TELEPHONE NUMBERS APPOINT f THINGS TO 00

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From the world's foremost authority on

memory improvement training

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program that has helped millions— available in print at last!

TELEPHONE NUMBERS TfllNGS

 J$

Kevin Trudeau's

Mega Memory™

Lleurance
101 Parnassus Ave. #1
San Francisco, CA 94117
 ™

Kevin TrudeaiTs
Mega Memory
How to Release Your

Superpower Memory in

30 Minutes or Less a Day

Kevin Trudeau

William Morrow and Company, Inc.

New Yor\
This book is not intended to replace the services of a trained health professional.
All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. You should
consult your physician before adopting the procedures in this book. Any applications
of the treatments set forth in this book are at the reader's discretion.

Copyright © 1995 by Kevin Trudeau

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, re-

cording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in

writing from the Publisher. Inquiries should be addressed to Permissions De-
partment, William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New
York, N.Y. 10019.

It is the policy of William Morrow and Company, Inc., and its imprints and
affiliates, recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written, to
print the books we publish on acid-free paper, and we exert our best efforts to
that end.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Trudeau, Kevin.
[Mega Memory]
Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory : how to release your superpower
memory in 30 minutes or less a day / Kevin Trudeau.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-688-13582-X
1. Mnemonics. I. Title.

BF385.T78 1995
153.T4 —dc20 95-16470
CIP

Printed in the United States of America

FIRST EDITION
123456789 10
BOOK DESIGN BY L.AUR.A HOUGH
This boo^ is dedicated to all of the "memory masters" I have had the
pleasure and honor of being associated with over the last fifteen years:

Michael Van Masters

J.
Mark Dufner
Fred Van Liew
Blaine Athorn

Jeremy Haworth
Dave Coffill

Matthew Goerke

It was their sharing and willingness to learn that helped me become

better!
 Acknowledgments

First, thanks go to Michael Van Masters for his determi-

nation and courage in the pursuit of Teaching Memory Training
across the nation. To J. Mark Dufner, the man with the best natural
memory I have ever seen: His personal power has always been awe-
inspiring. To Blaine Athorn, whose brilliance keeps amazing me day
after Thanks also to Peter Tocci, whose work on this text
day.
was invaluable, Matthew Goerke, Andy Ambraziejus, and Kathy
Niemeyer: Thank you all for touching my life and making a last-

ing impact.
To Ed Foreman, the first motivational speaker I ever heard,
whose words have helped me motivate toward action every day.
And finally to Dexter Yager, the dream builder. If you didn't
plant seeds of greatness in me, you certainly unearthed them! God
bless you.
 Contents

1 How to Use This Book I

Part I: Mega Memory

2 Learning Basic Association 1

3 Chaining: Putting the Power of Vivid Images 29

to Work
4 Creating Peg Lists: Mental File Folders 40

5 Using Your Peg Lists 52

6 Playing Concentration 64

7 Pegging the Tree List 72

8 How Your Body Affects Your Memory 84

9 Pegging the House List 100

10 Remembering Names: Part I 105

I I Remembering Names: Part 2 112

vii
viii Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

12 Remembering Names: Part 3 123

1 Basic Day-to-day Applications 1 37

14 Reading and Mega Memory 154

15 Vocabulary, Spelling, and Mega Memory 163

16 Numbers and Mega Memory 169

Part II: Advanced Mega Memory

17 Advanced Mega Memory: Review and Introduction 177

18 Body List Phonetics 186

19 Picture Words 1-25 194

20 Picture Words 26-50 210

21 Picture Words 51-75 225

22 Picture Words 76-100 237

23 Polishing Your Name Recognition 247

24 Remembering Longer Numbers 257

25 Remembering Playing Cards 274

26 Day-to-day Reminders: From Birthdays to 292

Presidents

27 Using Acronyms and Remembering Written 305

Passages

28 Breaking Bad Habits and Retrieving Lost 3 1

Memories

Name Guide 325

Index 353
 How to Use
This Book

We are not given the world: we make our world

through incessant experience, categorization, mem-
ory, reconnection.

