Interest In Memory-2

A lot of people I know, invariably ask me why they
can't remember a thing, even though they write down everything
they wish to remember. Well, that's like asking why
they can't swim well, even though they tie a twenty pound
stone around their necks. The very fact that they do write
it, is probably why they forget; or rather, why they didn't
remember in the first place. As far as I'm concerned, the
phrase, "I forgot" should not be in the language. It should
be, "I didn't remember in the first place."
You cannot forget anything you ever really remembered.
If you were to write things down with the intent of aiding
your memory, or with the conscious thought of helping you
to be exact with the information, that would be fine. However,
using pencil and paper as a substitute for memory
(which most people do), is certainly not going to improve
it. Your handwriting may improve, or the speed of your
writing might improve, but your memory will get worse through neglect and non-use. You see, you usually write
things down only because you refuse or are too lazy to take
the slight effort or time to remember. Oliver Wendell
Holmes put it this way: "A man must get a thing before
he can forget it."
Please keep in mind that the memory likes to be trusted.
The more you trust it the more reliable and useful it will
become. Writing everything down on paper without trying
to remember, is going against all the basic rules for a
stronger and better memory. You're not trusting your memory;
you haven't the confidence in your memory; you're not
exercising the memory, and your interest is not strong
enough to retain it, if you must write it down. Remember
that you can always lose your paper or notebook, but not
your mind. If I may be allowed a small attempt at humor,
if you do lose your mind, it doesn't matter much if you
remember or not, does it?
Seriously, if you are interested in remembering, if you
have confidence that you will remember, you have no need
to write everything down. How many parents continually
complain that their children have terrible memories, because
they can't remember their school work, and consequently
get poor marks? Yet, some of these same children
can remember the batting averages of every baseball player
in the major leagues. They know all the rules of baseball; or
who made what great play in what year for which team, etc.
If they can remember these facts and figures so easily and
so well, why can't some of them retain their lessons at
school? Only because they are more interested in baseball
than they are in algebra, history, geography and other
school subjects.
The problem is not with their memories, but with their
lack of interest. The proof of the pudding is in the fact that
most children excel in at least one particular subject, even though they have poor marks in all the others. If a student
has a good memory for one subject, he is a good student in
that subject. If he can't remember, or has a poor memory
in that subject, he will be a poor student in that subject.
It's as simple as that. However, this proves that the student
does have a good memory for things that he likes, or is
interested in.
Many of you who went through High School had to take
a foreign language or two. Do you still remember these
languages? I doubt it. If you've travelled in foreign countries,
or to places where they speak these particular languages,
you've wished many times that you had paid more
attention in shcool. Of course, if you knew that you were
going to travel to these places, when you were in school,
you would have been interested in learning the language;
you would have wanted to do so. You'd have been amazed
to find how much better your marks would have been. I
know that this is true in my case. If I had known then that
I would want to know these languages, I'd have learned
and/or remembered much more easily. Unfortunately, I
didn't have a trained memory then.
Many women will complain that their memories are
atrocious, and that they can't remember a thing. These
same women will describe and remember in detail what a
lady friend was wearing when they met weeks ago. They
usually can spot another woman in a car travelling up to
forty miles an hour, and tell you what she's wearing; the
colors, her style of hairdo; whether the hair was natural or
bleached, and the woman's approximate age!
They'll probably even know how much money this
woman had. This, of course, goes out of the realm of memory
and starts to touch on psychic powers. The important
thing, the thing that I have been trying to stress in this
chapter, is that interest is of great importance to memory.If you can remember things that you are interested in to
such a tremendous degree, it proves that you do have a
good memory. It also proves that if you were as interested
in other things, you would be able to remember them just
as well.
The thing to do is to make up your mind that you will
be interested in remembering names, faces, dates, figures,
facts—anything; and that you will have confidence in your
ability to retain them. This, alone, without the actual systems
and methods of associations in this book, will improve
your memory to a noticeable degree. With the systems of
association as an aid to your true memory, you are on your
way to an amazingly remarkable and retentive memory.

