Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-27
IF YOU FORGET
BV H. AddingtOn Bruce

TREQUENTLY the question is put to me:
n What can do to improve my mem
- DRY? 1t is treacherous even in regard
to important business matters. Details which
ought to remember slip entirely out of my
mind, often at serious cost to me, and always
at great embarrassment.
"There must be a way by which l can over
come this unfortunate tendency to forget.
Can't you offer helpful suggestion?'
The most helpful suggestion I can offer to
those whose memory for business details is
weak is to advise them to cultivate a keener
interest in their work.
Special causes for forgetfulness are, of
course, present in certain cases. Some people
are forgetful because they are chronfcally
over-fatigued. Others because their brain is
poisoned by over-eating. And so forth.
But generally speaking, when a man for
gets business matters which he should with
out fail remember it is pretty sure sign that
he is not as interested in his work as he
might be.
Memory power, understand well, is largely
dependent on the degree of attention paid to
whatever is to be remembered. And atten-
ton varies directly with the degree of interest
felt.
Besides which, interest leads not merely
to the paying of attention, but to frequent
thinking about the things to which attention
is paid This has direct and determining in
f1uence on memory development AS was
long ago pointed out by the psychologist Will
liam James:
"The secret of good memory is the secret
of forming diverse and multiple associations
with every fact we care to retain. But inns Is
forming of associations with a fact, what is 1t
but thinking about the fact as much as pos
sible?
"Briefy, then, of two men with the same
outward experience and the same amount OF
native tenacity, the one who THINKS over MS
exneriences most and weaves them into sys-
termatic relations with each other Will pe
the one with the best memory
Obviously, when interest in ones work is
weak, or comparatively weak, there will be
scant forming of association links in the mind
through attention and reflective thinking
about the business details it is important to
remember.
The mind will busy itself with other things
And if interest in those other things is keen
surprising memory power for them may re-
suit, contrasting strangely with the weakness
of memory for business matters.
Thus, for example, we see many men dis
playing almost incredible memory power for
the records" of baseball teams and players,
of aspirants for pugilistic honors of "six-day
bicycle riders. Yet these same men may be
quite unable to carry in their minds price
lists, business appointments, etc.
If then, you are among the habltuaLy
forgetful of things having to do with your
BUSINESS examine yourself closely with re-
spect to the interest you feel in that bust
ness. If you find-as you are likely to find
that your interests in it is pale and thin
at once set about cultivating genuine en-
thusasm for it.
Otherwise all training methods will fail to
overcome the memory weakness for which, at
bottom, you are yourself responsible. With
real interest lacking appreciate memory i'm
provements can never be achieved.
Copyright, 1920, by the Associated News
a papers.)