Have you ever wondered why some people are better at remembering things than others?
Most of us go through life believing we have either a good or a bad memory. This in itself can be troublesome. Our brains are pretty amazing, and have some phenomenal abilities. However, it also takes our beliefs at face value. So if your belief is "I'm a bit rubbish at this" then in simple terms, that is what you will be. Our unconscious mind believes what we tell it.
If the story you have told yourself and others for years is that you have a terrible memory then its likely that over the years you will have collected countless amounts of evidence that this is a fact. The thing is that when we believe a story we go looking for the evidence to support it.
Consider someone believing the story that they are rubbish at maths (I know this story, it was mine for a large part of my life). If I'm honest it was easier that way. When the opportunity arose for mental arithmetic e.g. calculating the share of a bill at the end of a meal, it was easier to say "Don't ask me, I'm rubbish at maths." This saved me from the embarrassment of having to do something I didn't feel confident in. The problem with that is that I avoided practicing my skills and therefore never improved.
We are all capable of using our brains more effectively if we can let go of our self-limiting beliefs. Having a good memory is actually more down to having good technique.
Consider having some important letters you need to respond to at some point. Imagine throwing them into a random untidy cupboard in your house (whilst concentrating on vacuuming).
Now imagine treating the letters a little differently. Perhaps you might purposefully put them in your cupboard in the file you have labelled 'letters'.
In which scenario will the letters be easiest to find and respond to?
It seems a simple analogy but many of us are throwing our 'things to remember' into our brains like letters thrown into an untidy cupboard. For a while this sort of works, but as we get older and our brains struggle a little more to process things quickly we become a little unstuck.
All is not lost though. There is so much you can do to organise your thinking and get your brain working in tip-top condition. The first step is to let go of those limiting beliefs.
Try an affirmation as simple as "I have a great memory", your subconscious brain doesn't know the difference and believes self talk whether it is negative or positive. Say it to yourself or write it in your journal.
Also, take time to notice how you talk about yourself and your memory to others. Do you find yourself making excuses and telling others about your terrible memory? Change it to "I'm working on my memory". You should start to notice a difference
Laura is co-founder and joint CEO of Memory Matters South West CIC as a well as a mindset coach for women at www.laurajessica.com