Interest in Memory-1

The true art of memory is the art of attention.
—Samuel Johnson

please read the following paragraph very carefully:—
You are driving a bus which contains fifty people. The bus
makes one stop and ten people get off, while three people get on.
At the next stop seven people get off the bus, and two people
get on. There are two more stops at which four passengers get
off each time, and three fares get on at one stop, and none at
the other. At this point, the bus has to stop because of mechanical
trouble. Some of the passengers are in a hurry and decide to
walk. So eight people get off the bus. When the mechanical
trouble is taken care of, the bus goes to the last stop, and the
rest of the people get off.
Now, without re-reading the paragraph, see if you can
answer two questions about it. I feel pretty sure that if I
asked you to tell me how many people were left on the
bus, or how many got off the bus at the last stop, you would
have the answer immediately. However, one of the questions
I want you to answer is:— How many stops did the
bus make altogether?
I may be wrong, but I don't think that many of you can
answer this question. The reason, of course, is that you all
felt sure that the question I would ask, after you read the paragraph, would pertain to the amount of people. Therefore
you gave your attention to the amount of people that
were getting on and off the bus. You were interested in the
amount of people. In short, you wanted to know or remember
how many people would be left on the bus. Since you
didn't think that the number of stops was important, you
didn't pay much attention to that. You weren't interested
in the amount of stops, therefore they didn't register in
your mind at all, and you didn't remember them.
However, if some of you did feel that the amount of stops
was important or if you felt you would be questioned on
that particular point; then you surely did know the answer
to my first question, or remembered the number of stops
that the bus made. Again, simply because you were interested
or wanted to know that particular information.
If you feel elated because you did answer my question;
don't. Because I doubt if you will answer the second one.
good friend of mine who is employed at Grossingers, a large
resort hotel, at which I perform quite often, uses this in his
afternoon quizzes. I know that a very small percentage of
the guests ever answer this correctly, if at all. Without looking
at that first paragraph again, you're to answer this question:—
What is the bus driver's name?
As I said, I doubt if any of you can answer this correctly,
if at all. Actually, this is more of a trick question on observation
than it is a memory test. I use it here only to impress
upon you the importance of interest in memory. Had I told
you before you read that "bus" story, that I would ask for
the driver's name—you would have been interested in the
name. You'd have wanted to notice and remember it.
Even so, it is sort of a tricky question, and you may not
have been observant enough to be able to answer it. This,
incidentally, is a principle that many professional magicians
have been using for years. It is called "misdirection." It simply means that the important move in a trick, the move
that actually is the "modus operandi," is kept in the background.
Or, it is covered with another move, one that has
nothing to do with the trick, but which you are led to believe
is the important move. This is the move that you will
observe and remember. The one that actually worked the
trick is not even noticed, and that is why you are completely
fooled. Most people, when describing a magician's trick,
will make the effect so impossible that if the magician himself
were listening, he wouldn't believe it. Only because
they leave out the all important move in their description.
Aside from "box" tricks, or tricks that mechanically work
themselves, magicians would have a tough time fooling
their audiences if it weren't for the art of "misdirection."
Well, I "misdirected" you by making you think I was
going to ask about one thing, and then I asked about something
you didn't even notice. I guess I've kept you in suspense
long enough. You probably are anxious to know the
answer to my second question. Well, actually the first word
of the paragraph tells you who the driver is. The first word
of the paragraph is, "you." The correct answer to the question,
"What is the bus driver's name?", is your own name!
You were driving the bus. Try this one on your friends and
see how few of them can answer it correctly.
As I've said, this is more of an observation test than a
memory test. But memory and observation do go hand in
hand. You cannot possibly remember anything you do not
observe; and it is extremely difficult to observe or remember
anything that you do not want to remember, or that you
are not interested in remembering.
This, of course, leads to an obvious memory rule. If you
want to improve your memory immediately, force yourself
to want to remember. Force yourself to be interested
enough to observe anything you want to remember or retain. I say, "force yourself," because at first a little effort
may be necessary; however in an amazingly short time,
you'll find that there is no effort at all required to make
yourself want to remember anything. The fact that you
are reading this book, is your first forward step. You
wouldn't be reading it if you didn't want to remember,
or if you weren't interested in improving your memory.
"Without motivation there can hardly be remembrance."
Aside from intending to remember, confidence that you
will remember is also helpful. If you tackle any memory
problem with the thought, "I will remember"; more often
than not, you will. Think of your memory as a sieve. Each
time that you feel or say, "I have an awful memory," or,
"I'll never be able to remember this," you put another hole
in the sieve. If, on the other hand, you say, "I have a wonderful
memory," or, "I'll remember this easily," you're
plugging up one of those holes.

