756 THE PRINCIPLES OF SELF-CREATION
I. Retention: The receiving of a sense impression through one or more
of the five senses, and the recording of this impression in the mind.
As stated earlier, this process may be likened to the recording of a
picture on the plate of a camera.- Recall: The reviving or recalling into the conscious mind of those
sense impressions that have been recorded in the subconscious
mind. This process could be compared to going through a card
index and pulling out a card on which information had been pre-
viously recorded. - Recognition: The ability to recognize a sense impression when it is
called into the conscious mind, to identify it as being a duplicate
of the original impression, then to associate it with the source
from which it came when it was first recorded. This process enables
us to distinguish between memory and imagination.
Now let us make application of these principles and determine
how to use them effectively.
First, when you wish to be sure of your ability to recall a sense
impression, such as a name, a date, or a place, be sure to make the
impression vivid by concentrating on it to the finest detaiL An effective
way to do this is to repeat the information several times. Just as a pho-
tographer must give an exposure proper time to record itself on the
plate of the camera, so must we give the subconscious mind time to
properly and clearly record any sense impression that we wish to be
able to recall readily.
Next, associate whatever you wish to remember with some other
object, name, place, or date that is familiar to you, such as the name
of your hometown, a close friend, your birth date, and so on. Along
with the sense impression you can easily recall, your mind will also
store the one you may not recall as easily. Later, bringing the familiar
impression into the conscious mind will also bring the other with it.