Day Zero Project

The Project


I love lists.  Each time I tick an item off a list, I feel my success reaffirmed, even more so than the accomplishment it represents.  And I love how they keep me organized while my mind runs amok.  I often use lists to help direct me toward the vision I have of myself in the future, reflecting on a life lived carpe diem while drinking a piña colada under a banana tree, or something.

That's where the Day Zero Project comes in.  The idea is to set (and accomplish!) 101 goals in 1001 days, or about 2.75 years.  The time frame is great because it allows for selecting short-term goals, or components of long-term goals, that are benefited by being organized into months or seasons.

I first started the Day Zero Project when I was 17 to help manage my short-term goals through college, while encouraging myself to do some of the things I was curious about, regardless of their difficulty or cost.  After working through the project the first and second times, I noticed underlying themes in many of my goals.  Using this project, I learned what I wanted to be, not just in my career, but as a human being too.  And now that I have a good sense of myself, who I am, and what I want to be, I created a "bucket list."  My third Day Zero Project is the first step toward the completion of that list; it's the next step toward achieving my vision.


On Goals


I've seen a number of people start this project and eventually give up on it.  I think the reason for that is its initially overwhelming nature.  People have a hard time keeping track of large numbers, and 101 goals to accomplish can be exhausting just to think about!  Instead of trying to invent a hundred things you'd want to do and go through the intense processes of planning it all, take the top-to-bottom approach instead.  Think about how you envision yourself in the future, the ideal you.  Then think of ways that might help you get there.  Maybe there are multiple paths, or perhaps there are none at all you are aware of.  Just think of anything that you would enjoy doing that would help orient you toward your vision, then make it a goal.

Some people argue that a large number of goals detract a person from the things that are important.  They find themselves in dilemmas where they need to choose between working on a goal on their list and doing something important at that moment.  My opinion is that they are setting the wrong goals.  You should never work at a goal begrudgingly, or abhor looking at your list.  Just do the things you want to do.

My goals follow the SMART principle.  To illustrate, consider the goal "I want to learn a new language."
  • Specific:  "Learn a new language" is an example of an unspecific goal.  It doesn't define language.  Does American Sign Language count?  How about pig latin?  BASIC or C++?  What about Klingon?
  • Measurable:  How can you tell if you've completed the learning?  Have you learned a new language when you can read and write it, but not speak or understand?  What if you became confident enough in your chosen language that you could carry on a fairly broken conversation.  Have you learned it then?
  • Achievable:  If you wanted to learn Russian, for example, could you do it with just a dictionary from your local bookstore and the only Russian course offered at your local college?  Would you need a "language parent" you could interact with in person on a regular basis?  Would you need to spend six months in Russia?
  • Relevant:  How will learning a language benefit you?  Note that an answer like "it might come in handy one day" probably does not indicate great relevance to you, and you may not stay motivated to achieve it.  It should help you achieve that long term vision of yourself.
  • Time-bound:  The nature of this program ensures all of its goals are time-bound.  At most there are 1001 days available for any given goal, though adding a time-bound on an individual goal may prove beneficial.  Perhaps you are travelling to Russia in one year and you'd like to be conversationally-fluent by that time (hold basic conversations with relative ease.)  You may need to alter your goal to read, "Learn Russian to Conversational Fluency by the end of 2015."


The List


The goals I have set forth help me accomplish my vision:
  • Experience life from new perspectives through exposure to different cultures
  • Enhance my capacity for empathy and understanding of my fellow human beings
  • Drive out ignorance and falsifications embedded in me through childhood
  • Become completely debt-free and self-sustained
  • Become a recognized name in my industry

GOALS:  0 out of 101 completed

Start Date:  1 January 2015
End Date:  27 September 2017

Continuing Education  0 out of 33


My rationale for this section originates from my spotty and lackluster education.  I'm trying to "catch up" in a sense.  I feel that attaining a better understanding of these mathematical concepts will enable me to solve problems in new and more efficient ways.  The computer science goals help me learn new tools for implementing problem solutions.  I have, to-date, written a number of web-based applications and have become expert at client and server side JavaScript, and proficient at a number of other scripting languages.  I'd like to deepen my understanding of the mechanics and tools that make my role in information security necessary, and how I can use these tools to make myself more proficient and proactive.

Math  (0 out of 8)

Computer Science  (0 out of 7)

  • Complete Nand2Tetris
  • Learn the following programming languages:
    Note: Learning the syntax, structure, common eccentricities, and best practices suffices for achieving each goal.  The point is to understand the premise of the language and to get a feel for developing in it.  There's no advantage to learning the ins-and-outs of every standard library.  Upon completing one of these goals, I should be capable of writing any application in it, even if I have to spend a lot of time researching APIs.
    • C#, MVC, and the .NET Framework (Web focus)
    • Objective-C (iOS Development)
    • C (Imperative/procedural focus)
    • C++ and the STL (Object-Oriented focus)
    • A dialect of LISP (Functional focus)
  • Read the Dragon Book for compiler understanding

Humanities  (0 out of 16)