—Oliver Sacks, An Anthropologist on Mars

How would you like to make more money, increase your

intelligence, and impress everyone you meet? All this is possible,

and much more, when you have a Mega Memory.

Imagine meeting over fifty brand-new people at a party, and a

few hours later being able to say good-bye using the first and last

name of every single person you met! Imagine making a speech

without notes, or instantaneously recalling dates, appointments,

things to do, directions, phone numbers, playing cards, verses of the

Bible, lines of a play, poetry, facts, figures. Imagine being a student

studying for exams and being able to recall instantly everything

needed to earn great marks, and even more important, studying
about one third the normal time to get those tremendous results.

Imagine feeling totally confident in your own natural abilities be-

cause of your powerful memory.
You can have all of the above with a Mega Memory. Sound
2 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

just like another sales pitch? It isn't —because you already have a

perfect, instant-recall, better-than-photographic memory just waiting

to be released. When you apply the techniques taught in Kevin
Trudeau's Mega Memory™, you will do just that — release this natural

ability to recall things you have heard, things you have seen, and
even things you have thought about briefly and then forgotten — or

thought you had forgotten. The only problem is, you may not know
you have a great memory, a memory that has the capacity and

flexibility of a high-powered computer. With the twenty-eight les-

sons in this book, you will be tapping that power.

The Mega Memory program will teach you how to organize
and process new information. You will be taught to take things that
you see, hear, and experience and put them in a certain order so
that this information will be available in your mind for recall in the

future. The key word is "order" — the cornerstone of the Mega Mem-
ory program. Your brain operates just like a file cabinet. The more
you place memos, letters, reports, notes, and documents into their

proper files — the more organized you are — the easier it is to retrieve

things when you need them. It's a simple, powerful, and ultimately
very practical concept.
Like so many schoolchildren, I had some problems with my
studies, especially with remembering things. The situation became
so bad in high school, several teachers told me might have a
I

learning disability. This warning pushed me to educate myself about

memory and the way the mind works. And what I discovered was
that I didn't have a learning disability, I just had an untrained
memory.
In showing you how to "file" away information, I'm going to

be teaching you to train your memory. We won't spend a tremen-

dous amount of time on the theories of how the brain and memory
work. The actual process of reading this book will constitute training

because Mega Memory is a technique that you learn as you read.

Learning to use your memory is just like learning how to ride a
bike or jog or swim properly —
you have to actually participate in
the sport to achieve the best results. But it's also important that you
be well prepared before you hop on that^bike, run a marathon, or
 How to Use This Book 3

swim long distances. That's why Mega Memory consists of hoth

exercises and techniques. The exercises will limber up your brain
and prepare it for the techniques you will be applying in real-life

situations. If you follow the instructions for the exercises precisely

as given, you will reap the benefits and gain your desired results.

The Ground Rules

In order to get the most out of the Mega Memory program, it is very
important that you follow these ground rules for using the book:

i. You must go through the lessons in order. Each chapter builds

upon previous chapters, so that you use what you have
learned in new and exciting ways. But just like the jogger
who risks injury if she hasn't done some exercises to loosen

her muscles, or the swimmer who can't quite get his strokes

together because he hasn't learned to feel comfortable in the

water, you won't be able to release that Mega Memory if

you haven't built the right foundation of skills. So don't

skim the table of contents to find a chapter that may be of
interest to you. That approach won't work. You must start

at the beginning and complete one lesson after the other,

mastering each one before you continue.
2. Each chapter in this boo\ should be completed in about twenty
to thirty minutes. Every lesson is designed to present a certain
amount of material that does not take a large amount of
time to absorb. If you read along and do the exercises and
apply the techniques as they are presented, you will not be
spending more than a half hour on each chapter. I've orga-

nized the book this way for a reason. People can concentrate

on something only for so long before their attention starts

to flag. (Just look at the short attention span required for

television programs these days!) So don't overdo it. Many
people find that working on one chapter a day is ideal.

