Be Emotional

In Part 5 of this series, you explored the emotion of joy as a way to improve your memory. A strong emotional charge creates a much stronger link to the memories you store in your mind, and makes it very easy to retrieve them. For example, you probably remember your first kiss in great detail. Where you were, how old you were, who you kissed, etc. There is a strong connection between the strength of our emotions and our ability to remember something - the stronger the emotion something is tied to, the easier it is to remember. Therefore, you do yourself an enormous favor if you can be emotional about the topic.

As you know, your emotions can also wreak havoc on your ability to remember, so you need to choose and use your emotions carefully for this to fully work for you.

One of the most useful emotions is one of intense curiosity. The more intensely curious you can become, the more you will remember about your subject. Not only that, but by becoming curious, you tell your other-than-conscious mind to be on the look out for more relevant information about your topic.

It's like putting on a pair of glasses that makes things that were invisible to you suddenly visible. Your will recognize information and the essential info you need about your top will be drawn to you as if you are a magnet in your area of specialization.

What if you're stuck? What if you desperately want to improve your memory by being intensely curious, but the subject bores you to tears. You need to find something about it to be interested in.

*First, believe that there is something interesting even if you haven't found it yet.

*Find people who are passionate about the topic, and find out why it fascinates them.

*Pretend like you are one of those people who is intensely passionate and curious about the topic.

*Focus on the end result of having mastered the topic, (not the work involved in reaching that level.)

*Remember why you are studying the topic or subject. What is knowing it and succeeding in the subject going to do for your long-term goals?

Keeping your focus on why you have set a goal to remember something helps to anchor it in place. This can also help you generate the emotion of enthusiasm, another very useful emotion to help you improve your memory, master new information and skills, and enjoy yourself more along the way.

Here's to your success!

Copyright 2005-2006 by Teresa Bolen. All rights reserved.