2 Things That Will Keep You As a Long-Lasting Good Memory

Casablanca - Not all of us are revolutionary thinkers, political liberators, polymaths or men of letters, but there are still things that can keep us as a good, long-lasting memory in the minds and hearts of people after we seize to exist.

We sometimes wonder how many and for how long will people remember us after we decease. Our existence is evidently important, for only by existing can we act, affect and change our lives and those of other people.

But why do we care so much about whether people remember us after we die? It is perhaps because only after we die that the real significance of everything we did alive becomes apparent. Only after we die is our true value negotiated, our contributions recognized and our memory celebrated, or scorned. Only after we die, one may  question, does our existence make more sense?

However, the bulk of things we do before we die tend to have ephemeral effects on other people. Thus, very few people keep us in their memory when we are no longer here. If your family and intimate friends would remember you no matter how ordinary of a person you are, then for what reasons should other people with whom you have had very little contact remember you?

1.  Smile…for no reason!

I frequently hear, on many occasions, people conversing about that man or woman who used to be always smiling and cheerful. “No matter what was happening,that person was just smiling,” you may hear people say.

I have always wondered what is so extraordinary about smiley people? Why do we remember them after they’re no longer with us?

Smiling is a philosophy of life. Smiling when everyone is being a “grumpy cat” is an affirmation of our exceptional potential as beings endowed the ability of logical thinking. Smiling in times of hardship allows your mind to function to its utmost in order to find you an exit from your plight. How could you think logically with a cynical, nihilistic voice that keeps echoing, “give up! It’s over!” in your head?

The impact of smiling is similar on other people. When you smile in the face of someone who is having a very bad day, you are automatically telling his or her brain that there is a way out that you have already perceived, and that he or she needs to perceive in turn. That is why people wonder what makes us smile when everything is upside-down. That is actually their pragmatic brains looking for that very reason we smile in order to exploit it in turn.

So why do people remember smiley people more? That’s because our brain is so grateful to people who make its work easier. One of our brain’s main functions is to think practically and to find concrete and immediate solutions for us. For that, it needs to be injected with positive energy—an energy that allows it to look for the source of light in the most benighted caverns.

We remember those who smile in our face because they make our lives easier. We do not understand why they are always smiling and we sometimes envy them, or even hate them for that. However, we want to keep them around us as long as we can and we miss them painfully when they are gone.

Smile and you will be remembered for the positive energy you generated in the lives of others. Smile for no reason! If it does not make sense to you, it doubtlessly makes a lot of sense to others around you, and changes them more than you would have ever thought.

2.  Be the best version of yourself…for others!

I will never forget one of my university professors. He was the reason I stopped thinking that everything I used to do was trivial, tasteless and unworthy of anyone’s attention. This person did not consciously change me, nor did he show me the path towards a better version of myself. He was just there, inspiring me by being the best version of himself.

People remember most of what they learn, but a few remember those who taught them. Why? Well, many of those who teach us things about life in general—not necessarily teachers—lack that inspirational element.

How many things have we learned from people we met, but forgot who they were exactly? The things we learned from them have changed us and made us better people, but we have never bothered to acknowledge their service, for we think it was not them who changed us, but rather the knowledge and experiences they conveyed to us.

How many people changed us just by being themselves? How many changed us by being the best version of themselves? How many people changed us by accomplishing what we had thought was too difficult for us to accomplish? We remember some people simply for who they are, not for what they had  given us.

Be the best version of yourself, for when you become a better person, the change extends to those around you. You inspire people to give it a try, to dare do and see things differently and aspire for better lives. If you do not think you are important, people around you will absorb the negative energy you generate and will in turn feel unmotivated and intimidated.

Always show that your life has a purpose, that you are heading somewhere, that you are determined to reach your full potential as a human being.

People are easily lured to positive sources of energy. We like listening to people who have been through a lot of hardship and ended up being who they had aspired to be. They inspire us to do the same, to reproduce their successes and exploits. We take not what they have done as important, but how they accomplished it. We remember the agents of change more than the change itself.

Be the source of inspiration around you and people will remember you for that rich and  positive energy you generate whenever you are around. When you are gone, people will miss you for being the best version of yourself. They will look for you in themselves, in their memories and will try to reproduce your words and actions. They will always be in quest for better version of themselves because of you!

© Photo: Kaoutar Rouas