3. If you read more than one lesson per day, ta\e a ten- or fifteen -
minute breaf{ between lessons. Not everybody processes infor-
Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

mation at the same rate. If you find yourself absorbing this

information at a fast pace and want to keep going, that's

okay, too. You can study more than one lesson per day. But

take a break after each lesson. That allows the mind to relax

and subconsciously review the material you have just

learned. After that, you can go on to the next lesson. Other-

wise, you will begin to feel overloaded and burn out.
4. Do your studying when there is no distraction. This book is

intended to be fun to use, but you do need to pay full

attention to what you're doing and be directly "tuned in"

to the material. Unlike other courses, in which you must
review repeatedly to have the material sink in, you'll only
have to read this book once. But you must make sure that

you're focused during study time. So find a place where

you can sit down and not be interrupted. Relax and be
comfortable —and go to it.

5. Set aside a time and a specific place to study. Each lesson is

short enough to fit into various parts of your day. Whatever

works for you — the morning, after school or work, the eve-
nings — is fine. And the only additional material needed to
apply the lessons is a piece of paper and pencil. But once
you've decided where and when you will study, try to stick

with it. When you work out a routine for yourself, it is much
easier to follow through and not find excuses to put things off.

6. Before you do a lesson, refrain from eating a big meal. If you

must eat, have something light. I recommend that you wait a

few hours after eating before you work on the program. Why?
If you eat a lot of food or have just finished a meal, your body
will rush blood to your stomach for digestion. That deprives
the brain of the blood it needs to do its work most efficiently;

therefore, your thinking and concentration are not sharp.

There are some foods in particular you should stay

away from. First of all, of course, no drugs or alcohol before

your lessons. Also, nothing heavy or greasy. And — this may
surprise some of you — you should especially stay away from
sugar and white flour for at leasf a couple of hours before
 How to Use This Book 5

you begin a lesson. We will learn more about certain foods

and their effect on your memory in a later chapter, but as

you begin the book you should know that sugar and white
flour dull the senses. They make you foggy, unable to concen-
trate well. Stay away from them if you are serious about im-
proving your memory. Remember that this includes sodas and
tonics as well. A lot of people drink such things as they are
reading. It's one of the worst things you can do. All that sugar
and gook and syrup are going to negatively affect your
concentration.

7. Do not take any notes while you are reading. We've been
taught that if you really want to learn something, write it

down. Nothing could be further from the truth. As you read

through this book, you will see that when you write some-
thing down, you create the opposite effect. Writing some-
thing down frequently signals to the unconscious that it

doesn't have to be remembered — after all, it's already writ-

ten down. You should write only if I specifically ask you to

do so or give an excercise that involves writing. Otherwise,

don't even have a pen or pencil in your hand while reading.

Your Teachability Index

There are several other things we need to consider in preparation

for reading this book. The first is these involves the spirit, or atti-
tude, with which you approach these lessons. It's what I call your
teachability index.

We all have an index, a rating, which determines how easily

we can be taught anything. That index has two variables:

1. willingness to learn
2. willingness to accept change

You can measure each of these variables on a scale of to 10. To

find your overall index, you multiply these two variables together.
Your score can be anywhere from to 100.
6 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

As far as the first variable is concerned, I believe that when

people invest time and money in books, cassettes, and other self-

improvement programs, they have a very high willingness to learn.

If you weren't motivated to learn these memory techniques, you
wouldn't have invested your money in this book, and you certainly
wouldn't be investing your valuable time reading it. So on a scale

of 1 to 10, give yourself a 10.

