Jackson Free Press

Abraham Maslow said, "What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself," and Albert Einstein said, "If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts."

What does your future hold? Is it filled with good, positive, enriching experiences, or is it more of the same—drudgery on the job, family conflicts, illness? And what do the two quotes and these questions have to do with one another?

As it turns out, quite a bit. In a report published earlier this month in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," researcher Karl Szpunar indicated that his findings provide support for the idea that memory and future thought are highly interrelated and may help explain why future thought may be impossible without memories. In other words, you can't envision your future without recalling your past—the two processes happen in the same region of the brain, and the report suggests that they are inextricably linked.

Could changing the way you think about the past change your future? What do you remember about your past that is coloring your vision? Could it be that thinking about past pain and failures will engender more of the same tomorrow? Can you train yourself to remember the good things in your life (they really do exist) instead of dwelling on the bad, so that you can dream a new future?

Szpunar's research says, "Yes." What do you say?

(Thanks to Roy Williams for writing about this fascinating study in his Monday Morning Memo on the 8th.)

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It's not too late to get in on "Women, Weight and Wellness," presented by The Women's Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, tomorrow, Jan. 18, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fondren Presbyterian Church, 3220 Old Canton Road. There is no cost to attend but lunch is $5 per person. Reservations are required. Call Nelda Moore at (601) 974-6044, ext. 221, or e-mail [e-mail missing] today.