Wise Observer

There are TWO KEY CONCEPTS to memorizing a long list of items:

1) Converting each item into an IMAGE as RIDICULOUS and STRIKING as possible.

2) LINKING those images to one another through ACTIONS as RIDICULOUS and STRIKING as possible.

For example, tonight after I returned from work I intended to write 10 more ezine articles.

However, I needed to get out and do my run as well. So I didn’t have the time to sit down with a pen in hand and meditate on the list.

I used this very same method to make up a list while I ran. By the time I got back home I had a nice 10-item list of all the articles I wanted to write tonight and there was no way I was going to forget it due to the strength of the embedded images.

This is how I did it:

First of all I wanted to write an article on running and especially on how to find the TIME to run in this busy world of ours. So my first image was of MYSELF RUNNING out of the house in such GREAT HASTE that I was leaving behind a trail of flames and a foul-smelling smoke! That corresponded to article number 1.

Secondly, I wanted to write an article on my LOVE OF BOOKS, especially on the JOY of collecting AUTOGRAPHED BOOKS (I do have modest collection of them).

Now I conjured up the image of an OPEN BOOK as BIG as the road I was running on. I imagined the pages of the book started to burn because of the TRAIL OF FIRE and SMOKE that I left behind when I ran out of my house in a hurry, remember?

Thus the first two images connected nicely, reminding me the first two items on my list (running, collecting books). That took care of the article number 2 as well.

A third topic was RESTORING OLD CRUMBLING BOOKS. So in my imagination, I’ve jumped from the first burning book to a SECOND BOOK CRUMBLING all over. I was having difficulty running on this book because the book needed RESTORATION, see? That was article number 3. That connected the first three images and list items.

Then the page collapsed like a house collapsing in fire and in my imagination I went right through it and fell on a fluffy white hair-like stuff.

Actually, yes, IT WAS GRAY HAIR! I fell into the hair of TAYLOR HICKS, the fifth winner of American Idol. Now this was great because the next article I wanted to write was about how GRAY HAIR is in as a fashion statement. That was article number 4.

Then I saw Taylor Hicks wearing a brown hooded monk robe and fingering his prayer beads because my next article would be on HOW INCONVENIENT SPIRITUAL TRUTHS CAN BE. That’s article number 5.

The visual connection to article number six was a piece of cake. I saw the monk in brown hooded dress get fried by a blue bolt of electric current. He was in great agony and could not stop the DIVINE ELECTRICITY surging through his body. Perfect. Because I wanted to write about the power and danger of the mysterious KUNDALINI as article number 6.

Kundalini is always represented by a COILED SERPENT. In my imagination the coil transformed into CONCENTRIC CIRCLES and the aisles of a supermarket organized as CONCENTRIC CIRCLES, which brought me to article number 7 - a BETTER WAY to organize the existing SUPERMARKET FLOOR PLANS.

The same concentric circles, when looked from above, also resemble a HUMAN BRAIN. I saw numbers and words swimming in the brain which brought me to article number 8 - how to memorize a long list of things (which is THIS article you are reading right now!).

Then I saw the brain gunning down and shooting forward at a great speed like a VOLKSWAGEN (the VW Beetle’s profile resembles a brain, doesn’t it? Well, I’m taking a lot of poetic license of course).

Which brought me to CARS and the BLACK BUICK I saw earlier today. Yes, I wanted to write something about Buicks and the way Buicks are modeled these days. Article number 9.

Finally, I remembered where I saw the BUICK - at a parking lot in STERLING, Virginia. Yes, I also wanted to write an essay about STERLING, VIRGINIA and that concluded my list of ten articles.

Even three hours after I finished my run I still remember the “List of 10″ very vividly and there is no way I’m going to forget them any time soon until I replace this list in my mind with another equally RIDICULOUS list — or equally ridiculous gallery of images.

As you can see, “memorizing” long lists can be a lot of FUN because of all the stupid images that you have to come up with and link to one another.

Try it today and you’ll be surprised how easily you can keep in your mind long shopping lists and other lists that you had difficulty with remembering before.

THINK RIDICULOUS and LINK IMAGES. It’s as simple as that.

