Memories

You know what I love about memories? They're like little "do it yourself" mood kits. I have a memory for every mood I've ever had, every feeling I've ever felt. Our memories trigger feelings. I've talked so much about controlling your thoughts in this blog, but never really talked about the importance of memories in that process. The beauty of memories is they are already complete. It's not like a day dream that you are making up as you go along. Used correctly, memories are the best weapons we have in the battle to control our thoughts.

Most of us observe our memories as they float in and out of our observation of them. Maybe something we see, something that is said or done triggers a memory...good or bad. We observe that memory and our mood alters accordingly. All of us has had the experience of stumbling upon a memory that changed how we felt for the rest of the day. That's a lot of power, isn't it? Well in my book, anything with that much power is worth controlling!

So how do we take control of our memories? I think it's easier said than done, at least at first because we are so accustomed to letting our memories control us. The obvious answer is to think about a happy memory to trigger a happy mood, but if you are in the middle of a negative thought pattern, it's going to be an uphill battle. I suggest you plan ahead. Keep an arsenal of positive memories at your disposal. Keep a list, collect pictures, whatever you need to do to be able to access those memories whenever you need to. I have to tell you, it is not easy to recall happy memories when in a negative place, so I would not rely on your memory alone. I have albums of pictures on my iPad that were compiled strictly to trigger happy memories. I write down happy memories in a journal as they happen or occur to me for easy access. Find what works for you...feel free to share it with me...I'm always looking for ways to help to recall happy memories.

This business of being happy is a lot of work, isn't it? Well worth it, though.

Enjoy!