would come in handy. I have my reasons for sticking with the certificate series, though.

• I’m almost done. After the classes I will be taking this summer, I will only need to complete one more class and my capstone project. I’ve already invested quite a bit of time and money into this, and I know myself well enough to know I’ll always regret giving up at a point when it wasn’t much further of a push.
• I have something to prove to myself. I’ve enrolled and then dropped out of educational programs three times since I finished my associate degree. I lost count of the number of times I dropped out before I finished it. I have a bad track record, and I want to prove to myself that I can overcome it.
• I’m not averse to professional sales. The fact that I’m not intending to make photography my life’s work doesn’t mean I’d turn down the opportunity for a sale. In an interesting coincidence, just after the conversation with my friend I got a text message from a non-profit asking about using one of my pictures. I was thrilled.
• I need a creative hobby. Since I’m getting ready to turn one of my other creative hobbies (writing) into a profession, I need to hang on to something that won’t eventually develop pressure behind it. Shooting on assignment isn’t the same as shooting for fun, and I’ll need a way to relax. I’ll enjoy it even more if I know more about doing it.
• I’ve already benefited professionally. Part of the reason I signed up for the first class was a “strong suggestion” from my then-supervisor. Without realizing it, I’d started putting too much of myself into my job, and it showed. He was right to push me into having something significant outside work; it improved my mental state which spilled back onto the job.
• I need to avoid isolation. Although I’m capable of interacting with others, at my core I’m extremely introverted and thus unlikely to do it for its own sake. That can, and has, led to unhealthy levels of isolation. Putting myself into a situation where I’d be throwing away money by avoiding classes gives me an incentive to keep that from happening.

Even while I was working, it often felt very “decadent” to be completing the certificate series. It’s the first time I’ve ever taken classes (except for the occasional day-class or brief workshop) just for the sake of taking classes, and possibly one of the largest amounts of money I’ve ever spent on something that is really rather frivolous.

But I’ve learned some important lessons. I’ve learned that it’s okay to do something for the sake of doing it, even if it means using more than a nominal level of my resources. I’ve learned that there’s something I really can do, and do well, that isn’t work- or career-related. And I’ve learned that it’s actually quite important for me to have something like this in my life.

It’s already been worth bothering. Finishing it will be too. That’s why I’m doing it.

Project URL: http://sonria.org/project/101-in-1001

List: http://sonria.org/blog/2010/day-0-may-15-2010

I’m a day late posting this, but it isn’t for lack of attention to the issue; rather, it’s apparently because of exhaustion. I had been attending a class yesterday during the day and after I got home, decided to take a short nap. I woke up about two hours ago (this particular post is being released real-time instead of on a delay). I don’t usually sleep that long so I must have needed it.

So, on the theory of “better late than never,” here’s the weekly update post for the Day Zero project. For the record, yesterday’s class was definitely worth the lost time and is going to have a positive effect on the blogging, so I’m not at all dissatisfied.

3. Complete two original cross-stitch samplers.

I finished up the design for one of them this week, and ordered the last couple of supplies I needed to actually do the sampler. They came in yesterday while I was in class. It’s a fairly simple design and shouldn’t take that long to make; it’s also not at all in keeping with my décor, so it’ll end up either sold or becoming a gift.

I also ran across gnatkip’s Internet sampler and I simply have to do that one — but, a little to my surprise, I found myself redesigning it to fit onto a smaller piece of fabric and be more personally meaningful. Given that it’s a redesign of an existing sampler, I haven’t decided if it will count as the second “original cross-stitch sampler” or not.

21. Complete and post a three-item thankful list every day for 180 consecutive days.

I completely forgot to do it on Wednesday and Friday of this week (although I attempted to make it up on Thursday). Then, last night, I simply didn’t get to it for the same reason I missed this post. I would have let myself off the hook for a single miss, but three misses in a single week? For that, I think I need to reset to zero and start over. It’s not like extra thankful lists are a bad idea.

90. Complete NaNoWriMo.

Let me just mention that yesterday’s class was on writing. :)

97. Make one substantive blog post per week for 26 consecutive weeks.

This past week makes week #5, which (I think) is the farthest I’ve made it so far. I had blank-page episode on Thursday night, though; I had no idea what to do next and my usual resources for sparking ideas failed. It continued through Friday, but yesterday during the lunch break I wrote out an entire page of ideas for BenefitsFringe — which I kept. I also had a few ideas spark for this blog. So, I think I’ll be able to keep going.

99. Write three original short stories.

I actually wrote an entire one in yesterday’s class — complete with beginning, middle and end. It was only one-and-a-half handwritten pages, though, and I’m not sure it was all that much of a story. It certainly wasn’t submittable. I also may end up folding it into this year’s NaNoWriMo project. So while I wrote a story this week, it remains to be seen whether or not it will count toward this item.

