Matt

Will I remember this?

Will this make a memory?

That’s my simplicity in action: a question, big and bold, that I stop, breathe and answer when I find myself at the doorstep of any decision.

A few months back, I set myself on a mission. I wanted to answer one question: “what does it mean to live well?” After hemming and hawwing a bit, coming up with fancy formulas and a dozen different ways to try and maximize my happiness, I realized the answer had been pretty simple all along.

A life well-lived is a life rich with memories. Good or bad, these experiences shape our time on this planet, and—more often than not, I’d say—bring out a small smile when all the dust has settled.

The realization surprised me. I’d been chasing happiness but ignoring a simple truth: we can’t always control what life throws at us. We can’t always control how we’ll feel, too, any day of the week. And that thought lead to the next: maybe happiness alone wasn’t the whole picture.

Maybe I need the full spectrum of emotions. Maybe I don’t have to be happy all the time. Maybe I just need to try — to put the effort in each day to grow, learn, and give back to a world that has given me so much to begin with.

In other words, maybe I just need to try to make memories with every day I get. That’s the rich life I mentioned above, and that’s the realization that has slowly come to shape how I approach my daily routine.

When I want to buy something, now, I stop and ask the question. When I want to do something—anything, big or small—I stop and ask the question. If the answer is yes, I’ll dive right in. If the answer is no, I might dive in regardless — but I’ll do so knowing that I chose to, and knowing that I’m still giving a little more care and attention to how I spend my days than ever before.

“Will I remember this?”

It’s a simple question. Why not try and ask it yourself?

You don’t have to do it every time. (No one needs to be perfect!) But try and ask yourself, next time, whether that thing you want to do/buy/enjoy will stick with you longer than the time it takes to do/buy/enjoy it — whether it even has a chance of lasting a lifetime.

Most things don’t.

That’s why I started the Make Every Day Count project. I’ve compiled a list of 100 actions (memory-makers, I like to call them) that I’m working through, and I’m trying to flesh out my memory banks as I go.

And that’s why for day one of the project—#001, Take a Chance—I decided to do something a little different. You might even call it a little reckless. I decided to give up my upcoming 25th birthday to try and buy a school bus for the students of Kopila Valley, these children who walk sometimes up to five hours daily to and from school.

The idea terrified me. The challenge ahead nearly stopped the thought in its tracks. But I paused, breathed, and realized that no matter how this crazy goal pans out, I’ll come away with something special: a memory. Based on these early days alone, it’s one I’ll never forget.

When you look at it like that, the decision is pretty simple.

I want to live well. I want to live simply. Choosing memories might be the easiest way to do both.

Listan

1. #001: Take a chance
2. #002: Treat yourself
3. #003: Read your favorite book from your childhood
4. #004: Cook a brand-spanking new recipe
5. #005: Watch the sunrise
6. #006: Leave a gift on someone’s doorstep
7. #007: Treat someone to your favorite restaurant
8. #008: Call an old friend
9. #009: Climb to the highest point in your city
10. #010: Enjoy breakfast in bed
11. #011: Write a thank-you note
12. #012: Navigate a foreign market (and come home with something new)
13. #013: Play on the swings
14. #014: Listen to an entire album straight
15. #015: Host a board game night
16. #016: Spend some time at an animal shelter
17. #017: Crank your speakers up *real* loud
18. #018: Invent your own holiday
19. #019: Share a proper family meal
20. #020: Explore your family tree
21. #021: Face a fear
22. #022: Celebrate a friend-iversary
23. #023: Take a (cheap!) class
24. #024: Walk barefoot in the grass
25. #025: Hand-write a letter to someone you love
26. #026: Forget your phone for an entire day
27. #027: Clean up your workspace
28. #028: Spend an afternoon in a library
29. #029: Completely change one of your age-old routines
30. #030: Go on a date
31. #031: Send a postcard
32. #032: Make a blanket fort
33. #033: Host a movie marathon
34. #034: Strike one thing off your bucket list
35. #035: Take a tour of your own city
36. #036: Play hide and go seek (children optional!)
37. #037: Take a weekend trip
38. #038: Write a letter of thanks to an old teacher
39. #039: Send flowers to a stranger at a hospital
40. #040: Spend an entire day with your family
41. #041: Take a long, long bath
42. #042: Let go
43. #043: Make a snack you absolutely loved as a kid
44. #044: Learn one silly dance move
45. #045: Just say yes
46. #046: Volunteer at a farm
47. #047: Plant something
48. #048: Surprise some strangers with happy notes
49. #049: Ask for help
50. #050: Ask if youcan help
51. #051: Volunteer to help build a house
52. #052: Orchestrate a water balloon fight
53. #053: Walk/run/swim a marathon
54. #054: Take a 48-hour digital sabbatical
55. #055: Buy some food or drink for someone in need
56. #056: Join a flash mob
57. #057: Relive an old memory
58. #058: Have a picnic
59. #059: Go dancing
60. #060: Pick a random day from the list
61. #061: Keep a journal (even if just for one day!)
62. #062: Host a dinner party
63. #063: Volunteer at a homeless shelter
64. #064: Sneak a happy note in a book
65. #065: Find your secret place
66. #066: Take an early, early morning walk
67. #067: Photograph one flower and learn everything about it
68. #068: Watch a community play
69. #069: Go camping (even in your backyard)
70. #070: Watch the sunset
71. #071: Take some time to learn about a family member’s past
72. #072: Treat a friend to a coffee date
73. #073: Dive deep into a historic part of your city
74. #074: Play with a favorite toy from your childhood
75. #075: Get lost (on purpose!)
76. #076: Take a hike
77. #077: Apologize (even if you’re in the right)
78. #078: Leave a gift for your postman
79. #079: Read a book you’ve always wanted to read
80. #080: Try a new kind of cuisine
81. #081: Spend an afternoon at the park
82. #082: Make someone’s (secret!) wish come true
83. #083: Build something
84. #084: Say something incredibly kind to someone
85. #085: Donate a book with a hand-written message scrawled inside
86. #086: Paint a picture
87. #087: Start learning a new skill
88. #088: Spend an evening with your neighbors
89. #089: Find one way to act like one of your heroes
90. #090: Cook an old family recipe (with the family member who shared it)
91. #091: Spend some time at a local shop
92. #092: Go for an early morning swim
93. #093: Write a poem (especially a bad one)
94. #094: Play hooky from work
95. #095: Track down a 4 leaf clover
96. #096: Play in the rain
97. #097: Write yourself a letter that you’ll read one year later
98. #098: Take a shot
99. #099: Make a veryspecial scrapbook
100. #100: ??? (You’ll have to wait and see!)