But what is your willingness to accept changer Some people

are very set in their ways and have a very hard time changing
anything they do. A perfect example involves the current computer
revolution. Computers are taking over in many areas of life and
have been shown to be very efficient and effective. Yet many people
still say no to computers, not wanting to have anything to do with
them either out of fear of something new or because they don't
want to be bothered with the initial difficulty of learning how to

use this new tool.

If you're similar to the people described above, rate yourself

on the willingness-to-accept-change scale. If your rating is 0, think

what it means for your teachability index. Even if your willingness-
to-learn rating is a 10, what is 10 times 0? A big fat 0. Your teach-
ability index will be a if you're unwilling to change.
Now, what if you're one of those people who have said yes to
computers. Even though you may have had some fear initially or had

to go through a period of frustration while learning how to use an

IBM or a Mac, you were willing to do so. Perhaps initially you felt

as though you had to take a few steps backward in order to go forward;

but now that you've completed this process, how do you feel about
it? Would you ever go back to using typewriters' Your willingness
to change is a 10, and your teachability index is closer to 100.

I use the analogy of computers because the same thing happens

in Mega Memory. This book is going to be exposing
acquiring a
you to different ways of thinking. Though they'll always be fun, the
exercises might not make much sense in the beginning. At first

glance some of the techniques might also seem difficult or compli-

cated. I'm not saying that there won't be any learning curve at all,

but believe me, it will be painless as far as learning curves go. You
 How to Use This Book 7

might be scratching your head for the first few days, but then you'll

get more and more excited as you see your memory power increas-

ing dramatically.
I can't stress enough this matter of having a positive attitude.
As I've already said, because of the rather unique format of this

book, it's important to do the lessons in precise order, because each

lesson builds on the last. You have to have a good grasp of the
material in one chapter before going on to the next. I will emphasize
this over and over, because I want to make sure you have an appreci-
ation for how important the fundamentals are in acquiring a

Mega Memory.
Keep in mind that in the early lessons we are mainly going to

be doing exercises, building a foundation. Consider this: As you

walk past any construction site, you can estimate how high the
building is going to be by seeing how deep the hole in the ground

is.The same principle applies to the Mega Memory technique. We're

going to work on building a solid foundation for your memory. The
firmer it is, the more dramatic your memory improvement will be.
Some of the exercises we do will make you laugh. Some will
seem intriguing, others crazy, and even foolish. Just like a baseball

player in spring training, who has to start with push-ups and sit-

ups before he can take the field, you will be doing mental calisthenics
to expand and focus your mind. If you learn to accept change, allow
yourself to be fully open to these exercises, and follow the instruc-
tions carefully, you will be preparing your unconscious in the best
way possible to release the amazing memory that it is capable of.

Motivation and Technique

I would like to say a few words about what I call a "training balance
scale." In any type of training program or course of learning, there
must be a balance between two primary things:

i. motivation
2. technique
8 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

If the two aren't in balance, those who designed the program

should take another look at it because something's wrong. If the
students are given an overdose of motivation and very little sub-
stance, then one ends up with excited fools. Such people may think
they know a lot, but in fact they have learned very little, which
becomes apparent in the long run. Salespeople are sometimes like
that —very excited about their product or service, but having little

knowledge of it, a fact that very quickly becomes apparent to any

buyer. Sometimes the situation is reversed. A program that overdoses

on technique and provides little motivation results in very poor grad-

uates as well — if people are bored and unmotivated, they won't learn
no matter how valuable the material is.

I have structured the Mega Memory program with this very

much in mind. Each chapter provides information in small bits and
shows you how to work through each exercise and apply each tech-
nique every step of the way. Thus you will learn and gain confidence
in equal measure. And as that happens, as each exercise becomes
easier and the applications more exciting, your motivation will in-

crease as well, propelling you to the following chapters and further

exercises and techniques.

The Four Steps to a Mega Memory

There are four steps you will see yourself advancing through as you
study Mega Memory.

