How To Capture Better Memories
Mindset Monday
Takeaway: You don’t have to be a wizard to create your own horcrux. Embed your memories in music to have a key for unlocking them in the future.
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Yesterday I returned from a trip to Greece. In honor of still riding the high from that trip, I thought I’d share a powerful tool you can use to capture better memories. (And it works whether you’re making memories abroad or in your backyard.)
When your brain is encoding memories, it captures all of the stimulus you are experiencing: the emotions, smells, sights, and sounds. Usually, many of those stimuli are captured by accident—a mere coincidence of their presence at just the right time.
Have you ever listened to a song and were immediately transported to a moment in time? That’s because that song was likely playing during the encoding of that memory.
What if we used this external stimulus to help capture memories—on purpose?
Instead of leaving it to chance, you preselected the stimuli to help encapsulate a memory?
Here’s one example:
I do this with music. Think of it as a modern-day horcrux.
I start by picking a song. Usually a newer song. (This way it has no history with me.) Then I will play it throughout the trip. In doing so, I am increasing the chances of encoding the memories of that trip into the song.
For me, playing the song frequently is easy. I add it to my running playlist and listen during my daily short runs I enjoy while traveling.
Or I pop my headphones in during a train or plane commute and grab a few more listens.
When it works (and it usually does), I can listen to that song again at any point in the future and be transported back to all of those good memories.
I encourage you to give it a try.
Imagine how cool it would be to create a playlist of all these meaningful songs.
Here’s to living and capturing more memories,
~ Coach Alex
P.S. The song I used for my Greece trip is “Used To Be—Rasster Remix” by Gashi.