Super Brain: 10 Things to Eat, Think, & Do to Improve Your Memory and Learn Faster

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And then you walk out of the kitchen because you can't remember why you walked into the kitchen. And I have had this happen so often recently that I'm starting to wonder, is this early onset dementia? Now, look, I'm not trying to make a joke about a serious topic, but I will be honest with you. Here is a thought that crosses my mind at least once a week. There's something wrong with my brain. There's something wrong with my brain. I can't remember people's names. I just feel overloaded all the time. I'm forgetting things and I don't know about you. I can't stay on top of it all, and I've got a million excuses for why. Oh, it's menopause. Oh, it's busy. Oh, it's the three kids and a husband and a full-time job and two dogs and a cat that's on medication for UTI and I need to give it to 'em twice a day and I keep forgetting, and that makes me a bad pet owner, but the bottom line is I can't remember anything.

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It's like information is just dripping through the holes in my brain. I don't even know if your brain has holes, but I know you feel what I feel right? Between the information overload way too much going on at work or school or at home, you're overloaded too. Well, guess what? You and I are in luck because I have brought in today the most respected brain coach on the planet to help you and me. He says that we have super brains. We just don't know how to tap into it. And in fact, you want to know why I believe him. I'll tell you why. Because I first met Jim Kwik, that's his name. I'll tell you more about his credentials in a minute, but let me tell you how I met Jim. So Jim and I were both hired to come in and give a presentation at one of the largest management consulting firms in the world.

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And so he's on stage and he's teaching all of these skills and amazing things that you're about to learn to increase your memory, to help you read faster, to tap into the superpower of your brain. And all of a sudden he does this thing where he says, all right, everybody who's wearing red, raise your hand. And we're talking to an audience of several thousand people and I'd say a couple hundred people raise their hand and he asked them all to stand up, and then he did this insane trick in front of all of our eyes. This is what he did. He had the person in the back left hand corner of the room start and he had everybody standing say their name, I'm talking a couple hundred people, and without skipping a beat, as soon as they were done, he said their names and he did it in reverse.

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Now, I was standing backstage because I was going on after him and I'm very kind of skeptical of this kind of stuff. So I had my super eagle eyes on him and he was not wearing anything in his ears. He was not writing anything down. This was his memory. You want to talk about a super brain, and here's what Jim Kwik says. Jim Kwik says that he can teach you and me how to do it. In fact, he's going to reveal the secret of how he remembered 200 names in reverse later in our conversation today. But the bottom line is one third of your brain is predetermined by genetics and biology. Jim Kwik is here to teach you that two thirds of your brain is within your control and you have way more influence over your brain and how it works than you think. By the end of the conversation today, you will know a simple technique that will help you read up to 50% faster and retain it all.

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You're going to know his technique for remembering people's names. And personally, I need this one, a super interesting thing you can do to never lose your keys again. How cool is that? For the past 30 years, Jim has worked with elite athletes, actors and executives. He's taught what you're about to learn to people at Harvard, Google, Nike, Zappos, and even the United Nations and his New York Times bestselling book, which is the handbook on how to create limitless capacity in your brain now has a new expanded edition, and he's here to teach you absolutely all the tricks and tools that you need to know. If you've ever wondered like I've wondered, how the heck does a Broadway actor remember two hours of a script? Well, Jim is a memory coach that has worked with some of the most famous actors in Hollywood and on Broadway. That's how you are simply not going to believe what he's about to teach you in less than an hour.

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This is a skills packed, brainiac, amazing episode that is going to help you and me tap into the two thirds of our brain and create what Jim calls a super brain and make sure you stick around all the way to the very end because at the end of this conversation you're about to hear, he reveals the secret to memorizing 200 names. And in fact, he's going to teach you in real time 10 things to remember to create a super brain so you never forget it. This is so cool. I can't wait for you to drop into this conversation. Without further ado, meet your Brain coach Jim Kwik. Hey, it's Mel. And before we get to the episode, I just want to thank you for being here and watching the Mel Robbins podcast on YouTube. We were just named the number five most followed podcast of 2023 by Apple Podcasts.

