It’s amazing how sights, sounds and smells from the past can send us swirling back into the memories of a certain époque, isn’t it?
That’s what happened to me the other night when I heard a song from my youth (“Misfit” by a group called “Curiosity Killed the Cat”). All the memories came rushing back to me in a flash: the excitement, the laughter, the chatting, the dancing….
So this is what I want to give you today: the possibility of a virtual nostalgia trip back to your teenage years. A time when you were perhaps carefree, crazy, a little contradictory and probably constantly with friends…
In fact, I’m going to ask you to create a “Nostalgia Reality Bubble”. A bit like your very own reality TV show, except that you’ll be the only one watching it… in your head.
To give you some ideas, I’ll share with you some of my memories – maybe we’ll have similar ones!
As my teenage years spawned the late 80’s and early 90s, I’m going to ask you to grab your Walkman (do you even know what that is?) and get ready to go back in time!
My Nostalgia Bubble:
- Albums: “Erotica” by Madonna, “Faith” by George Michael, “Whitney” by Whitney Houston…
- Songs: “Vogue” by Madonna, “Kiss” & “Alphabet Street” by Prince, “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode, “Gonna Make You Sweat” by C&C Music Factory…
- Concerts: watching the all-day Live Aid Concert on TV, seeing A-ha and Duran Duran at Liverpool Empire Theatre…
- Making my own song playlists off the radio! – How about making a playlist of your favorite songs off youtube?
- Movies: Back to the Future, Dirty Dancing, Die Hard, The Lost Boys, Top Gun, The Breakfast Club, True Romance, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off… – How about spending an afternoon watching some old movies?
- Fashion (80s): big hair, power suits (think “Miami Vice”), shoulder pads, bright neon colors, swatch watches, leg warmers, jelly shoes, slogan tee-shirts (I had one with “Oh!” on it, don’t ask me why!)…
- TV: Dallas & Dynasty, Top of the Pops, Baywatch, Beverly Hills 90210…
- Fitness: cheesy workout videos (Cindy Crawford, Jane Fonda…)
- Society: Princess Diana’s wedding, rollerblades, the rise of the Internet…
- …
What about you? Can you relate to any of my bubble?
Now I’d like you to make your own Bubble.
Because feeling nostalgic is a cozy, warm feeling.
It’s not about regret but more about triggering great memories and savoring those good times in your head.
And you know what?
It’s also a handy communication tool to connect with other people.
The word that connects:
With just one word, you can help people resonate with a shared memory you have and they’ll feel more connected to you.
That one word is “Remember”.
- Remember “Grunge” music?
- Remember those “Brat Pack” movies?
- Remember how everyone was listening to Nirvana?
Now, let’s bring this all together and apply it to a specific situation.
Imagine you’re doing a presentation or having to communicate in some way on “change” in your company.
- First of all, you’d ask yourself what your audience most needs to hear and what you want your audience to know/believe/do.
- For example, you know they need to feel reassured about the extent that the change will affect their daily working life.
- Maybe you’d like them to know that it won’t add more work to their schedule, believe that it will be a benefit for them and that they support the idea.
- Then, to help them feel that shift in mindset, you could move into a shared happy memory of the last time a change was made and how well it went, starting with “Remember ….”.
Happy future nostalgia!!
Photos courtesy of unsplash.com