101. Post progress each Saturday.

I may have been a day late, but as you can see, I wasn’t a dollar short!

Next Update: http://sonria.org/blog/2011/day-414-july-2-2011

If you had to relocate to another city, what would you miss most about the place you’re leaving behind[?]

I wouldn’t miss Atlanta for Atlanta. It really hasn’t made all that unique of an impression on me. But I would miss some of the things I have in Atlanta, not all of which are tangible. Depending on where I was going, I might also miss a few things that aren’t specific to Atlanta but are specific to the geographic location.

This question hits a little close as I write this, because my “fall back position” if I run out of money during unemployment involves moving back to Raleigh. I don’t want to do that. The reason I’m trying not to do it is because I like the life I have here in Atlanta. Oh, it could be better — and I’m working to make it that way — but my house is here (and I’m loving home ownership) and my immediate educational plans involve schools in the metro.

It would also be something of a personal defeat. This is the first time I’ve really been completely on my own. People tell me I’ve already proven I can make it because I will get to the five-year mark in a couple of weeks, but time doesn’t always equal success.

So I’d miss living in Atlanta. But not really because of anything specific to Atlanta, beyond the fact that I’ve specific plans involving local locations. (There are schools in Raleigh, and in many other cities, where I could accomplish the same educational goals. There are also homes to buy practically everywhere.) I’d miss it because of what it’s meant.

Depending on where I went, I might also miss things that are actually more about the South, such as the climate and the local traditions. I’ve lived in the South almost all of my life, and there would be culture shock if I moved to a different geographic region. While I enjoy diversity and new experience, I do like having familiarity to fall back on when things get confusing.

(This being said, I’ve wondered if a couple of years in some place like California might do me some good. But that’s beside the point of this post, and I likely wouldn’t stay there permanently.)

Although I’ve been in Atlanta for a while and, if I get my wish, will be for a while longer, I don’t plan to live here for the rest of my life. Eventually there will come a time to move on, and while I don’t yet know where I’ll go, I’m pretty sure I already know how I’ll view my time spent here: as a good part of my life, but one I won’t really miss.

Project URL: http://sonria.org/project/101-in-1001

List: http://sonria.org/blog/2010/day-0-may-15-2010

It has been another long week, and there’s a bit of panic starting to nibble in. I’m still several weeks from really ending up in trouble, and I still know that I’m emotionally doing better than I would have if I hadn’t resigned my job. But I’m getting ready to pass the one-month mark, and that’s bothering me.

That being said, during this past week I finally started getting phone calls and even had one interview. So I have reason to be optimistic, and I’m trying to look at this period as a chance to get some serious work done on the Day Zero list as well.

21. Complete and post a three-item thankful list every day for 180 consecutive days.

I made it all seven days again this week, which takes me to a total of 26 days now.

83. Donate 100,000 grains of rice at FreeRice.com.

I picked up another 2,000 grains this week, and discovered that I’m not as good at English vocabulary as I thought I was. Time to study up!

89. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind.

I answered #14 this week. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am going to slow these down a little bit now. I’m aiming for the next one around July 1.

97. Make one substantive blog post per week for 26 consecutive weeks.

Another week down. I’m now at four consecutive weeks, and still staying ahead of myself by using the delay feature. BenefitsFringe (where I’m posting twice a week right now, and considering going to three times a week) is starting to find its feet.

101. Post progress each Saturday.

Here we go!

There were signs this week that I’ll soon be starting to update other items. I’m doing some more photography work now and tentatively hoping to do a shoot this next week. I also am cutting back on more expensive entertainment, which has led to more cooking as well as to me pulling my cross-stitch supplies back out.

Today marks the 40% mark of the Day Zero project (wow, it seems time has flown). Let’s see what I manage to do over the next 60%!

Next Update: http://sonria.org/blog/2011/day-408-june-26-2011

Right now, I am looking for another job — full-time (although I’m not ruling out two part-time jobs or something similar). My ideal job would be a clerical or specialist level position in a human resources department. It’s a bit of a step back in terms of career movement, but I have two reasons for seeking this particular function:

1. I’ve been gone from the human resources field long enough that I think it’ll be better if I start at entry-level again. The advantage to a potential employer is that I’ll have a much shorter learning curve than someone who’s truly new to the field. The advantage to me is that, having exited for a while, I’m coming back in with a much clearer idea of my goals.
2. I’d prefer hourly work because of my intent to go back to school. I’m not the kind of person who can be satisfied doing half-baked work on the job, but if I push myself the way I have in salaried positions, I will not succeed in school. I know from experience that I can simultaneously handle hourly and school without compromising my performance.

Some people may notice that my selected educational program isn’t in human resources management. I’m not planning to leave the field. Instead, I am focusing on earning skills and credentials in communication because I want to refocus into a communications role.

