I’m pleased to have received several new submissions to that “what word would you memorize if you could only memorize one word” game from yesterday and the day before yesterday.
Here are the new submissions:
zufrieden (German for happy)
Colega (Spanish for colleague and sometimes used for “buddy” or “friend”)
Maybe (English for a possibility that remains uncertain)
乐园。(le yuan—Chinese for paradise）
Compassion (English for the sympathy we feel for those suffering misfortune)
Form (English for the shape of an object or something one fills out)
Now, onto a nasty little review I received on Amazon.com. I’ll quote it in brief and then get to the point:
Most of the content was flummery, and even that was so discursive as to make no sense at all. How this title could be described as constituting a book defies belief especially from someone purporting to be so erudite.
Such is the author’s hubris, he even expects his readers to promote his excuse for a book.
My quick response:
I take total responsibility for any of the flaws in my books.
That said, but of course I would like my readers to promote these ideas! Mnemonics must belong to the top 10 inventions humanity has ever created, alongside philosophy, ethics and card tricks. Oh, and maybe the wheel.
And that’s the reason I ask for reviews from my readers. I have no ego in it and don’t require praise. The fact of the matter is that the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass isn’t for everyone. That’s why Amazon and other booksellers all have a return policy for unsatisfied readers, or for those who simply have no interest in applying the method. You might also want to explore books written by other people who address the Memory Palace technique.
But for those that are, social proof in the form of reviews is one one the greatest ways people find new things that help them improve.
So if you’re feeling zufrieden (happy) and want to be a colega (friend) of the Magnetic Memory project, maybe you’ll bring a bit of Magnetic Memory 乐园。(paradise) and compassion to those who need these techniques by filling out the simple review form on Amazon.
Every sentence helps – unless you’re going to gripe about my asking for help to spread the wonderful news about mnemonics, a project I am very proud to be working on. Sticks and stones won’t stop me from doing all I can to help people improve their approach to memorization, and neither will negative words.
Tomorrow we’re moving on to some reader questions, so until then, teach someone else what you’ve learned about memorization. Teaching a skill is one of the best ways to learn it and helping people improve their memory is one of the best ways we can make the world a better place. The more we remember, the more we can remember. And the more we learn, the more we can learn.
In the meantime, do you ever re-read books?
In addition to tidying up any uncharitable reviews you may have left, here are 11 reasons why you need a re-reading strategy.