Habit Is Memory

I feel assured that there is no such thing as ultimate forgetting;
traces once impressed upon the memory are indestructible.
—Thomas De Quincey

An accurate and retentive memory is the basis of all business success. In the last analysis,all our knowledge is based on our memories. Plato said it this way, "All knowledge is but remembrance"; while Cicero said of memory, it is "the treasury and guardian of all things." One strong example should suffice for the time being—you could not be reading this blog right now, if you didn't remember the sounds of
the twenty-six letters of our alphabet!
This may seem a bit far fetched to you, but it is true, nevertheless. Actually, if you were to lose your memory completely, you would have to start learning everything
from scratch, just like a new born baby. You wouldn't remember
how to dress, or shave, or apply your makeup, or how to drive your car, or whether to use a knife or fork, etc. You see, all the things we attribute to habit, should be
attributed to memory.Habit is memory.Mnemonics, which is a large part of a trained memory,is not a new or strange thing. As a matter of fact, the word,
"mnemonic" is derived from the name of the Greek God-dess, Mnemosyne; and, memory systems were used as far back as early Greek civilization. The strange thing is that
trained memory systems are not known and used by many more people. Most of those who have learned the secret of mnemonics in memory, have been amazed, not only at
their own tremendous ability to remember, but also at the kudos they received from their families and friends.Some of them decided it was too good a thing to teach to
anyone else. Why not be the only man at the office who could remember every style number and price; why not be the only one who could get up at a party, and demonstrate something that everyone marveled at?I,on the other hand, feel that trained memories should be brought to the foreground, and to this end—this book
is dedicated. Although some of you may know me as an entertainer, it is not my purpose, of course, to teach you a memory act. I have no desire to put you on the stage. I do want to teach you the wonderful practical uses of a trained
memory. There are many memory stunts taught in this
blog; these are fine for showing your friends how bright you are. More important, they are excellent memory exercises,and the ideas used in all the stunts can be applied practically.The question that people ask me most often, is, "Isn't it
confusing to remember too much?" My answer to that is,"No!" There is no limit to the capacity of the memory.Lucius Scipio was able to remember the names of all the
people of Rome; Cyrus was able to call every soldier in his army by name; while Seneca could memorize and repeat two thousand words, after hearing them once.
I believe that the more you remember, the more you can remember. The memory, in many ways, is like a muscle. A muscle must be exercised and developed in order to give
proper service and use; so must the memory. The difference is that a muscle can be over trained or become musclebound while the memory cannot. You can be taught to have a trained memory just as you can be taught anything else. As a matter of fact, it is much easier to attain a trained memory than, say, to learn to play a musical instrument. If you can read and write English, and have a normal amount
of common sense, and if you read and study this book, you will have acquired a trained memory! Along with the trained memory you will probably acquire a greater power of concentration, a purer sense of observation, and perhaps,
a stronger imagination.Remember please, that there is no such thing as a bad
memory! This may come as a shock to those of you who have used your supposedly "bad" memories as an excuse for years. But, I repeat, there is no such thing as a bad memory.There are only trained or untrained memories. Almost all untrained memories are one-sided. That is to say that people who can remember names and faces, cannot remember telephone numbers, and those who remember phone numbers.can't, for the life of them, remember the names of the people they wish to call.There are those who have a pretty good retentive memory, but a painfully slow one; just as there are some who
can remember things quickly, but cannot retain them for any length of time. If you apply the systems and methods taught in this book, I can assure you a quick and retentive memory for just about anything.
As I mentioned in the previous chapter, anything you
wish to remember must in some way or other,be associatedin your mind to something you already know or remember.Of course, most of you will say that you have
remembered, or do remember, many things, and that you
do not associate them with anything else. Very true! If you were associating knowingly, then you would already have the beginnings of a trained memory.
You see, most of the things you have ever remembered,have been associated subconsciously with something else that you already knew or remembered. The important word here, is, "subconsciously." You yourselves do not realize
what is going on in your subconscious; most of us would be frightened if we did. What you subconsciously associated strongly, will be remembered, what was not associated strongly, will be forgotten. Since this tiny mental calisthenic
takes place without your knowledge, you cannot help it any.Here then is the crux of the matter—I am going to teach you to associate anything you want to, consciously! When you have learned to do that, you will have acquired a
trained memory!Keep in mind that the system that I teach in this blog
is an aid to your normal or true memory. It is your true memory that does the work for you, whether you realize it or not. There is a very thin line between a trained memory and the true memory, and as you continue to use the system taught here, that line will begin to fade. That is the wonderful part about the whole thing; after
using my system consciously for a while—it becomes automatic
and you almost start doing it subconsciously.