Level 1: unconscious incompetence

Level 2: conscious incompetence
Level 3: conscious competence
Level 4: unconscious competence

The first level is the one that you were at before you knew
Mega Memory existed. What that means is that you simply didn't
know that you didn't know. Perhaps you weren't too happy with
your memory, or perhaps you thought your memory was pretty
good, but in any case, you were willing to accept the status quo.
 How to Use This Book 9

You didn't know you had a memory with amazing capability that
was just waiting to be released. You had no appreciation of how
much that status quo could really be changed, so you were uncon-
sciously incompetent.

But because you have started reading this book and are begin-
ning to get an inkling of what can be done to release the power

of one's memory, you're quickly approaching level two, conscious

incompetence. You're very quickly becoming aware of what you can
or cannot do regarding memory. You are searching for some help
because you recognize there's room for improvement. Perhaps you
know someone else who has read this book or taken one of my
seminars. Or maybe you've seen a demonstration of someone's Mega
Memory, and you're thinking, "Boy, if he can do it, I can, too!"

And how right you are!

Within about a week of starting to work with this book, you'll

reach level three, conscious competence. Now things will become
more exciting because you will know that you know. Mega Memory
will have begun working for you. You will be doing the exercises
with me and will begin to apply some of the techniques to real-life
situations. Things may not be happening smoothly yet, but they will
be happening. A good analogy for this stage is that of someone
learning to drive a car with a manual transmission. After you're
taught the basics, you're at the conscious competence level because
you still have to think through each step of the process. "Let's see
... I push in the clutch, put into first, ease out on the clutch, give
it a little gas
— " And perhaps you
it

stall the car. But you keep going.

Within three or four weeks, you will be at level four — the
unconscious competence stage. At this point, the techniques that
you've been working at will be second nature. You will be applying

them every day with hardly any effort, just like tying your shoe,
breathing, walking, or, in the case of our driver, zooming around
using a stick shift. You're shifting gears unconsciously, not thinking
about it anymore.
This is the most exciting part of the book. These techniques
will take you to the point where they are used unconsciously. I call

it automatic pilot. Since I began teaching Mega Memory in 1981, I

10 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

have received many, many letters from around the country. For so
many people, being at level four is a revelation. It's like opening
floodgates —knowledge and recall come to the fore, and people find
themselves automatically recalling things they had no idea they had
stored in their memory. If you do the lessons as they are presented,

I guarantee that you will be at level four within a few short weeks
as well.

One final thing. I mentioned that I'm flooded with letters from
people who have benefited from the techniques they've learned in

the Mega Memory program. It's exciting for me to receive those

letters, and I hope that after you, the reader, have completed the
book, following its instructions, you will write me and tell me
your success story. I want to hear how Mega Memory has affected
your life.

Maybe you won a job promotion. Maybe your self-esteem has

increased. Perhaps the book gave you a better outlook on life. Per-
haps you now draw the admiration of people because of your super-
power memory. I want to hear these success stories. I'm waiting to

see the letters, and someday, I hope to be in your city doing a Mega
Memory seminar. I'll be looking forward to meeting you then.
This is the end of lesson one. I hope with all my heart this
book will be everything you want it to be, and I know it will. It

may be different from other books you've read because we're going
to be interacting, in a sense. I'd like you to feel that I'm right there

talking to you, and teaching you this breakthrough technology. I

know you will benefit from the book beyond your wildest expecta-
tions. Apply the techniques, do the exercises with vigor, and enjoy
this Mega Memory program.

Chapter I — Review
Ground Rules for the Mega Memory Home Study Course
i. You must study the lessons in order.

2. Each chapter in this book should be completed in about

twenty to thirty minutes.
 How to Use This Book I I

3. If you work on more than one lesson per day, take a ten-
to fifteen-minute break between lessons.
4. Do your studying when there is no distraction.

