Making Memories
Memories are powerful. Good memories are fun to think about and talk about. Bad memories are hard to forget, as much as you'd like to. Every memory you have, whether good or bad, is something that has shaped you into who and where you are today. Every memory began with a moment – a moment which was at some point in time a "present" moment. In light of that, we would all do well to consider this very important fact about memories:
All memories exist in the past.
Every single memory you have exists in the past. This means there is not a single thing you can do to change that memory one way or the other. Therefore, any amount of time spent dwelling on or glorying over that memory is only futile, wasted opportunity. Why? What's wrong with thinking about the "glory days," some will say?
You don't live there. At least, not any more. Yes, those experiences that create the memories, both good and bad, have worked together to shape you into who you are today. But they are no longer part of your current life. They serve to remind you of where you were back then, but right now, this present moment is the only moment you have complete control over. That makes this very moment astronomically more important than any moment of the past.
What does this mean? It means, making the memory is vastly more important than the memory itself. If there are good and positive memories in your past, that's great. Think fondly of them whenever they enter your mind. However, do not allow them to infiltrate your mind to the point of causing you to become a "glory days" person. A "glory days" person is one who is always talking about how great things were back then, and even attempts to recreate opportunities and events in order to try to bring about the same effect that the glory days memories bring. It just isn't possible, and it becomes frustrating and debilitating when it doesn't work.
When it comes to taking charge of who you are and what you are becoming, memories will always distract you. The present moment is the most important moment any person has, because it is the only moment that is 100% within your control. And that is true whether you are doing something of your own free choice such as a hobby, or if you are doing something you feel enslaved to such as work or school or some other necessary task.
You may not have complete control over WHAT you are doing every moment of every day. However, you always have complete control over your mindset, attitude and behavior during those moments, regardless of where you are or what you are doing. And, I will say this, we actually have a lot more control over what we do throughout our 24-hour day than many of us realize. For example, most of us have 100% free reign to choose the following:
what time we wake up and get out of bed
what time we go to bed
what we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
what we choose as between-meal snacks
what we drink
whether we exercise or do not exercise
whether we take the steps or take the elevator
how fast we drive
how much we look at a cell phone
any and all social media use
whether we read or watch TV during our free time
what we read
what we watch
what we say when we interact with people
smiling or frowning
being constructive and positive or being critical and negative
being encouraging and uplifting or being complaining and demeaning
to help or to let people struggle through tasks on their own
to serve selflessly or to pass things off to others
to express gratitude and thankfulness
to care or to ignore
to pray
to love
...just to name a few.
The point is, there are so many more things than we often realize in a given day that are 100%, completely within our control and have the potential to influence what will one day be a positive or negative memory. I think too many of us just go through our days leaving too many things up to happenstance, rather than seizing every single moment and making the most of them. Too many of us just slip into daily routines of default, impulsive behaviors that really do not benefit our lives in any way. It's just normal, every day life. Nothing special.
NO! Every moment is a potential memory. You can't get the old ones back or change them, but you do have THIS one. You have the power and the opportunity to create something right now that you will look back upon with fondness one day. Do not take these daily decisions lightly. I don't care how young you are or how old you are. This is as relevant for the 5th grader as it is for the high school senior as it is for the 75 year-old senior citizen.
Wasting opportunities is no respecter of persons. It happens to everyone, young and old. Be honest with yourself. Are you making the most of every opportunity?
Or, maybe we should back up one step and ask this question. Do you care whether or not you make the most of every opportunity? If not, just beware of this. The less you care about this, the less you are in control of creating your own memories. You are going to have memories. Some will be from moments in life that you have no control of directly, but only over how you respond to them. Other memories will be from moments in life that you could have changed drastically, if you had just made a better choice today.
We often do not realize how significant the little, daily choices in life are (such as those in the above bulleted list). Right now, in this present moment, we think, "what's the big deal?" We can't imagine how any of those things will make a significant impact on our future or how any of those choices will serve to create a lasting memory.
Here is the thing, sometimes they will and sometimes they won't. We never know when one small choice is going to spearhead a monumental opportunity for us. So why not seize them all!? Every little moment matters. Take nothing for granted. In doing so, you will be on the way to making some incredible memories.