How to Create Memories that Will Last Forever
Live to create memories, not regret
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Most memories fade, but regret lasts forever.
Wisdom is a curious virtue. It provides us clarity usually when it’s too late. Our most significant insight happens when we face the end of our lives.
Bronnie Ware knows this better than anyone else. The Australian nurse has been observing and recording the top regrets people have. After 12 years, she discovered a common theme.
“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
Among the top five, the number one regret was not having honored even a half of their dreams. When we look back, it’s easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.
Bob Dylan said it best, “Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.”
We are the stories we tell ourselves. But we can only tell stories about things we remember. The secret to avoiding regret is to create memories that will last forever.
You don’t have to choose between living a memorable or meaningful life. Happy memories need both.
Make your life last forever
“What’s something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t? And why?”
The above is one of the 36 questions that turn strangers into acquaintances.
That’s what research by psychologist Arthur Aron demonstrated. He brought together pairs of strangers who asked each other a series of increasingly personal questions.
Afterward, the pairs felt greater closeness than strangers who engaged in small talk. An article by NewYorkTimes.com made Aron’s work viral. People referer to them as the questions that can lead to love.
The “36 questions” exercise is a quick way to get to know everyone — not just your lover. I usually use them to accelerate team building. Collaboration increases when colleagues know each other well.
Aron’s study included three sets of questions.
The first set of questions provoke small talk. For example, “Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner…