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And I've got a favorite to ask you, are you a subscriber? I found out that almost 70% of the people that watch our YouTube channel are not subscribers. And one way that you could really help our small but mighty show out is to just hit subscribe. It is free. It means you'll never miss out on episode, and it would really help us out. My goal is to get to 50%. So if you could help us by hitting subscribe and continuing to share the episodes that you get value out, I would really, really, really appreciate it. All right? Don't forget, and that's kind of funny for me to say that because the episode today is about building a super brain. Let's go to it.

Jim Kwik (00:06:40):

Mel, thank you so much for having me. I've been looking forward to this and thank you everybody who's joining this brainy conversation.

Mel Robbins (00:06:47):

Jim, you're a world renowned brain coach who has worked with athletes, actors, and executives, and in addition to that, you've been running a brain institute for the past 30 years. Do you really believe absolutely anyone can improve their brain? I mean, come on. Nobody's walked through the doors of your institute that you're like, oh boy, couldn't help this person.

Jim Kwik (00:07:05):

It's been my experience coaching people every single day for the past 32 years is that regardless of your age, your background, your career, your diet, your education level, if it's your financial situation, your gender, your history iq that we all can improve, it's about progressing beyond what you're currently demonstrating or what you believe is possible.

Mel Robbins (00:07:26):

So you're saying it's not about being born smart, you're saying that we all have the ability to be a super learner no matter what your IQ is.

Jim Kwik (00:07:36):

We know that about one third of your brain's performance, if you will, like its memory, is predetermined by genetics and biology, but that means two thirds is in your direct control. The idea here is we have more influence than we think.

Mel Robbins (00:07:51):

Jim, how did you become a brain coach? I mean, do you go to school for something like that?

Jim Kwik (00:07:55):

So my inspiration you could say was my desperation. One day in kindergarten class, I'm five years old, this would've been in 1978. There was this commotion outside sirens and honking, and all the kids obviously want to see what's going on outside, but we're five years old, we can't see outside the window sill. And so we all had this idea to grab our chairs and problem by the window and stand on them. Anyway, I lost my balance and I went head first into one of the radiators and it was rushed to the emergency room. It really affected me in school. I had poor focus, poor memory. I had processing issues where a teacher would repeat themselves like three or four or five times and I still wouldn't understand. I would compress my body all the time because I didn't want to be called on because I never knew the answer.

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And I would sit behind the tall kid or I'd make myself so sick before an exam. I remember when I was nine years old, God, this brings back this kind of, it's funny how feelings work. I was being teased more than usual because I was slowing down the class. I wasn't understanding lessons. And a teacher pointed to me to come to my defense. She said, leave that kid alone. That's the boy with the broken brain. And all I took out of it was that I was broken. And I guess adults have to be very careful of their external words. They often become a child's internal words because every single time I did badly in school, which was weekly, every time I was in pick for sports, I was always the last one. I would always say to myself, oh, I have the broken brain. And that became my inner talk. And I think our minds always eavesdrop on that inner talk. And it wasn't just something that I dealt with for a year or two. It was elementary school, it was middle school, junior high, and all through high school, our struggles can become strengths.

Mel Robbins (00:10:06):

I love our struggles can become our strengths. Anyone ever tell you, you kind of talk like a superhero. Our struggles can become our strengths. But did you always have that mindset?

Jim Kwik (00:10:19):

For me, I was really driven. I wanted to make my parents proud. My parents immigrated to the United States. We lived in the back of a laundromat that my mom worked at, and they had a lot of jobs through school. It was a challenge. And then I was lucky enough to get into a local state university, and I thought freshmen meant I could make a fresh start. I'm going to show the world, show myself that I could do this. But I took all these classes and I did worse. I wasn't equipped. And so I was ready to quit school because I'm the oldest of three kids. I want to be a good role model for my younger brother and sister. And yet also, I don't have the money even to beat in school, and it's better that they have it. I'm not smart enough. This is my belief system. And a friend said, Hey, I'm going home this weekend. Why don't you come with, I mean saying you're going to quit school to your family is a big deal. Why don't you get some perspective? And I notice, Mel, that when you change place or we change people, we're spending time with, it gives us a different point of view.

