Great Memory

Many years ago I wrote an article on how to have great memory. I thought it would be great to share this with you as I am consulting with many who would like to improve this area of their life.

The only problem is, I've forgotten where I put it!

Good memory is something that is available to everyone - provided you do not have a medical condition that impairs it.

Nine ways to achieve a great memory:

1. Tell yourself you have great memory. Many say, "My memory is hopeless" and "I'm so forgetful". What you think becomes self-fulfilling. You will never disappoint yourself. To have great memory, you first have to see yourself achieving it.

2. Relax. Most people place themselves under pressure when they need to remember something. The more pressure you place yourself under, the less chance you have of remembering it. A good example is exams. People who place themselves under pressure generally have "their mind go blank".

3. Talk to yourself in terms of what you want. Instead of saying "I have forgotten". Say "Relax. The information is popping into my mind". When you have forgotten some-one's name, tell yourself this and your mind instantly begins a memory search. You will be surprised how well it works.

4. Place energy into that which you would like to remember. Many people, especially those involved in business, have too many things happening at the same time. If you are reading an article while someone is speaking with you, there is a great chance you will remember little about both. Too much is going on.

Good memory comes from giving that which you would like to remember your full attention.

5. Have repetition. You learnt your 5 times table through repetition. When I meet people for the first time, I constantly repeat their name verbally and under my breath.

6. Drink plenty of water. Water hydrates you and helps improve your memory. And No, alcohol does not count as water. Alcohol dehydrates your body and messes with your thinking. Other liquids to avoid include soft drinks (as they contain sugar) and caffeine.

7. Eat memory foods. According to Keith Lugton, a naturopath, the best brain foods are green vegetables (especially the ones that contain folic acid) and fish. The ones to avoid are junk foods and especially those high in sugar. Keith says beware of those foods that easily covert to sugar - like pasta and potatoes. 1 bowl of pasta is equivalent to a 7oz glass of sugar!

8. Take supplements. Some supplements can help with your memory. Keith says the main ones include fish oil, folic acid, a good multi-vitamin and Vitamin C with bioflavonoids. Herbs such as Gingko Biloba, Bacopa, Dotu Kola can enhance mental alertness, clarity and memory.

**Importantly, if you are taking any medication, please consult with your doctor before taking supplements as some may react with your medication.**

9. Hypnosis/meditation. I often use hypnosis with students who are about to sit exams to (i) alleviate the fear, pressure and tension, and (ii) give them great memory by placing suggestions in their subconscious that they will remember the information they have learnt.

The Number One Destroyer of Performance?

For the past two weeks I have been a keen viewer of the Olympic Games. I was interested for two main reasons:

* I'm a keen sports person and, as a schoolboy many years ago, I was lucky enough to go to a school that had us try as many sports as possible. This gave me a good knowledge on the skills that are required for each sport and allowed me to select the sports I loved. One such love was athletics.

* As I work in the self-development field, I'm keen to hear what motivates athletes and why they think they do well or why they perform poorly.
I noticed while most athletes had a great attitude before they competed, others began to feel the pressure.

This pressure may come from themselves, their team or their country. They feel, especially if they have performed well on the World stage previously, they have to perform well at the Olympics.

Pressure causes a person to "tighten up" physically and emotionally and their performance then suffers.

This can occur in your everyday life.


Do you place pressure on yourself to perform?

Do you place pressure on yourself to get things done?

Let me give you an excellent example of how this works. Imagine you are in a shopping mall and a person you met last week approaches you and says "Hello clive. We met last week". You remember their face but you can't remember their name.

You may well improvise and say "Yes, I remember. G'day Mate".

As the conversation continues, they constantly refer to you as "clive". You try as hard as you can to remember their name. It appears the harder you try, the less chance you have of remembering it.

Once the conversation ends and they walk away, you generally remember their name.

Why?

No pressure. You feel relaxed.

When you have to remember something, instead of putting pressure on yourself, tell yourself to relax. Tell yourself that what you need to remember will come to you quickly and easily.

If you have ever had your brain go blank during an exam, one reason this occurs is because you place pressure on yourself. Once you move onto another question, the answers to the previous questions come flooding in.

I have to say, this never happened to me in my final HSC Physics exam! Everything was blank - probably because I hadn't studied as much as I should and didn't know the answers!

Back to the Olympics. You may have noticed the athletes that performed well beyond expectation were often the ones who had nothing to lose (so there was no unreal expectations and no pressure).

One great example is Matthew Mitcham, the 20 year old Sydney diver who came from behind to win the 10 meter platform gold medal. To win the gold, he had to score over 108 points in his final dive. He achieved an Olympic first by scoring 112.10 points.

When asked what he was thinking just before his final dive, he said he told himself to enjoy the moment and to do his best.