Elephants Have Long Memories. So Should You.

As far as favourite pets go, for me, it was probably my orca whale. In a modest neighbourhood where I grew up, for some reason, we had an indoor pool. It was in that space where I used to practice tricks with my pet orca whale. She may have been plastic, but did we ever have a bond. Orca whales are still my favourite mammal. Gorgeous creatures who teach us so much about family, collaboration, and love. When I step out of the ocean and look to land I then gaze my eyes on another creature that provides more lessons about life. The elephant. Big, bold and potentially deathly yet peaceful, familial-driven and the quintessential thinker. "An elephant never forgets," as the saying goes. Indeed the elephant teaches us a lesson. Is it true? Well, yes. Numerous studies and science-backed research prove elephants possess the ability to recall events, smells, locations and even predators or enemies from years past. Which brings us back to being human. When something goes well in your life, we need to remember the intricacies of a) why it went well and b) how that event or process may be replayed again later in life. It is critically important not to forget what worked, and the positive learnings that came from your success. But then there are the times in your life when things do not go well. Perhaps it's a mistake you've made. Maybe something went sideways during a project. What if there was an individual who went after you, aiming to make your life miserable through Machiavellian methods. It is equally important to remember how you felt when the situation unfolded. Embrace the emotions, the tears, the fits of rage, the anger. Recall how devastated you appeared. That visceral, gnawing sensation percolating through your bones and blood is not to be forgotten. Use it. Harbour it. Taste it. Get your revenge on your mistake, your issue, or whoever did what they did to you. But take your time. Do not overreact. Do not submit a knee-jerk reaction. Put it in the memory bank, let it marinate, and use it to your advantage later in life. For you are the elephant. Skin like leather, coupled with a memory that never forgets.