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So I do agree to go and the family is pretty well off, have a beautiful home on the water. And the father walks me around his property before dinner and asked me a very innocent question. He says, Jim, house School, and I am introverted and I'm very shy at the time, and yet I start bawling like crazy, crying like crazy in front of this complete stranger that I just met 30 minutes before

Mel Robbins (00:11:56):

God. What did he do?

Jim Kwik (00:11:58):

Yeah, he was freaked out because he didn't know my situation, but I gave him the full download. I told him about my brain injury, labeled broken, how I have to quit school. It's just I'm not smart enough. It's just not who I am. I don't know how to tell my parents they're going to be heartbroken. They work so hard.

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He asked me a question, and it's interesting, not only does perspective change your point of view, so do the questions that we ask. He says, Hey, Jim, well why are you in school? I didn't have an answer other than this is just what you do. You go to school. And that's what my parents expected of me. So he dug deeper ton said, well, why are you in school? He said, what do you want to be? What do you want to do? What do you want to have? What do you want to create or contribute? And Mel, I didn't have an answer for any of those things because nobody's ever asked me those questions before. And so you ask a new question and we get new answers. I didn't know what I wanted to be or do or contribute. He forced me to stay in that space, to not escape it and change the subject, and I start to just kind of fantasize. He asked me to just imagine anything. You could do anything or be anything or have anything. And then he takes out a little a journal or notebook in his back pocket and gives me a couple sheets and he asked me to write 'em down. It's the first step. And taking something that's invisible, that's in your mind, and then all of a sudden it's visible

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Outside of yourself. And I fill up two pages and I start folding up the pages to the paper to put in my pocket thinking this exercise is done and we could eat.

Mel Robbins (00:13:38):

Let's go.

Jim Kwik (00:13:39):

And then as I fold this sheets of paper to put in my pocket, he has the audacity to reach out and grab 'em out of my hands. And now he's reading to himself all of my dreams and goals or fantasies. And I don't know how much time goes by. I'm just thinking the whole time. I like a lot of people, I don't want to be judged When he's done, this is what he does. He takes his fingers and if people just listen to the audio, I'm spreading my index fingers like a foot apart. And he says, Jim, you are this close to everything on that list. And it's like out of a movie. And I'm thinking, this is my honest conversation in my mind, if I'm real and raw, I was like, there's no way. And this is what I'm telling him. There's no way. I mean not heard my story. I'm fighting for my story. I have a broken brain.

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I'm horrible in school and give me 10 lifetimes. I'm not going to crack this list. And he takes his fingers that are spread apart, a foot apart, and he puts them to the side of my head, meaning what's inside my brain is the key. And he takes me into home. But before dinner, he walks me into a room that just honestly freaked me out. It was wall to wall sealing the floor covered in books. Now I've never read a book. It's like being in a room full of snakes. I'm very intimidated by books. But what makes it worse, Mel, is he starts going to the shelves and pulling snakes off the shelf and handing them to me. And he says, Jim, you need to read to succeed. Promise me you'll read one of these books a week and then you could have them because it'll allow you to achieve what you want on this list. But I can't. And very smart man, he reaches into his pocket, Mel, and pulls out my dream list, and he has the audacity to read my goals out loud.

Mel Robbins (00:15:39):

I can't even imagine what you were feeling in that moment. So what did you do next?

Jim Kwik (00:15:48):

It's funny how memories work, right at a meta level because it just comes back even the feelings of how my throat was constricting and I couldn't breathe and I couldn't. I was perspiring, my heart's beating. Maybe I thought this is it. It just, I guess metaphorically, I'm just throwing away my potential or my dreams or maybe I could fix my brain, maybe I could learn how to learn better. And I was like, okay, how do I do it? And my brain went School, that's how you learn anything. And I asked the nurse to bring me a course bulletin, a directory just to look at classes for next semester. And I'm looking at reading hundreds of classes and all the classes are on what to learn but not how to learn,

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And I was really upset first of all, that there were simple things that I could have done that would've made my life a whole lot easier. I felt like my whole childhood was just trying to just work really hard without getting the results. And then the other thing was I felt a purpose because I wanted to share this with others almost as an evangelist. I was just like, how does everyone not know these things? Learning is our superpower, and it's the superpower we all have. We just aren't really shown how to unlock it and unleash it. But the other thing I realized was my mission, my purpose to build better, brighter brains, right? No brain left behind.