5. Set aside a time and a specific place to study.

6. Before you work on a lesson, refrain from eating a big meal.

7. Do not take any notes while you are reading.

Your Teachability Index

Willingness to learn times willingness to accept change.

Charting Your Progress: The Four Steps to a Mega Memory

Level 1: unconscious incompetence. You don't know what you
don't know.
Level 2: conscious incompetence. You know what can be done,
but you can't do it.

Level 3: You consciously

conscious competence. think your way
through any Mega Memory technique or exercise.

Level 4: unconscious competence. You apply the techniques

automatically.
Part I

Mega Memory
 Learning Basic Association

The first thing we're going to do on our way to a Mega

Memory is a little memory test. I'm going to give you a list of
words, and I want you to try to remember the words in order.

That's all I want you to do. Once you've read the list, you're going
to close the book, attempt to write down the words, and see how
many you recalled. You may not do very well, but that's okay be-
cause in just about fifteen minutes, you are going to improve your
memory dramatically. You'll be astounded by your rapid progress.
Have a pencil and paper handy. Sit back and relax. Now read
through the list below once and try to remember it as best you can.

When you have finished, close the book, number from 1 through
20 down on the left-hand side of a sheet of paper, and try to
write the words in the order in which they appeared. Give
yourself about five minutes, then open the book and check
yourself. Here's the list:

tree
light switch
stool

car
glove

15
16 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

gun
dice

skate
cat

bowling ball

goalpost
eggs
witch
ring

paycheck
candy
magazine
voting booth
golf club

cigarettes

Now close the book and write down the words.

Compare your list with the one in the book. Put a check mark
next to any correct answer. Remember, your words have to be in

the same order as those in the book, so if you have "cigarettes'' as

the first word on your list, that doesn't count. Check the ones that

you had in the correct order. That point is very important because
I don't believe in reinforcing people's weaknesses but rather in build-
ing up their strengths. In other words, I want you to be concerned
with what you did right, not what you did wrong. (Unlike school,

where so many children are told what they did badly, as I was,
instead of what they did well.) That doesn't help build confidence,
which is one of the hallmarks of the Mega Memory program.
Tally the number of correct answers, put the total at the top
of your paper, and circle it. Most people, about 90 percent, have
fewer than Rvc words in the correct order. So if you had less than
five, you're among the vast majority of people. If you had more
than f\\t, you should be proud of your memory. It's in the top 10

percent. Either way, however, by the end of this chapter you'll see

how fast you can improve your performance.

 Learning Basic Association 17

Basic Association

Before starting our first exercise, we need to discuss basic association

a bit. This memory technique is emphasized by virtually every mem-

ory expert and is the foundation of many memory improvement
programs. When you use basic association, you take something you
know, like a letter of the alphabet, and associate it with something
you're trying to remember, like a name. Think of HOMES, the

tried-and-true acronym for remembering the Great Lakes (Huron,

Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior).

Many people in my workshops have a negative response when
I mention basic association. They feel it's awkward, ineffective, a

tired old way of doing things. And they're right — up to a point. I

feel that basic association has both positive and negative aspects to
it. It works well enough in certain cases, like remembering the Great

Lakes. But in many fast-paced real-life situations, like a party or a

business meeting, when it's simply too cumbersome to create acro-
nyms, basic association isn't practical. There's just no time for it.

For all of you basic-association haters, the good news is that

Mega Memory is not a program of basic association. Although we

do some exercises using this technique, we will be going way beyond
what basic association can do for us. "Then why am I discussing it
in the first place?" is another question I am asked very often at this

point. There are three main reasons:

i. Understanding basic association will help you to stop a bad

habit from the very beginning.
2. It will increase your mind's speed.
3. It will also help you understand a fundamental concept of
how the minds works.