  • Achieve conversational fluency in Spanish
    Right now I can hold broken conversations in Spanish (I probably know a little over 500 words).  I travel frequently to Spanish-speaking countries, and encounter Spanish on an almost-daily basis.  (The USA does have the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world.)  I'd like to be capable of speaking confidently, and without thinking about conjugations and the like.
  • Achieve conversational fluency in Russian
    My girlfriend is Ukrainian and speaks fluent Russian.  I'd like to gain a better understanding of her language and culture, eventually being able to have conversations with her in Russian, as well as attend all of her Russian cultural events.  I love the sound of the language and I've been trying to learn it for years.  Presently, I know maybe around 50 words or so, in addition to the basic greetings.
  • Learn the alphabet in sign language
  • Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet
    This is probably more fun than useful.  Being able to read the IPA would allow me to speak fairly well in different dialects.  Also, it helps with understanding pronunciation of words in various languages.
  • Read the Harvard Classics library (12 goals; one for every category)
    I've already started on this goal and have wanted to complete it for a number of years.  The Harvard Classics were once well-known for being the perfect substitute for a liberal college education.  The content here is generally no longer a part of our education systems as we've become more specialized as a society; though there is so much wisdom and history to be seen!  These are not to be read in order necessarily, but rather according to the lectures provided in Volume 50.
    Categories:
    • History
    • Poetry
    • Natural Science
    • Philosophy
    • Biography
    • Prose Fiction
    • Criticism and the Essay
    • Education
    • Political Science
    • Drama
    • Voyages and Travel
    • Religion

Miscellaneous Science  (0 out of 2)

Career Growth  (0 out of 5)

  • Finish WGU's Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology, Security
    Only six classes left!
  • Begin a Master's or PhD program at an accredited university
  • Take the CISSP Exam
    I can't earn the credential without also having 5 years of security experience
  • Earn the CCNA Credential
  • Earn the CCNA: Security Credential

Personal Projects  (0 out of 9)

  • Finish Safe-To-Spend
  • Start a security blog
  • Redo personal blog to incorporate resume, social media, ramblings, and the Day Zero project
  • Actually catalog the completion of my goals in my personal blog
    I failed to do that the last two times I did this project
  • Complete WCASA's new website
  • Complete and document the media center project
  • Watch AFI's list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (10th Anniversary Edition)
  • Marry a same-sex couple
    I am ordained after all!
  • Teach a class
  • Document Chimera and start developing an implementation of it

Travel  (0 out of 20)

  • Visit the rest of the United States
    • Vermont
    • Louisiana
    • Mississippi
    • Arkansas
    • Alabama
    • Hawaii
    • Alaska
  • Visit more Canadian Provinces
    • Yukon
    • Manitoba
    • Saskatchewan
    • Alberta
    • Banff & Jasper National Parks (2)
  • Other Countries
    • Visit Argentina and climb Mt. Aconcagua
    • Visit three new countries (3)
      So not the USA, Canada, Costa Rica, or Peru
  • Relax in a natural hot spring
  • Walk on a glacier
  • See the Aurora Borealis

Break Out of Comfort Zones  (0 out of 19)

  • Flying
    • Complete Private Pilot License
      I already have just over 40 hours logged and I've completed a cross-country flight solo, but it's been a while now.
    • Earn one additional pilot rating or endorsement
    • Ride in a hot-air balloon
  • Sports
    • Learn to Ski
    • Learn to ice skate
    • Become comfortable swimming in large bodies of water alone
    • Take a dance class (that preferably teaches Salsa, Tango, and Swing)
    • Golf 18 holes
    • Go paint-balling
  • Art
    • Try pottery
    • Take a wookworking or cabinet-making class
    • Try glass-blowing
    • Start learning to play a musical instrument
  • Brewing
    • Brew a batch of beer
    • Make a homemade distilled spirit like Brandy or Whiskey
    • Make wine
  • Get a tattoo
  • Go laser-tagging
  • Learn to drive a motorcycle

Finances  (0 out of 4)

  • Pay off all credit card debt
  • Reach $50,000 in my investment portfolio
  • Save six months of expenses as an emergency fund
  • Create a passive income stream

Health  (0 out of 11)

Some of these goals probably seem crazy to a lot of people.  However, I have been running for a long time.  ;-)
  • Receive entire series of allergy shots to hopefully eliminate allergies to cats, dogs, and dust mites
    I learned recently that these are the three common allergens that my immune system responds to
  • Running
    • Run a 5k Race
      done before, but do again
    • Run a 5mi Race
      done before, but do again
    • Run a 10k Race
    • Run a 10mi Race
    • Run a Half Marathon Race
      done before, but do again
    • Run a Marathon Race
      done before, but do again
    • Run a 50mi Ultra Marathon
    • Run 1,000 miles in one year
  • For each regular workout routine through the period of at least one month, bench press 200lbs ten times, in three sets
  • Start a regular sport that increases my flexibility
    Such as gymnastics, yoga, parkour, or a martial art

Wish me luck :)
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