Mel Robbins (00:18:00):

And you have now gone on to build an institute and work with the world's leading brands and teach everybody things from reading faster to better memory, to being present. It is incredible because when I hear your story and I then think about how much you've accomplished and how many lives you've changed, I go, well, if Jim and with his broken ass brain can do it, I can certainly improve my brain. If he can understand how to leverage the capacity of his brain to help him achieve his goals, then I bet I can.

Jim Kwik (00:18:40):

I truly believe that an individual's ability to adapt, to learn, to unlearn, to relearn is one of the most important things that people could invest in. Because if there was a genie could grant you any one wish, but only one wish, everyone would wish for limitless wishes, right? If there was a learning genie that could help you become an expert in any one subject or any one skill, what would the equivalent be of asking for limitless wishes? Would it be learning coding? Would it be learning to be able to speak in a language? It'd be learning how to learn. 

Mel Robbins (00:19:46):

Upgrade? So Jim, I want to just take a second and talk to the person listening. And as you're listening to Jim, I want you to now make this really personal. Let's put what Jim's telling us to the test. Okay? And I'm going to go first because here's what I'm thinking on behalf of both you and me, Jim, how the heck can I and the person listening upgrade the brain? Can you give us simple tricks? Because here's the thing, I'm already overwhelmed. And between the A, DHD, the menopause, the three kids, all the stuff that I'm forgetting all the time, I mean, how am I going to also add upgrading my brain to the list? And look, I don't have a story that I have a broken brain. And for you listening, I don't know what your story is, but I can see that I have a belief about my brain that is limiting, and I believe that I'm always just going to be forgetful.

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I believe that I have a hard time remembering names. I believe that it is impossible for me to learn a foreign language because I'm dyslexic. I believe that I'm overwhelmed and I'm just going to be overwhelmed that my thoughts are going to spin. And now that I'm saying all this, Jim, I realize that I have a lot of limiting beliefs. And as you are listening, I do want you to stop and think about what is your limiting belief. Do you think you're not smart? Are you like me and you're like, I can't learn a language or I'm not good with math. Or here's another limiting belief of mine. I have menopause and everything that I'm learning is that your brain fog is something that comes with menopause. So am I still going to be able to upgrade my brain with menopause and all this stuff that I'm telling myself seriously like an iPhone gym?

Jim Kwik (00:21:25):

So the good news is I would say yes.

Mel Robbins (00:21:28):

Well, that's encouraging.

Jim Kwik (00:21:29):

So we have students in our online academy in the same 194 countries. We get a lot of feedback and we have a lot of data.

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I've had the honor of sharing stage with you many times. If there's time, I'll do these demonstrations where they'll pass around a microphone in an audience and introduce themselves and I'll memorize 50 or a hundred people's names or they'll challenge me, remember a hundred numbers or words, and I'll do it forwards and backwards. But I always tell people, I don't do this impress you. I do this to express to you as possible. Because the truth is we could all do that. We just weren't taught, right? It's a skill. If you go to somebody like your kids and you say, focus, memorize this study. That's the equivalent of going to somebody saying, play the ukulele, who's never taken a class on how to play the ukulele before? But we didn't have a class called Focus. Oh,

Mel Robbins (00:22:26):

I just had a huge breakthrough. Oh my God, I think I got it. The ukulele example is exactly that just cracked the code for me. Jim,

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All of the education that we have had has been for the purpose of absorbing something to spit it back out and then moving on to the next thing that you're going to absorb and spit back out. And what you are basically saying is that you became an expert at figuring out the skill of learning and of memory retention. That's probably my daughter calling me. You know what? This is a good sign, Jim. It's always a great episode when one of my kids FaceTimes me in the middle of it, but I just got it. That's what you're teaching us.

