You may have heard the phrase, "all memory is fiction." It's a common belief that our memories are unreliable and that we can never really know what has happened to us.

But what if this isn't true? What if we can find a way to use our memories as evidence for our experiences?
From the moment you were born, you began collecting memories. Simple images and lights gave way to smells, sounds, touches, feelings, and more. Everything that has ever happened to you has shaped you for this moment. Every experience you have is based on things you’ve learned and done and comes from associations in your memory. Your life might have been different if you had made other choices in the unchangeable past.

Memory is the foundation of who we are. It shapes our identity, and it is a power that shapes our worldview. Memory can be used to create positive change in our world, but it can also be used to reinforce negative ideas about ourselves and others. It helps us form personal relationships, shapes how we see the world, and impacts our behavior and decisions.

Memory can be defined as "the ability to store information for later use." The process of storing information involves encoding, storing, and retrieving it from long-term memory stores in the brain. Associations we have with memories affect our long-term behaviors. The first time I was served spinach, I created negative associations with the server, curiously not the vegetable. I left the table with second-degree burns and set the trajectory of my relationship with that person for the future.

When we learn, new memories are stored in different brain areas. Memory can be categorized into two types: short-term and long-term. Short-term memory lasts about 20 seconds, while long-term memory may last a lifetime. Long-term memories give us skills and abilities to accomplish tasks, from riding a bicycle to feeding ourselves to writing poetry. However, some memories are less… tangible. You may not remember all the details or nuances, but you leave with emotional biases far beyond the experience. Hopefully, this article leaves you with positive feelings even if you don’t remember the details.

Repetition helps us form strong memories by reinforcing connections between neurons or nerve cells in our brains--the more often we repeat something new, the stronger those connections become until they eventually form permanent pathways called engrams.

Now that this article is in the past, how will you choose to create future memories?