CONCENTRATION 75926, and my father, who was 5 I. So I associated their names and ages
with the number. To recall the telephone exchange and number, I had
only to think of Lake Michigan, my brother, and my father.
COMMENTARY
As Napoleon Hill notes, there are only a few basic memory techniques, and while
his explanation covers the classic methods, he does so in rather simple terms.
From the many books on the subject and the memory courses that are widely
promoted in every media from magazines to infomercials, it would seem that
there must be more to it.
And there is. The "more to it" is the many variations on the basic techniques.
Though it may all boil down to repetition, association, and recall of sense
impressions, there are many inventive methods by which you can put them into
practice, especially the techniques of association and sense impression. None of
the available books or courses can offer magic, but they do give you interesting
tools to work with.An acquaintance of mine found himself to be suffering from what
is often called a "wandering mind." He was becoming absent-minded
and unable to remember. In his own words, this is how he overcame
that handicap:
"I am fifty years old. For a decade I have been a department man-
ager in a large factory. At first my duties were easy, then the firm had
a rapid expansion of business which gave me added responsibilities.
Several of the young men in my department developed unusual energy
and ability, and at least one of them had his eye on my job.
"I had reached the age in life when a man likes to be comfortable,
and having been with the company a long time, I felt that I could safely
settle back into an easy berth. The effect of this attitude was disastrous
to my position.