First, because basic association is so universal, I'm assuming

that's how you understand memory improvement techniques, too.
Banish that thought right now. As I said earlier, basic association is

too limiting. This book is not about limiting the mind, but ex-
panding it.
18 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Second, even though basic association is limiting, it is useful as

a tool for mental gymnastics. And mental gymnastics increase the

flexibility of the mind, which makes memory recall faster. So even
though it's not a big part of the Mega Memory program, you will

see it occasionally as an exercise.

Third, and most important, I am going to use basic association

to explain a very important concept of how the mind works.

What do all the words on the list above — tree, light switch,

stool, car, glove, and so on — have in common? How do you associate

them? If you said they are all objects that you can picture, you are
100 percent correct. Every word creates a picture in your mind.
Every one (as long as the word is familiar to you). Why is that

important? It is important because the most fundamental concept in

the Mega Memory program that you must completely understand is

this: Your mind things in pictures.

Your mind thinks in pictures. Pictures are its vocabulary, what

it understands best. It's like an instant camera, clicking away, taking
pictures and reproducing them in all of sorts of combinations.
You may be asking, as many of my workshop participants do:

Are you sure, Kevin? Are you sure I don't think in words? Are
you sure I don't think in abstracts or thoughts or concepts? No.
You think in pictures.
Let me give you an example. As you are reading along here,
do not —do — not think of an elephant. Let me ask you what's the first

thing that popped into your mind? It was a picture of a big, gray

beast with a trunk, wasn't it? It wasn't the letters E-L-E-P-H-A-X-T

spelling the word. It was a picture of an elephant because on seeing
the word "elephant," you simply created a picture of an actual ele-
phant in your mind.
Let me give you another example. If I were to ask you right
now to describe your couch to me, you might start by telling me,
"It's blue with stripes and has a rip in the left corner." As you are
describing that couch to me, do the words "couch," "blue, with rip
in corner" appear in your mind 3 Or does the picture of the couch
appear in your mind? Of course, it's the picture.
And consider this. Apple Computer produces the very popular
 Learning Basic Association 19

Macintosh machine. Now the IBM computers have begun using the
same feature that the "Mac" started with — the icon. What are icons?

Icons are pictures on the screen that help the user choose various
functions. For exmaple, there's a picture of a trash can on the screen.
If you want to delete a file from the Mac, you simply put the file

(which is, by the way, indicated by a picture of a file folder), in the

trash can. Putting something in the trash can means you've thrown
it away, doesn't it? This method of operating is called being user-

friendly, because people understand pictures. Apple Computer's ge-

nius was first in recognizing this.

As children, we were taught by pictures. Our mother or father,

would look at us, hold a glass in their hand, and say, "Glass." We'd
look at the glass and repeat the word, learning to associate the sound
"glass" with the picture of the object. The sound produced the
picture in our minds. Imagine if our parents had tried to teach us

what a glass was by describing it only and not showing us the object?
That's why HOMES is such a popular memory technique.
Every schoolchild knows his or her home. When they are taught to
associate HOMES with the Great Lakes, they are actually being
taught to create a picture of their home in their mind's eye. It's an
easy picture to remember, and then they can sound out each letter

and come up with the five Great Lakes.

Let me ask you, do you dream at night in words? You're
probably laughing, "Kevin, of course, I don't dream in words; I

dream in pictures." Exactly right. You dream in pictures. That's

how your unconscious mind communicates to you. Basic-association
techniques make use of these pictures in the unconscious. But they
only skim the surface of its vast power.

The Tree List

Now that you understand the importance of visual images, it's time
to start releasing some of their power. For your first exercise, you
will learn how to replace the numbers 1 through 20 with pictures
that represent those numbers. The pictures that I'm going to use for

this exercise will be the list of twenty words you just tested your-
20 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

selves on. I will show you why I chose to link each picture with
each number, why there's an association between the two in my
mind. As you begin reading, I hope that you too will begin thinking

of similar associations.
I chose "tree" for number 1. If you picture a tree in your mind,
the trunk looks like the shape of the number 1, doesn't it? That's
an association that helps us remember that "tree" is 1.