Jim Kwik (00:23:22):

We were taught how to read, but when's the last time we took a class called reading? We were like six or seven. So even if we learned a skill, we haven't updated that skill. I feel like in the difficulty, in demand of our reading has increased exponentially, but how we read is the same. So that growing gap creates a lot of stress, information, anxiety. So skill acquisition is important. I do believe genius is not so much born genius really is more built.

Mel Robbins (00:23:51):

I love the idea that genius is built. I mean, it makes me feel like I got a chance in this race. If you've ever told yourself this story that you're not smart or that it's not going to work out for you, I love what you're telling us. Jim Genius is built. And Jim, I would imagine that the way that you build a better brain and the way that you build genius is through the skills that you've been talking about and that you practice them. And so when we come back, here's what I want to do. I want to go straight into skills because Jim has specific skills that you can learn that will help you read 50% faster, simple skills that will help you remember names and a very surprising technique so that you always remember where you put your keys or your purse or your wallet. And of course, do not forget to come back after this short word from our sponsors because he also is going to share that surprising secret trick to how he remembers 200 names. Stay with us. Welcome back. It's your friend Mel, and I'm so glad you're still here because you're getting a private session with one of the world's leading brain coaches. And I want you to get ready because in Jim's book, limitless, he gives a ton of tips on reading faster, many of which I'd never heard before. So Jim, what are they?

Jim Kwik (00:25:05):

Here are a couple of tips that could really help listeners not only read faster, but improve their focus and their retention and understanding of the information. Because if you ever read a page in a book and just forgot what you just read and you had to reread it, and then you still forgot what you just read, this could really help. So the first thing is we all have books on our shelf we haven't read yet, right? And the goal is when you pick up the book, 

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Now, I want you to not just believe everything I'm saying, you could test it out. Also, when we're done with this episode, pick up a book that you're reading. Put a mark in the margin where you're left off. And what I want you to do is set your phone, your timer to go off in 60 seconds. So we're going to read for 60 seconds, and I want you to read how you would normally read, not using your finger, but just how you normally read for comprehension. And then at the end of 60 seconds, I want you to put a mark in the margin where you left off and then count the number of lines that you just read. And that's the lines per minute. Now set the timer again for another 60 seconds and then pick up where you left off. But this time just underline the words and you're just underlining the words as you would read. And then at the end of 60 seconds, put a mark in the margin and then count the number of lines you just read. For the majority of the listeners, they'll find that second number will be 25 to almost 50% greater, and you don't have to work any harder. So it's not about working harder, it's about working more intelligently, right? And so the reason why it works is number one, one of the challenges we have when we read is we back, skip

Mel Robbins (00:27:07):

Back, skip what is back, skip. What does that even mean, Jim?

Jim Kwik (00:27:12):

We reread words.

Mel Robbins (00:27:15):

Oh,

Jim Kwik (00:27:15):

And this keeps you from doing that. Some people reread whole lines, right? On the other side of it, your eyes are attracted to motion. So if something ran across your room, you wouldn't look at me, you would look at what moves. Because as a hunter gatherer, your eyes are trained to look at movement because if you're in a bush and you're hunting lunch, let's say it's a rabbit or a carrot, depending on your diet, if the bush next to you moves, you have to look because number one, it could be lunch or number two, you could be lunch. So when your finger is going across the page, it draws your attention through as opposed to your attention being outside of you. And then the final reason, use your finger while you read. It's kind of interesting. Kids use their finger while they read naturally, organically until we tell 'em not to.

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And you do also because when I ask people to count the number of lines, maybe they didn't use their finger when they initially read, but if I ask you to count the number of lines, what do you do? Use your finger as visual aid to help you to focus. But the final reason is your certain senses work very closely together. For example, have you ever had a great tasting fruit right from the farmer's market, but you're not actually tasting a peach, you're smelling the peach, but your sense of smell and taste are so closely linked, your mind can't tell the difference. It can tell the difference when you're sick, when you can't breathe out of your nose, what does food taste like? It tastes more bland. And so just as your sense of smell and taste are closely linked, so is your sense of sight and your sense of touch that when you use your finger while you're read, people will say they literally feel more in touch with their reading.

