If asked how good you are at remembering the name of a person you just met, would you give yourself a perfect score, or admit it’s not your strongest quality?
Don’t feel too badly, because the truth is that even if your best friend doesn’t need a grocery list to remember all the items she need to purchase, or never forgets a face or name of anyone she meets, most people can’t. That’s because, just like your local politician or news anchor who routinely reads off of a script or teleprompter when on the air, most of us aren’t born with the ability to remember random bits of information off the top of our head—but that doesn’t mean you can’t develop this useful talent with some practice.
Ask yourself if any of the following has happened to you:
- You just read a funny joke, but when you try to tell it, you miss the main concept and go straight for the punch line. As a result, your joke bombs, leaving you utterly embarrassed!
- You remember faces, but not names! It never fails … you have to ask what a person’s name is just moments after they’ve told you.
- You’ve spent hours going over the questions and answers for your upcoming biology exam, but when it comes time to take the test, you can’t remember what you’ve spent so much time trying to learn!
- You’re trying to close a deal with a very important client, which you could do—if only you could remember your company’s impressive statistics!
Having a photographic memory—which is the ability to vividly remember things, people, places and facts—is often something people are born with. If you weren’t, though, and remembering random bits of information is something you’re dying to achieve, there’s good news on the horizon!
You can teach yourself how to crank up your memory and use it in a new, amazing way.
Here are two simple steps to achieving a mind-blowing memory—both of which you can use today to help improve your recall ability by tomorrow!
Step One: Believe It to Achieve It
When you really want something—a new car, a better-paying job, or a photographic memory—how do you expect to get it when you don’t really believe you can? Just like with anything worth having in your life, achieving a photographic memory requires a belief that with some practice, nothing is out of the scope of possibility.
It’s crucial to realize that achieving a photographic memory isn’t just possible, it’s easy to do. Affirmations are a great way to get you primed, ready and accepting of the idea that you already have the ability to improve your mind’s power to remember. Start every morning off with an affirmation, such as “My memory gets better every day, and whenever I need to, I’m able to effortlessly recall places, people and events!”
Step Two: Focus on Imagery, Not Repetition
Unfortunately for those of us who weren’t born with a photographic memory, we were taught grueling study practices in school. New languages, vocabulary and complex mathematical equations were only learned through repetition (and by using hundreds of flash cards to land the grade!).
If you’re serious about achieving a photographic memory, start flexing your imagination muscle! Practice using imagery to remember a person, place or thing and you’ll immediately see amazing results.
So, for example, if you have a list of random facts such as: 1) bat; 2) cowboy hat; 3) laughing little girl; 4) gun; 5) shoe, and you want to learn how to remember this list in order as it appears above, then create a vivid image of each in your mind.
What does that bat look like? What color is that cowboy hat?
What kind of laugh does that little girl have—a cackle or a roaring laughter? What kind of gun do you see? What style of shoe do you see, and who is the designer?
When you focus on imagery, you can vastly increase your chances of remembering random lists! The more you practice and (here’s the key) the more vivid your image for each item on your list becomes, the stronger your ability to recall anything and everything! When you equate each person, thing or place with an image, a photographic memory does truly become effortless—with a fulfilling life to show for it!
So, what are you waiting for?
Amaze others, and most importantly, amaze yourself with the ability to read books while remembering every tiny detail of what you’ve read, remember people’s phone numbers without having to search through your contact list, or tell jokes like a pro!
Your mind is truly the most powerful tool at your disposal, and when you put your attention and focus on improving your photographic memory, you’ll see, feel, experience, and best of all, remember everything in your life as you’re meant to—clearly!