Page 31 - How to Develop A SUPER-POWER MEMORY

Interest in Memory 35
tain. 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 won-
derful memory," or, "I'll remember this easily," you're
plugging up one of those holes.
A lot of people I know, invariably ask me why they
can't remember a thing, even though they write down every-
thing 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. How-
ever, 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