Dream of Future Memories

I began my Revive55 Project to preserve my past memories, to remember the stories, to recognize what was meaningful and to declutter what wasn't.

I considered "taking care of the past" as a project. After the project, I planned to focus on present and future memories which would be a process.

Catching up is a project. 

Keeping up is a process.

With the new year however, I feel that it's a good time to look forward. What do I want my days, months and years to be like?

The New Year is a popular time for resolutions so why not add memories-themed ones to the list?

Dream of Future Memories

There are three aspects to memories. We want to preserve our past memories, we want to enjoy our present moments and we want to dream of our future experiences.

With the start of a new year and a new decade, it's a good time to dream of the future and start making plans to act on those dreams. By writing down our hopes and dreams, we can create more memorable moments.

Choose one or more of the following challenges:

55 Second Challenge

1. Make a Future Memories list. What experiences do you hope to have in the future?
2.  Keep it handy and add to it whenever you think: 
• "I wish I ..." 
• "I hope to ... " 
• "Some day I want to ..."
• "I love it when..." 
• "I loved it when..."
3. Write your ideas in a journal or enter it in an app or document.
4. Bonus: Review it on a regular basis and take steps to make things happen.

55 Minute Challenge

1. Start a Day Zero Project: 
• Write a list of 101 Things you want to do in 1001 Days
• or 52 things for 52 weeks or 12 things for 12 months
2. Follow the Day Zero Project website as is or create it "your way" like I did it "my way".
3. Write your ideas in a journal or planner or enter it in an app or document.
4. Bonus: Review it on a regular basis and take steps to make things happen

Day Zero...My Way

When I first started the Day Zero Project, I made a "safe" list of 101 things I thought I could accomplish. By the time I finished my list, I wasn't too excited. I saw things that I would do because they were on a list. What if I didn't want to do them anymore on day 900? Would I force myself to do something just because it was on a list? How would I feel if I failed to complete the 101?

That's when I decided to change the rules and do the project "my way".

I started the project with two lists. The first list is numbered from 1 to 101 and is blank. The other list is all kinds of things I would love to do whether they were realistic or not. It consisted of hundreds of things: places I dreamed of visiting, events I wanted to attend, people I wanted to meet, bands I wanted to see, activities I wanted to do, etc.

As I did something on the list, I added it to the numbered list. I continued until I got to 101. If something was on a list that I didn't want to do anymore, I removed it. If something came up that wasn't on the list but it would have been easy to not do or I couldn't even have dreamed of, I still added it to the numbered list.

Read the full blog post on how I made the project my way ten years ago by clicking this link: https://dayzeromyway.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-zero-projectmy-way.html

5.5 Hours Challenge

1. Create a Vision Board or Revive55 "Time Travel Board".
2. Find images or sayings of moments you have loved in the past...moments that you are amazed have happened.
3. Find images or sayings to represent future moments that will be worth remembering.
4. Paste them on a poster board.

When I have attended a vision board workshop, the instructions were to go through magazines and cut out anything that "speaks to you", that you love or that inspires you. I like to keep my vision board more specific. I search out what I want to include and cut out or screen capture things as I come across them.

Choose a size you're comfortable with. If you want to keep it simple and focused, choose a smaller one. I have done smaller ones before and decided to expand to a larger one. I chose a fold-out poster board. I have different themes on each surface.

I used removable tape on it so that as things changed, I could edit it which I have done a few times.

Researching more about vision boards to broaden the tips I could give, I am seeing many ways that I could improve mine. To start with, I read the following in a post about making vision boards more powerful:  "Keep it neat. Avoid creating a cluttered or chaotic board - you don’t want to attract chaos into your life."

Well, you really can't say that my vision board is neat.

I still love this one so may "retire" it rather than edit it any more.

For 2020 I will start a new one. I will write a separate post with tips and ideas in more detail.

Time Travel Board

I am calling the Revive55 Memories-themed board a Time Travel Board. Travel back in time to special memories and look forward to creating more memories.

