Yesterday morning when I made my coffee, I swirled in some hazelnut flavor and sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top. I held it in my hands, enjoying the warmth, as I opened my computer and breathed deeply. With my first sip, I was momentarily back at brunch at Zanzibar Blue in Philadelphia. It was as if I could almost hear the music and certainly felt the energy of those special Sunday mornings. For a micro-moment, I was living in the past, deeply breathing it in and capturing its essence to bring back into my present moment.
I remember the positive anticipation, walking down the steps into a special space filled with music. I was feeling at ease, happy and filled with possibilities. All it took was some cinnamon hazelnut in my coffee to cross the space-time continuum, pretty cool. I noticed that with each sip, I felt more of the ease and happiness flow through my body.
Later, I took a break from working and pumped up my iTunes. I was mindlessly bopping along taking care of some things around the house when Alison by Elvis Costello came on, and I stopped moving. I was standing there smiling, remembering all of the boys I met in high school and college who thought that they were the first person ever to sing that song to me.
Back then, I didn’t worry about the future. I wasn’t stressed about my kids, our rental or even what I was having for dinner. It was simpler then, all I had to do was work hard at my studies and engage in my life. I was in a million clubs and activities, and it felt great. The song reminded me how good it felt to have a robust life. When the song ended, I was completed to look up opportunities in my small town to get involved. Alison had me living in the past long enough to take inspired action now.
That evening, I put on some perfume after my shower. I reached for Dune, a scent that I’ve worn since 1994. The reason I can remember when I first bought it is because I can remember when I first smelled it. I was visiting a friend in Australia and one of my new acquaintances, who quickly became a good friend too, was wearing Dune.
During my two weeks in Sydney, we went on some crazy adventures together. We went to vineyards, underground clubs, and other places that seem like they are a lifetime away. Every time I smell Dune, I think of my first trip around the world on my own. I’m instantly reminded of the independence and confidence that I felt and the strength of my personal relationships. The scent is like a catalyst reminding me of who I was and who I still am.
Can Living in the Past Be Good?
We often hear that we need to stop living in the past that all we have is the future. It’s true that depression, anxiety and many other negative emotions can be stirred up when stuck in the past, and you may find yourself running through it like a broken record. There is a difference between capturing the essence of a past moment and reliving it over and over as if it never ended. It did, that’s why it’s called the past.
However, it can be powerful to bring the way you were seeing, feeling and experiencing the world at your best into your life today. When you feel stuck, or unsure what you want to do next, you can tap into your past for inspiration – through touchpoints.
Use Your Five Senses to Come Alive to Who You Were, Are and Will Be
Your five senses are potent pathways between your past and present. Yes, a familiar smell or taste can unintentionally remind you of past moments that were less than satisfying. However, here’s the key, these gateways, your touchpoints, are also in your control.
Sight
Surround yourself with memories that spark a connection to a time you were at your best, or feeling ease, strength or whatever it is you most need in the present moment. It could be a necklace you wear, pictures you put on your desk or art that you made. It could be anything that sparks within you the positive feeling you need.
Hear
When you put on music that brings you energy and joy, you start to feel energy and joy. It’s within that feeling that possibility lives and choices are more empowered and dynamic. In my course, Choose to Move and Get Unstuck, I teach you to use music as a catalyst for change.
Smell
Baking cookies, the ocean, the forest… no matter the smell there is now a spray that you can buy that smells just like the real thing. They sell like hotcakes because it takes people out of their everyday grind and reminds them of their past positive experiences. Why do you think real estate agents bake cookies during open houses? Makes you feel like you’re home.
Taste
You know the saying, “tastes just like Mom’s?” Familiar tastes can bring you back in time. If you always chewed Hubba Bubba as a kid, but haven’t had a cube of it in years, give it a try. It may not taste great to your adult palette, but the physical motion of the chewing with the taste will transport you. If you weren’t a Hubba Fan, pick a favorite, like my coffee from Zanzibar Blue, and allow yourself to lean into the memory and feel the energy.
Touch
Don’t be shy – do you have a stuffed animal from childhood? I don’t, but when I put away my kid’s, I have a memory of the feeling, and I can picture my favorite stuffed animals from my youth lining my bed. Many people also have touch memories with sheets, grass, and sand. Tap into the way you felt during those experiences to fuel your future choices and actions.
Feeling stressed, you may crave ease.
Feeling overwhelmed, you may wish for a simpler time.
Feeling like you have no options, you may long for possibilities.
You can call on what you need now through your memories, and touchpoints, and by making them deep, robust and tangible. Allow yourself to expand into who you were, what you were feeling, and recapture the essence and energy.
Caught in the past is a bad thing. Living for a micro-moment in the past is a powerful way to re-energize, re-imagine and re-invent today.
Will you share a memory that energizes you today?
Ahhhh the power of the senses to shift our moods and reconnect us with different eras and parts of ourselves. One of the best gifts I received from studying acting, right? Great advice and thank you for the reminders.
