Memories are an integral part of being human because every time we experience something – good, bad, sad, happy – it creates one. Unfortunately – because we all have them, memories tend to be something we take for granted. However, they’re actually valuable commodities, and central to our mental health and wellbeing. Happy memories for instance can help us navigate hard times, lighten dark days, or improve our mood in depressing situations. When they do, they’ve become a memory dividend.
What Is A Memory Dividend?
As the name suggests, a memory dividend is a value that you continue to benefit from long after you’ve made the initial investment. In this case, though, your investment was in an experience or the acquisition of a set of skills, not physical stocks or bonds.
Tangible And Intangible Dividends
Memory dividends can be intangible or tangible. You may have gone on the holiday of a lifetime with your family. Now, some years later, you still enjoy the memories of that holiday. They still bring value to your life. These are the intangible memory dividends from that holiday.
Or you may have done a painting or photography course and today you get a great deal of enjoyment from using the skills you acquired in that course. These are a tangible memory dividend.
Why Are Memory Dividend’s Important?
Memories play an integral role in shaping who and what we become. We learn from experiences and memories – the memory of getting into trouble for some misdoing as a child for example deters us from repeating that misdemeanour. These memories pay dividends by keeping us out of trouble.
Similarly, good memories are a source of pleasure and pay dividends because, as a proven way of coping with stress and adversity, they’re good for our mental health and wellbeing. They also pay dividends when they help us maintain rewarding connections with other people and develop good solid relationships through memories of shared experiences. Again, these things are all keys to a happy, healthy life.
Then there are the skills we’ve invested in, which can give us a sense of purpose when we use them in later life. Create a feeling of satisfaction and achievement. Perhaps lead to a new career!
How Can We Invest In Memory Dividends?
Just as investing in a heap of stocks and shares (hopefully) creates long term financial benefits, investing in beneficial experiences creates long-term valuable memories. There are many ways to create these experiences and ultimately build up a substantial memory dividend portfolio.
Invest in travel:
There’s nothing like a trip to some bucket list destinations for creating a portfolio of memory dividends! Experience new cultures, meet new people, see new things – they’re all great ways to create fond memories that will last a lifetime.
Invest in education:
Perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn a new skill, or pursue an interest that you’ve let lapse because life got in the way. Acquiring new skills and knowledge has the potential to grow your nest egg of memory dividends because they can help you do and enjoy things you perhaps wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do. There’s also the possibility they might lead to bigger and better things in life, like a new job, your own business, or being able to enjoy a hobby more.
Speaking of hobbies:
Hobbies come very highly recommended for many reasons. Notably, they are one of the most prescribed, drug-free panaceas for stress, anxiety, and depression. They’re also an excellent way to invest in and build memory dividends per se.
A hobby (like volunteering for example) can get you out and about, meeting new people, making new friends, and experiencing new things. Creating memories to add to your growing memory dividend portfolio… However, choose hobbies that interest you because they’re more likely to hold and keep your interest, and pay more dividends over time.
Put time into your relationships:
If it’s been a while since you caught up with family and friends, maybe now is the time to reconnect, and make a commitment to spend more time with them. Ultimately, these relationships can provide some of the most valuable, and significant, memory dividends of all.
In this day and age of connectivity, there are so many ways to catch up with people, even those out of regular visiting range. Ultimately, each and every ‘chat’, or meal, or interaction you have with them creates memories with the potential to produce dividends.
The Bottom Line About Investing In Memory Dividends
We all need memory dividends and most of us already have a significant portfolio of them, although we probably don’t think of them like that. From happy childhood memories to treasured adult moments with family, friends, and even work colleagues…
However, it’s also important not to rest on our laurels and ‘make do’ with the memories that inadvertently come our way. Whilst those are certainly valuable, we should also consider purposely investing in experiences… Travel, hobbies, education and so on – these are all investments that don’t just benefit us in the present moment but will also become a memory dividend, or an investment in our future happiness and mental wellbeing.
