Live your life like a movie – Create a beautiful life

Life is like a movie recording

The camera records new experiences to tell your story. Routine and predictable events are edited out to save memory space. If you live an ordinary life, your life’s movie may be short. If you live an extraordinary life, full of novelty and challenges, your movie is more like the director’s extended cut.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

You have brains in your head

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself

Any direction you choose

Change your perception of time

My thoughts are shared by Dr David Eagleman, a neuroscientist fascinated by how the brain perceives the passage of time and memory.

His studies indicate that your brain is less likely to lay down memories if you’re bored and not paying attention. For example, have you ever been driving and suddenly realised that you’ve arrived at your destination but with very little recall of how you got there?

Conversely, if you’re excited or in a risky situation, time may seem to slow down. An event that took 5 seconds seems to stretch to 10 seconds or more. This is because your brain is capturing as much information as possible to lay down memories so it can richly analyse past outcomes. This is what I refer to as making my life’s movie.

Many of us follow the same routine every day. We go to work, come home, sleep, get up and do it all over again. This kind of daily pattern seldom triggers your brain to record these events in any great detail and as a result, they are often edited out of your life’s movie.

How many new experiences did you have last year?

And the year before that?

Life is one big holiday

Since we moved to Scotland from Australia in 2016, our life has slowed right down – in a good way.

It feels like we have lived 10 years in the last 3 years.

Every day has brought with it new experiences, some good, others not so much. But we have continued to learn and to stretch. We’ve become flexible and responsive to whatever life throws at us.

• We live intuitively. We can feel the invisible hand of the Universe guide our way.
• We trust our instinct as it leads us on our journey to a beautiful life. And we are grateful for the lessons along the way.
• Our mind, body and spirit are alert to interpret the world around us.
• Our daily experiences have become vivid, beautiful memories that extend our perception of time.

Change and Circumstance

I appreciate that not everyone thinks and feels this way.

Some days I wonder what it is all for. But for at least 350 days a year, I am super grateful for my life as it is.

For more than 20 years, my husband and I have dreamed of living overseas, specifically in the UK. In 2016, we decided to do it finally. To start over and move to the other side of the world with our two sons. We gave away or sold most of our possessions, in exchange for the opportunity to experience a new, more memorable life. More importantly, we will soon give our children the legacy of dual Australian-British citizenship.

It is a mindset. It is also circumstantial. Many people continue to struggle with daily life without a positive change in their personal circumstances and without the love and support of others. For many, finding the light in their lives in the darkness can be difficult.

I get that. And I’m here to say that I believe we’re each here for a reason and until that is achieved, we can make a difference in the world and in the lives of others, in our own unique way.

Paying it forward

We can all help change lives by simply being. Care for your loved ones. Listen to your friends. Look out for your workmates. Speak with strangers. It all matters. I have made positive changes in my life by listening to stories shared by others both less and more fortunate than myself. You can too.

Have you thought of how you can give your time, money, energy and love to others? Did you know that there are nearly 25,000 charities in Scotland – from community groups and care providers to animal welfare and environmental groups?

I hope that by sharing my experiences and thoughts, I can provide inspiration and support to others. In particular, I love reaching out to others who want to move to Scotland and the UK.

My greatest reward is when I get messages and emails from readers who share their own stories and personal experiences with me – both before they leave and after they take a leap of faith to reinvent themselves in another country. I’m one of their biggest cheerleaders.

I also like to think that some of the locals gain a greater appreciation of this beautiful part of the world we live in. I thank them for being so welcoming to my family and me on our Northern Hemisphere adventure.

I proudly call Glasgow home.

#auswegian

So what are you waiting for?

Quiet on set!

Roll sound.

Roll camera.

Action!