How To Memorize Anything. Part 1) Napoleon’s Secret Method For Memorizing Names

Bummer.

The Most Importan Word In The Language

Do you know what the most important word in the language is to most people? Yup, their name. Their brains are highly tuned to the sound of their own name, and it pulsates with delight when it is allowed to recognize that magical word.

So Why Don’t You Give It To Them?

You shouldn’t be surprised then, to learn that most successful people are extremely good at remembering peoples’ names. Xenophon, Washington and Napoleon are said to have known the names of every one of  their soldiers. Pericles knew the face and name of every citizen in Athens. Even back in the day, that was quite a number of people.

Why Is It So Difficult To Remember A Name?

If names are so important to us, then why are they so difficult to remember? Now here is an unpopular fact: It is because they are boring -- to everyone but the owner. In most Western societes, most names don’t mean anything. You can’t see most names in front of your minds eye.  Of course, some names you will remember by association to other people you know who bears the same name. When you meet a girl who’s name is the same as your ex-wife’s, you’re likely to remember what that new girl is called. But usually, we don’t have any pegs like that to hang a person’s name on, so we forget it.

Names Are Boring

So if names are boring and that’s why you can’t remember them, what should you do? There are two routes here.

First, because names are boring, you’re probably not paying much attention when people present themselves to you. That’s a bad habit! When people introduce themselves, you should listen. Repeat the name you just heard. If you didn’t quite catch it, say so. How can you remember something you didn’t really hear in the first place.

Second, you could start taking an interest in names in general. Find out where they came from. What they originally meant. Are they represented in several languages?

It boils down to interest and attention. Try to be interested, and pay attention. Then you’ll remember any name.

So What Was Napoleon’s Secret?

When Napoleon met someone new, he wrote down that name on a piece of paper. He looked at it for a little while. Then he threw it away.

Go figure.