Work it Baby! The old adage "use it or lose it" is just as true for memory as in other areas. If you want to improve your memory, you need to give it a "work out" on a daily basis in order to have it available and at its best for you. If you have been feeding your mind limiting thoughts about your memory, you might have convinced yourself that those limitations are real. You might have found other ways to compensate for what you believed about your memory, or you might have stopped depending on it altogether, and as a result are not giving your wonderful memory the practice it needs in order to stay in tip top shape. It's time to take it back out of the box and start actively using it again. If you still have limiting beliefs about your memory running rampant, you might want to review Part 1 of this series. As with starting any new practice or skill, when starting to improve your memory by reengaging it, start small. Remembering a shopping list of 4 items without writing them down is reasonable, trying to remember a shopping list of 40 items without writing them down or using a pneumonic is an unreasonable request on your memory, and is likely to defeat the purpose of putting you in touch with how wonderful your memory actually is. It's a good idea to take baby steps. Take a small step, then recognize your accomplishment. Take another small step, experience another small success. One of the best ways to improve memory is to experience and recognize a series of small victories, and build on each one. As you begin to appreciate your mind's incredible genius potential, your memory will continue to become stronger and stronger, and serve you better and better. It may not seem like much, but even small memory exercises, such as remembering lists or closing your eyes and remembering how many people around you on the train are wearing a certain color, can keep your memory muscle flexed and ready for action. The best way to improve your memory is to continuously use it. Here's to your success! Copyright 2005-2006 by Teresa Bolen. All rights reserved. |