The job I have in mind, post-graduation, would include some or all of these tasks (starred items are ones where I already have solid skills). There aren’t in any particular order:

• Writing benefits literature including things like summary plan descriptions, brochures, handbooks, orientation guides* and similar;
• Maintaining company intranets and other resources to keep employees informed of changes in their benefits or trends in the field (this could include newsletters*);
• Planning and executing* open enrollments;
• Developing* and executing* new employee orientations;
• Acting as a liaison* between employees and benefits providers;
• Acting as a liaison between employees and management with respect to benefits issues;
• Educating all of the stakeholders via reports, analyses and recommendations about benefits issues. This could include some PR work.

These jobs do exist; I’ve seen them advertised under various titles. There are also a good number of freelancers/outsourcers who offer these services. So, I have ample reason to believe it’s a valid and attainable career choice.

What I don’t have, is a full qualification to enter into the field. I know how to manage the human resources parts already; and staying “up to speed” in the field is one reason I’m looking for that entry-level position. I’m also planning to do some CEBS coursework outside of the degree work.

But I have no credentials or skills in the communications areas. That’s where the degree is going to come in; the major choice was designed to attack my biggest area of weakness.

I suspect I may have to go back to school as a full-time day student in order to complete this degree, but I am not doing it right now. At the moment, I’m not even done with my general education requirements; my current associate degree was a career/technical program.

So, I’m enrolling at Georgia Perimeter College to work on that via evening and online classes (my major is Spanish/Business as I had to pick something and I’d like to be fluent in it anyway). I’ll probably take about 10-12 hours per semester.

It will take me at least a year or two to finish that and be ready to transfer, and I’ll re-evaluate my status as a day student then. That means I’m able to commit to a full-time job right now; and that, combined with finishing up the GPC enrollment, is how I’ve been spending my days during the last couple of weeks.

Project URL: http://sonria.org/project/101-in-1001

List: http://sonria.org/blog/2010/day-0-may-15-2010

It’s been a long week; the malaise that comes with unemployment is starting to kick in. My last bout of unemployment only lasted three weeks total, and this was the end of the third week for this encounter. This is one of about four indications that it’s going to be a lot more difficult for me to get another job this time around.

But I still don’t regret resigning from my job. There are too many indications that I made the right decision; and that statement isn’t at all an indictment of Intuit (in fact, this week I made some very positive statements about it to a job-hunting friend). It was simply a mismatch situation for me — and that mismatch could very well have been in the specific position versus the company.

But this is a post about the Day Zero list; not about my job hunting. One of the indicators that I made the right decision, though, is that I’m making more progress on the Day Zero list and it’s again starting to pay off in terms of mental state and general overall well-being.

21. Complete and post a three-item thankful list every day for 180 consecutive days.

Although there were a couple of days that I struggled to complete the list, I did manage to push through and finish another seven days this week. This now takes me to 19 days, or a little over 10% there.

40. Get a television and a regular DVD player.

I got the DVD player this week. It’s a portable version, but I chose one that has an AC adapter and can be hooked to a television. In my mind, this killed two birds with one stone; I can take my entertainment with me but I can also have it at home.

89. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind.

I posted question #12 and question #13 this week. At this point, I’m going to slow down on these a little and fall back toward the twice-a-month schedule I had originally intended to hold. But since the 15th of the month is this coming week, look for #14 soon!

97. Make one substantive blog post per week for 26 consecutive weeks.

This was my third consecutive week, and included the second week of posts over at BenefitsFringe. So, I’m getting onto a roll — or at least I hope. How many times have I started this one again?

101. Post progress each Saturday.

And here’s the post, although I’ll admit that I “cheated” a little and wrote it Friday night. That’s because I intend to be out of bed and out of the house, with the camera, as soon as I can Saturday morning and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.

Next Update: http://sonria.org/blog/2011/day-400-june-18-2011

Many people, when abandoning an item, will replace it with a new one. I’ve decided to stay true to my original list instead and simply mark items “abandoned,” knowing that they will contribute to not successfully finishing the list.

Instead, I’m making notes as to why I’m abandoning each item so that when I complete the list, I’ll have a comprehensive understanding of my final success rate.

44. Complete a certificate in technical communication.

Abandoning 06/10/2011. That’s because I’ve decided to go back to school and earn the degree instead.

59. Get a tattoo.

Abandoning 06/10/2011. The more I think about it, the more I realize there’s no real point to it. What I had in mind was either a cat on my left shoulder blade or a sun on my left ankle, but I rarely display those places in public. So why should I bother? Combining that with my hatred of needles and tendency to scar easily, I don’t think this is the right goal for me. That being said, I’m not going to rule it out ever.

75. Spend seven consecutive days outside the United States.

Abandoning 06/10/2011. A change in my financial circumstances means I’m going to have to go on a bit of a “diet” budget wise until at least 2014 or 2015. So, this is being abandoned for the current list which ends in 2013. But it’s an important goal, and one I intend to complete within a few years of finishing school.