Mel Robbins (00:28:54):

Seriously, this one tool, just using a visual cue or pacer or whatever you called it can increase your reading speed by 50%. Is that really true?

Jim Kwik (00:29:07):

Absolutely. 25, 50%. Some of the listeners doing this exercise will actually double their reading speed. And think about it, the value of that, the average person spends about four hours a day processing information. You think about social media and emails and books and 

Mel Robbins (00:29:53):

You know what I really love about this, Jim? Is that you don't have to try harder. What you just taught us is a skill that will help us read 50% faster just by using the tip of a pen and leveraging the super wiring of how our eyes are wired to track to movement. That's incredible. So let's jump into the next skill, which is what is your technique for always remembering people's names?

Jim Kwik (00:30:18):

Yeah, so a name is very important. I always say, remember, mom, this is just a couple dozen examples in the book and techniques, but remember, a name as they say is the sweetest sound to person's ears is probably the number one networking, business etiquette skill. Because how are you going to show somebody your care for their future, their health, their family, whatever you have to offer if you don't care enough to just remember them, right? Maya Angelou say, people forget what you say, they'll forget what you did, but they'll always remember how you made them feel.

Mel Robbins (00:31:49):

Okay, so to remember names, you have to remember Mom. And the M stands for motivation. Got that. Why are you motivated to remember their name? That makes sense. What does the O stand for?

Jim Kwik (00:32:01):

The O in mom, this is big, is observation. A lot of people aren't forgetting the name, they're just not paying attention. The art of memory is the art of attention. I remember years ago I got to go to this fundraiser and it was 2000 people and we're standing at the table. I'm the first one there. And after that, another person, forest Whitaker, the Oscar winner sits next to me, and then Richard Branson sits right next to him. And then Ashton Kutcher and Ashton Kutcher's twin brother, who I didn't know he had a twin brother, sits there. And then President Clinton sit right next to me. Now, I hadn't him a few years before, very briefly. And when he saw him at the table, he called me by name, he said, hello by name. And I was like, wow, that's pretty impressive. I'm sure he meets a lot of people. And then I was like, okay, people. And he knew who he was sitting with, right? Obviously. And then I swear he picks up on the conversation that we had three years before and nobody was privy to that. And I was like, I'm a memory guy. I need to know how you're doing this. And he tells me the story of his grandfather in Arkansas in the living room, and he would tell stories, but afterwards to kids, he would quiz each of the kids to see if they were paying attention.

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Now, when he's explaining this to me, I also noticed at a meta level, I was like, wow, I feel like I'm the only one in this room because the way he's communicating with me, it's like there are a lot more important people in that room, especially at that table. And yet I feel like he's not looking over my shoulder or seeing who else is important. And I realized politics aside, people would say he's a great communicator, a great connector, a great charisma, and he's got an incredible memory and his powerful presence. And I think Mel, his incredible memory and his powerful presence comes from being powerfully present. That is incredible memory and is powerful presence with people comes from being powerfully present with people. Because most people, they're not forgetting the name. They're just not even hearing the name. Why? Because they're looking around or they're thinking about how to respond. They're waiting for their turn to speak. And so an easy way to remember names, listen. And even if you want to do a brain exercise, think about the word listen and scramble the letters and it spells another word perfectly. It spells the word silent. Just be there and listen,

Mel Robbins (00:34:25):

I love that because being truly present when you're with someone will help you make them feel like they're the only one in the room. And you just taught us that incredible memory comes from being powerfully present. And so when you're sitting there and you're present and you're silent and you're taking in what the heck they're saying, you're also going to remember what they're saying. That's so cool. So what is the last M in mom?

Jim Kwik (00:34:54):

The last M are the methods. And here's the quick method, suave. Next time you're at an event and you want to say, I'm going to remember names, I'm, I'm more conscious of it. I listen to that episode, look at yourself, say, I'm going to be suave. The S say the name right away. When somebody gives you their name, greet them back using their name because it means you get through it twice. And also it means you don't want to have a 20 minute conversation with somebody. Let's say there's a lot of background noise, 20 minute conversation with Ted and say Goodbye, ed, right? You want to be corrected upfront.

