On her way to church a girl was given a message to deliver to a certain lady, after the service. She pictured herself trying to get out of the door of the church, but the lady blocked the way refusing to allow her to crowd through. When she started out, seeing the door, which was part of the picture, it reminded her of the lady, and she delivered her message.
Beware of Procrastination
One of the most subtle foes of a good memory is procrastination. Like conscience, memory can be dulled and almost ruined by continual disregard of its suggestions. Failure to act when reminded ruins what memory power you have and retards your progress and further development.
A Reminder picture will suggest an errand or duty one—two—or more times, but there is an ever increasing lapse of time between each reminder.
To Procrastinate—to put off doing the thing will dull the suggestive power of the memory. It will clutter the mind with undone things which will cause mental worry. It will weaken the will power.
To Act—to accomplish the thing at the first suggestion quickens and improves the suggestive power of the memory. It clears the mind for new thoughts and plans. It relieves the nervous strain and increases and strengthens the volitional power.
It is the child's memory you wish to improve and this can only be accomplished by his effort. You must help, of course, but do not do too much, merely suggest. Get him to imagine and visualize his own pictures, it will be better for him to make the effort than for you to make it for him.
Attention and Memory
The subject of Attention and Concentration has been discussed in the former book, but it will be well to note their relation to memory and how we are using them here.
We have introduced motion into the mind's eye picture to strengthen its impression; the result comes from a prolonged period of attention. In the exercises for cultivating the power of attention we used the method of change, or motion. It produced prolonged attention, which results in memory. Exaggeration and the unusualness of the imaginary picture inspires that quality of involuntary attention which helps to produce concentration.