I have been thinking about this since I started the Revive55 Project. The first part of the Memories Board includes experiences you dream of and would create memorable moments. The second part of the Memories Board includes past experiences that are meaningful and proof that amazing things can happen. If you ever doubt that things won't happen, you just have to look at your past memories to believe that lots can happen to make your dreams happen.

It's the end of a decade

Seems to me now

That the dreams we had before

Are all dead, nothing more

Than confetti on the floor

It's the end of a decade

In another ten years time

Who can say what we'll find

What lies waiting down the line

In the end of eighty-nine

(Happy New Year

by Abba)

As much as I love the holidays, I love the last few days before the end of the year. I love to reflect on the year that is ending and look forward to the year to come.

This year is extra special because it's also the end of a decade which reminds me of my favourite New Year's song I listen to every year. If you could travel back in time to 2009, what would "2009-you" be amazed to know happened in the 2010's?

Imagine it's the end of of 2029, what do you hope your life will be like then? If you like lists or resolutions, write down your hopes and dreams and store them somewhere special.

I wrote my dreams in this journal for the first time in January 1996.

Life is the music
that dances through our days,
our nights and our years.

It's interesting to see what I dreamed of then, to see the ones that happened and also how I feel about those that didn't. Am I disappointed? Do I still hope they happen? Using a journal also allows for future edits or additions.

Since 2005, I have made a playlist of my favourite songs every year. At the end of 2009, I made a list of my favourite songs of the decade (2000's). I am continuing that tradition by creating a playlist of my favourite songs of 2019 and the 2010's. If books or movies are more your thing, would you enjoy making a yearly list of your favourites?

I spent some time this week looking back at my photos from 2019. If you had asked me to tell you what I did all year, I wouldn't have thought of some amazing moments. Looking back at the photos reminded me of experiences I loved and want to remember.

What were your favourite moments of 2019? What experiences do you want to remember?

Some experiences are unforgettable. I won't forget breaking my arm, going on vacation, attending the Raptors NBA Championship parade or launching my Revive55 Project. What are some smaller moments that are worth remembering but could be forgotten?

I love the colours of the Caribbean Sea.

This is one of my favourite photos of the year:

Can you guess where it is? Some of you can but if I had seen this photo years ago, I wouldn't have guessed.

This is not a perfect photo, but it's a moment when I am reminded that I can see beautiful Lake Ontario colours a short drive from home. I didn't have much time to admire it on this fall day. I was with friends and we were going for a quick dinner by the beach before a movie. I want to remember this moment as a reminder to go next summer and truly enjoy Lake Ontario and the beach we have. I'm adding that to my New Years Resolutions.

Celebrate the past

Create a time capsule or best of lists of what 2019 or the 2010's were like for you.

Ideas include:

1. Favourite Photos and Videos
2. Stories or things that happened to you
3. Mementos or Purchases
4. Accomplishments or Celebrations
5. People you spent time with, you met or your favourite celebrities
6. Outings or Activities
7. Places like a country, city or place in your neighbourhood or in your house

If this seems overwhelming, you can just spend a bit some time remembering your favourite moments.

Did you start a Memories timeline? Take a few moments to add 2019 or 2010's events on it.

By looking at what you love from your past, you get clues of what you will love in the future.

Dream for your future

What kind of photos and videos do you love? What kind of outings and activities do you most enjoy?

How can you plan to create more moments that you'll love just as much in 2020?

By looking back at 2009, I was reminded that I was about to go to the Olympics in Vancouver for the Opening Ceremony and Men's Moguls - our first Olympic gold win on home soil. That trip is one of my highlights of the decade. Before we had children, we used to go on a yearly ski trip to Whistler. I have wanted to go back especially since they co-hosted the 2010 Olympics. As an Olympic host city, it would be even more special.

Since starting this post and doing my own reflection, I have booked a trip to return to Vancouver on the 10th anniversary of the Opening Ceremony and then to go to Whistler where I will see the Olympic rings and ski the Olympic downhill run.

If I am super lucky, one of the Olympic cauldrons will be lit while I'm there.

Sometimes, we need to reflect and to plan in order for our hopes and dreams to happen.