Mel Robbins (00:35:26):

I like the fact that you say the name immediately because even if you say it wrong, they'll correct you and they're not going to be offended because if you say it immediately, it is just you heard it wrong. It's not that you didn't remember it. And also if you notice, well, so keep going.

Jim Kwik (00:35:43):

Yeah, no, absolutely. So you say the name, then you use it three or four times in the conversation. And then the A in suave ask, and this works really well for people who have unusual names or names you haven't heard of before. What can you ask about a person's name?

Mel Robbins (00:35:59):

How do you say your name?

Jim Kwik (00:36:00):

How do you say your name? How do you spell your name? Where's it from? Who were you named after? Does it mean something in another language? So everyone's favorite topic is their name. Actually, when you're talking about the reticular activating system, which is here's your focus by asking questions, our brain is mostly deleting information. The name is up on top because think of about it, it's probably one of the first words you heard, probably one of the first words you learned how to write. And then think about all the encouragement, the emotional, like wow, congrat. So it's one of the reasons why it's the sweetest sound, but ask about a person's name. They'll be flattered, especially unusual names.

Mel Robbins (00:36:33):

Okay? I just want to make sure that as you're listening to Jim, you picked up on the fact that he has this acronym, suave and Suave is what we're using as the tool to help us remember someone's name. You said it kind of fast, Jim, so I'm just kind of slowing it down. For those of us who may not be as quick in the super brain as you are, the S is for say it. Got that makes sense. Say it. As soon as they say their name U is for use it. Which also makes sense because the more you use it in a sentence without being creepy, the more you're likely to remember it. A ask about it. What does the V in Suave stand for?

Jim Kwik (00:37:10):

The V in Suave is visualize, and this is how I do it in front of audiences. If there's time on stage, I'll have 30, 40, 50 people stand up, pass around a microphone, and I'll memorize upwards of a hundred names depending on how much time we have. But how I do it is I would just visualize the person's name, meaning most people listening are better with faces than they are with names.

(00:37:32):

You go to someone and say, I remember your face, but I'm sorry I forgot your name. You never go to someone and say, I remember the opposite. I remember your name, but I forgot your face. That doesn't happen. That's true. But your visual cortex takes up more real estate. And so we tend to remember what we see. And if we tend to remember what we see, try seeing what we want to remember. You meet someone for the first time, and their name is Mary. Imagine for a split second that she's carrying two lambs underneath her arms. Mary had a little lamb. You meet someone named David, just hit him in the nose with a slingshot, David and Goliath. People say, that's so childish, but that helps you to remember it because if you could see it, feel it and hear it, you're not going to forget it.

Mel Robbins (00:38:11):

Got it? Okay,

Jim Kwik (00:38:12):

So you're hearing it, you're visualizing it, and you're making it kind of funny or ludicrous, and then you're not going to forget it. So a person's name is Mike. Imagine they jump on a table and sing on a microphone. And when you say goodbye to them, you're going to remember, oh, that was the guy that did that. What's his name? Mike, the person's name is John. You could well picture whatever you picture, right? That. And then finally, the E in UA stands for end the conversation saying Goodbye using their name. Because if you could walk into a room of strangers and leave, let's say 20 people, and leave saying goodbye to every single one of them, who are they all going to remember you, right? And that's standout skill.

Mel Robbins (00:38:57):

Jim, I hate to say this. We got to take one last break. And the reason why I hate to say it is I don't know about you listening, but I'm starting to feel like my brain feeling a little bit more super. Aren't you feeling a little bit more super in your brain? I've got some mad skills that I didn't know about. And guess what, Jim Kwik, he's not done because he's got this super crazy cool trick. So you will never forget where you put your wallet or your keys or anything for that matter. And that's not all. Jim is also going to cover the 10 things that you need to eat, think, and do in order to have a super brain. And he's going to reveal finally that secret to how the heck he can remember 200 names forward and backwards, and he's going to do it for you in real time. Coming next, stay with us. Welcome back. It's your friend, Mel. I am thrilled that you are here because we're about to dive into the 10 things that you need to eat, think, and do in order to have a super brain. But first, I almost forgot the thing I really want to learn, which is how do I remember where I put my keys?