How Keen Is Your Observation-3

read How Keen Is Your Observation-2

It is probably many years since you learned the jinglet
"Thirty days hath September, April, June and November,
all the rest have thirty-one, etc.," but how many times have
you relied on it when it was necessary to know the number
of days in a particular month?
If you were ever taught to remember the nonsense word,
"vibgyor," or the nonsense name, "Roy B. Giv," then you
still remember the colors of the spectrum: Red, Orange,
Yellow, Blue, Green, Indigo and Violet. This again is the
association and initial system.
I am sure that many times you have seen or heard something
which made you snap your fingers, and say, "Oh, that
reminds me. . . ." You were made to remember something
by the thing you saw or heard, which usually had no obvious
connection to the thing you remembered. However,
in your mind, the two things were associated in some way.
This was a subconscious association. Right now, I am pointing
out a few examples of conscious associations at work;
and they certainly do work. People who have forgotten
many things that they learned in their early grades, still
remember the spaces and lines of the treble clef. If yon
have read this chapter so far, concentrating as you read,
you should know them by now, even if you've never studied
music.
One of the best examples I know, is the one which was
a great help to me in my early grade spelling classes. We
were being taught that the word, "believe" was spelled with
the e following the i. In order to help us to commit this to
memory, we were told to remember a short sentence,
"Never believe a lie."
This is a perfect instance of a conscious association. I
know for a fact that many adults still have trouble spelling,
"believe." They are never quite sure if the i is first, or if it
is the e. The spelling of the word, "believe" was the new
thing to remember. The word, "lie" is a word we all already
knew how to spell. None of the students that heard that
little sentence, ever again misspelled the word, "believe."
Do you have trouble spelling the word, "piece"? If you do,
just remember the phrase, "piece of pie." This phrase will
always tell you how to spell, "piece."
Can you draw anything that resembles the map of England,
from memory? How about China, Japan or Czechoslovakia?
You probably can't draw any of these. If I had
mentioned Italy, ninety percent of you would have immediately
seen a picture of a boot in your mind's eye. Is that
right? If you did, and if you draw a boot, you will have the
approximate outline of the map of Italy.
Why did this picture appear in your mind's eye? Only
because, at one time or another, perhaps many years ago,
you either heard or noticed that the map of Italy resembled
a boot. The shape of Italy, of course, was the new thing to
remember; the boot was the something we already knew
and remembered.
You can see that simple conscious associations helped
you memorize abstract information like the above examples
very easily. The initial system that I mentioned earlier, can
be used to help you memorize many things. For example,
if you wanted to remember the names of the Dionne quintuplets,
you could try to remember the word, "macey." This
would help you to recall that the girls' names are, Marie,
Annette, Cecile, Emilie and Yvonne.
There's only one thing wrong with this idea in its present
stage. There is nothing to make you remember that the
word, "macey" is connected with the Dionne quintuplets,
or vice versa.

How Keen Is Your Observation-2

read How Keen Is Your Observation-1

Don't feel too badly if you couldn't answer any of these
questions; as I said before, most people can't. You may
recall a motion picture a few years ago which starred Ronald
Colman, Celeste Holm and Art Linkletter. The picture
was "Champagne for Caesar," and it was about a man who
couldn't be stumped with any question on a quiz show.
The finale of the film was the last question of the quiz,
which was worth some millions of dollars. To earn these
millions, Ronald Colman was asked to give his own social
security number. Of course, he didn't know it! This was
amusing and interesting, to me, anyway, since it struck
home. It proves, doesn't it, that people see but do not observe?
Incidentally, do you know your social security number?
Although the systems and methods contained in this
book make you observe automatically, you will find some
interesting observation exercises in a later chapter. The system
will also make you use your imagination with more
facility than ever before.
I've taken the time and space to talk about observation
because it is one of the things important to training your
memory. The other, and more important thing, is association.
We cannot possibly remember anything that we do not observe. After something is observed, either by sight or
hearing, it must, in order to be remembered, be associated
in our minds with, or to, something we already know or remember.
Since you will observe automatically when using my system,
it is association with which we will mostly concern
ourselves.
Association, as pertaining to memory, simply means the
connecting or tying up of two (or more) things to each
other. Anything you manage to remember, or have managed
to remember, is only due to the fact that you have
subconsciously associated it to something else.
"Every Good Boy Does Fine." —Does that sentence
mean anything to you? If it docs, then you must have
studied music as a youngster. Almost every child that
studies music is taught to remember the lines of the music
staff or treble clef, by remembering, "Every Good Boy Docs
Fine."
I've already stressed the importance of association, and
I want to prove to you that you have used definite conscious
associations many times before, without even realizing
it. The letters, E, G, B, D and F don't mean a thing.
They are just letters, and difficult to remember. The sentence,
"Every Good Boy Does Fine" does have meaning,
and is something you know and understand. The new
thing, the thing you had to commit to memory was associated
with something you already knew.
The spaces of the music staff were committed to memory
with the same system; the initial system. If you remembered
the word, "face," you remembered that the
spaces on the staff are, F, A, C, and E. Again you associated
something new and meaningless to something you already
knew and to something that had meaning to you.

read more How Keen Is Your Observation-3