Remember the Times

My thoughts and memories have been drifting back to moments that felt like miracles in motion. Certain seasons of life return vividly, not because they were easy, but because something aligned within. There were periods where opportunity, preparation, and courage met at the same intersection. Those are the times worth remembering.

In contrast, it is also easy to recall seasons where emotions were heightened and uncertainty felt louder than confidence. The mind often clings to struggle because survival wiring is designed to detect threats. Yet we are not required to live anchored to difficulty. We can choose which memories to rehearse.

I titled this reflection for multiple reasons. One inspiration comes from the song created by Michael Jackson and super-producer Teddy Riley. Recently, I saw that Teddy Riley released a book carrying the same title. It details his iconic career in Hip Hop and R&B, a legacy that shaped an entire era of sound and culture.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to speak with Teddy Riley while writing for Jadore Magazine in Atlanta. At the time, I was working alongside a filmmaker attempting to align him with a producer to complete a soundtrack. His manager arranged the conversation. Although the collaboration did not move forward due to other commitments he had with VH1, the moment itself remains significant.

I remember transitioning from working as a Verizon salesman to interviewing artists, athletes, entertainers, and political figures. That shift did not happen overnight. It unfolded through intention, preparation, and belief long before visible evidence appeared. Looking back now, I recognize how miraculous that evolution truly was. There is power in recalling the seasons when things flowed.

When you intentionally revisit moments of competence, achievement, courage, or recognition, something changes neurologically. The brain does not perfectly distinguish between vividly remembered experiences and present-moment reality. Studies in neuroscience show that recalling positive emotional events activates many of the same neural pathways as experiencing them again. The nervous system begins to regulate, this is not fantasy, but it's physiology.

Athletes use this principle through visualization. Musicians mentally rehearse performances before stepping on stage. Elite performers revisit prior wins to stabilize their confidence before major events. They are not ignoring past failures, but choosing which internal state to strengthen. Memory becomes rehearsal.

If you dwell repeatedly on struggle, your nervous system rehearses tension. If you dwell on triumph, your nervous system rehearses capability. The body responds accordingly, posture changes, breathing deepens, and decision making sharpens. Place yourself in a resourceful state by remembering who you have already been.

Think of a time when you solved something complex. Recall when someone acknowledged your excellence. Return to the version of yourself who executed with discipline and calm. That version still exists within you. Memory simply reactivates it.

Too often we meditate on setbacks, replaying failures as though they define our identity. Obstacles deserve lessons, but they do not deserve permanent residence. Success deserves rehearsal as well. Remember the times you felt aligned with purpose. Remember the rooms you once prayed to enter. Remember the version of you that handled pressure with poise.

Those memories are not nostalgia, they are evidence, and this strengthens belief. When you train your mind to recall empowerment instead of defeat, you are not living in the past. You are conditioning your present, and that shift alone can change everything.