It may sound silly but the key to self-confidence and building more self-esteem is through practice. Practice what it is you want to feel more confident about and eventually, the confidence will show itself. That makes sense if we’re talking about a skill like playing the piano. With enough practice, you naturally begin to get good at it and then you feel more confident. But what about tougher things like public speaking or meeting new people? How do you practice something that you’re terrified to do in the first place?

If you have extreme self-esteem issues then you might want to seek professional help, but if you’ve determined that isn’t necessary, I would suggest that you start out by finding something that you genuinely love to do. Other than maybe reading books or doing crossword puzzles over coffee, most hobbies are a good place to start. Do you love to paint? Do you love to play a musical instrument? Do you love athletics? Find something that you love to do or that you think you would love to do. It’s not important what it is other than that it would bring you into contact with people on a tiny level. Unless you’re living in a cave somewhere, somebody is going to see your art work, hear your music, or see you running around practicing your sport. You don’t have to pick a big team oriented thing, just something that fascinates you and will be noticeable. Then do it. Learn to draw, take music lessons, start playing basketball in your own driveway, whatever, just start doing something that you can really enjoy.

Keep doing it until you get really good at it. It doesn’t have to necessarily be your career, but that would be fun for you if it was. Practice often and with complete joy. Lose yourself in it. That’s part of overcoming self-confidence issues is forgetting to think about you. Swim laps at the pool until you forget to care how you look. Get lost in something other than analyzing yourself. Fall in love with some hobby that takes your mind away from what others might think of you. Just keep practicing something you love until you get really good at it. It’s your hobby and your love, so don’t make any judgments over whether or not it’s stupid to like doing whatever it is that you like doing. Just get on with it.

When you’re in the moment — writing music or designing websites or whatever it is you’ve chosen, take a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come. At some point, you’re going to realize that you’re not too bad. At another point, you’ll even think, “Hey, I’m pretty good at this.” Someday, you’ll look up and notice that you’re an expert or at the very least awesome at what you’ve chosen to do. Take that growing self-confidence that’s connected to your hobby and begin channeling it into other areas. Depending on how much of a self-esteem problem you started out with it could be a matter of months or years before you are able to really see yourself in a new light. It’s one thing to say that everyone has their unique and special talent. It’s quite another to find and embrace your own.

Your talent will not be something you hate doing. Sure, I’m really very good at scrubbing the bathroom. You can conduct a white glove inspection when I’m done, but that’s not my special talent. That’s not my special gift to the world. And it sure as heck never built an ounce of self-confidence for me. No, you have to really truly deeply love what it is you’re doing or the talent won’t show itself. You have to forget to think and lose all track of time while zoning out in the flow of creating, building, stretching, and growing with the hobby. Get to the point that when you look up and notice what you’ve done, that you’re impressed with yourself. Practice until you get to that point where you forget to judge yourself. You could very well end up making it into your career if there’s a market for it. If there isn’t, no harm done. You have got to build a can-do attitude around your ability to do something well.

Once you’ve learned something that well, you can begin stretching beyond your comfort zone and trying other things like public speaking. Okay so that might not happen right away, but once you’ve really mastered something, then you can always remind yourself that you are capable of success and you are capable of learning something new. Once you know that you can practice and learn new things, then the fear of new things isn’t nearly so immobilizing. You can step beyond your fears knowing that with enough practice you can master almost anything you set your mind to. At that point, you won’t actually have a self-esteem problem anymore.

The point is that by playing around with something you love until you are very good at it, you will gain self-esteem and that is going to make it possible for you to hold your head high and to bravely step into other more frightening areas of life. Start out by practicing at something you love until you’re good at it, then move on to the other things that don’t sound like much fun at all. You’ll really know deep down that there’s nothing to be afraid of. It all comes down to whether or not you believe that you are capable of learning something new. That’s all. Self-confident people reassure themselves when walking into unknown territory by saying, “Well, I’ll just have to wing it until I learn how to do it right. I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon enough.” That comes from experiencing the positive effects of having practiced and learned something new. So go learn something new — start with something fun.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow’s Edge

About The Author

Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow’s Edge, an Internet leader in inspiring leaps of faith. She became a writer in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, soulmates, and parenting. Her books and articles have inspired people of all ages and faiths to recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness. After years of high heels and business clothes, she is currently enjoying working from home in her pajamas. To read more of her articles, sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, and get free previews of her books go to http://www.TomorrowsEdge.net.

Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net