And I LOVED the part about the song “Allison” — that brought ME back right there with you!
My aim is true . . .
I think it’s hysterical how every guy thought that they were being so original. Looking back, however, it was very sweet. It’s been a long time since someone sang that song to me.
Really wonderful when we realize that we can tap into the strength, confidence and creativity we most need and carry it with us moving forward.
Thanks, Blair!!
Great post, Alli!
I am a firm believer of using the past to propel you forward. Most people have a combination of good vs bad memories from childhood, early adulthood, and even last week! The key is not to dwell on the negative ones but LEARN from them.
If the memories are positive, savor them.
Too many people get bogged down in their memories or refuse to go there at all. Both are a huge mistake. Our past plays a vital part in the person we are today…so own it.
People really do get bogged down in the past instead of shifting their attention to those moments and events when they were at their best, or happiest or most at ease. I learned long ago that as humans we have a temptation to turn towards the dark side and need to put in the extra effort to turn towards the light. Touchpoints help us make that shift.
Grateful for your insights! Thanks, LaRae!
Quoting: “There is a difference between capturing the essence of a past moment and reliving it over and over as if it never ended.” It’s the essence that’s important, as you note!!! And yes, chances are that we are less likely to be reminded of a negative event in our past. But they do happen – probably more frequently than we think; because of the negative connection, unconsciously we move on…
But that’s in some way maybe a mistake – IF we approach it as a new opportunity with exciting new possible outcomes!!! We’re different, we have new “tools,” we have different needs, … Whose to say what might evolve? “Correcting a mistake” is or should be only a very small part of the satisfaction. As you note, the past has ended! It is the exciting potential of the present and future that matter (or should).
Correcting a mistake – painful! Learning and growing is the best way to course correct. Still, if we’re sitting in pain, reliving the past, we should tap into a time that can help us heal. To truly know that we have what it takes… and can do it again, it’s the best.
Thanks so much, John!
Wonderful post, Alli! I was totally transported back to my teenage years too! I am greatly impacted by music. It can transform me from a bad mood into a happy place. When I hear a Carol King song or even Joni Mitchell, I am in a calm, relaxed place with a smile on my face.
When I run my problem solving workshops I ask the participants to think what the problem reminds them of. When we can make the uncertain feel more familiar we are more able to face it head on.
Thanks Alli!
The power of music is incredible. It can take us back to a moment in time or simply transform our mood based on the way it touches us. I love Joni Mitchell too.
Great example from your workshop! Looking back to a time when we were able to figure out a challenge can point us to that part of ourselves that can do it again.
Thanks for sharing, Terri!
Excellent insights. Thank you. Beautiful memories are wonderful, and remembering WHO we were in those moments can be very inspiring as we live in the present.
That’s what it’s all about… reminding ourselves that the WHO is still there.
Thanks, Karin!
A great way to view the past, Alli. Through our senses, we can craft a new path forward by leveraging what we awaken from our past. Great advice! Jon
I love the way you put things, Jon. Yes… it really is an awakening to the past and recognizing that it’s still with us and available to propel us forward.
Many thanks!
Cranking up my streaming “Hits of the 80’s” station and heating up a box of Mac and Cheese to bring back the inspiration of my happy college years. 🙂
Great take on how the past can also be a good thing. Thanks!
When I was in college… I thought anything was possible. I got a job in a Big 6 Consulting Firm as a sociology major and kept on going. Something to be said for tapping into that energy again!
Enjoy the tunes, Scott! Thanks so much for your comment!
You are SO right Alli! That we are told so often to stop looking back. But you know what? I’ve had some fun, amazing, beautiful times in the past and you helped me take a few moments and recall them. I thank you for this post! Sometimes the memories of the past can help us get back to some awesome stuff we enjoyed back then!
Tapping into the past, those times we felt AWESOME… what a way to energize the present 🙂
Thanks so much, Cindy!
Thank you for making me smile Alli – as I imagned you and your stories and was reminded of my own.
Yes I leverage sight and sound – nature, pictures, video, music…
But oh the power of smell! Bounce Dryer Sheets were never used in my home growing up, but my first roomate used them. Each time I smell them I am in our tiny dorm room and completely happy! My husband’s colone – instantly transports me to the safest place in the world – his arms! Popcorn and Russian Tea – take me back to my parents home on a winter weekends as we gathered around the fire and watched television. …And on the list goes!
Love that, Chery! Amazing how a smell can bring us back to another place and time in an instant. Smiling as I read your memories here. Thank you!
Thank you for this great post Ali. I was working with a client this week who needs to shift his life forward. Reconnecting with his past achievements and experiences through his senses had him feel calm, happy and connected to deep emotion. It was great seeing him transported back and bringing those things back to the present day to help him with his next step.
Welcome, Helen! Thank you for your comment!
I first tuned into the power of our past to inform our current mood, challenges, and attitudes during my coach training many years ago. Your example is fantastic and absolutely illustrates the point of the article. Grateful!
Best,
Alli