I decided on "light switch" for number 2 because there are

several associations that can help us remember that light switch is

2. It might be the two words. Or the fact that those two words are

also two syllables, or that a light switch has two positions — on/off,

up/down. Or it might be because there are two screws attaching the

plate housing of a light switch to the wall. Also, current flows in

two directions through a light switch. All these things come to my

mind when I think of a light switch. They all remind me that the

number 2 and "light switch" go together.

How about "stool" and the number 3? How do you think I

decided on that one? Three legs. When I picture three legs, that
reminds me of a stool.

Here's an easy one. The number 4 and "car." How do you

think I arrived at 4 for "car"? Try to think of some ideas of your
own right now. Maybe you're thinking four wheels, four doors, four
cylinders, four speeds, four passengers, four-barrel carburetor, four

on the floor, four-wheel drive. There are a whole bunch of associa-

tions that will help you remember that "car" goes with 4.

I'm going to repeat the images now, and I want you to think

of what number is associated with each. Tree is what number?

Why? Because the trunk of a tree looks like the number 1. Light
switch is what number? Why? Because we think of two words, two
syllables, up/down, on/off, light/dark. Stool is what number? Why?
Three legs. Car is what number? Why? Four wheels, four doors,
four-cylinder, four-barrel carburetor, for sale. (When I hear the
words "for sale," I always think of cars!)
Here are more numbers. Five goes with "glove." Why? Five
fingers, of course. Six goes with "gun." Why? Six-cylinder, six-
 Learning Basic Association 21

shooter, six-inch barrel, six bullets, six chambers, six-gun. Someone

once said, "Six feet under if you get shot by one." A lot of associa-
tions help us remember that 6 goes with "gun."

How about 7 and "dice"? Lucky number seven or "seven come

eleven." How about 8 and "skate"? They rhyme. How about a
figure eight? Maybe eight wheels.
Let's go back. What number is glove? Why? Five fingers. What
number is gun? Why? Six-gun, six-shooter, six cylinder, six-inch
barrel, six feet under. Dice is what number? Seven come eleven,

lucky number seven. What number is skate? Why? Because they

rhyme, eight wheels, figure eight.

Now 9. That's easy: 9 goes with "cat." Why? Nine lives. Or

maybe cat-o'-nine-tails. How about 10 and "bowling ball"? Ten
frames, ten-pound ball, a strike, tenpins.

What number is tree? Why? The trunk of

Let's review again.

a tree looks like the number 1. What number is light switch? Why?

Two words, two syllables, on/off, light/dark, up/down. What num-

ber is stool? Why? Three legs. What number is gun? Why? Six-
gun, six-shooter, six bullets, six cylinders, six-inch barrel, six feet

under? What number is car? Why? Four-door, four-cylinder, four-

speed. What number is glove? Why? Five fingers. What number is
skate? Eight. Why? Figure eight, eight wheels, they rhyme.
What number is bowling ball? Why? Ten frames, ten-pound
ball, a strike, tenpins. What number is cat? Why? Nine lives, cat-

o'-nine-tails. What number is dice? Seven come eleven, lucky num-

ber seven.
I hope at this point you are coming up with associations of

your own. Can you see what we are doing here? These associations

are the link that holds what you want to remember (the list of
twenty words) with something you already know (the numbers 1

through 20). It's the associations that will allow you to remember
these words.

Let's continue. For 11, I selected "goalpost." Why? A goalpost

looks like the number 11. Someone else may be thinking of eleven
men on a football field. Twelve goes with "eggs." Why? One dozen.
22 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Thirteen goes with "witch." Why? I'm reminded of something un-

lucky, Friday the thirteenth. Fourteen is "ring." Why? Maybe 14-

carat, or how about Valentine's Day, February fourteenth.

Let's review once more. What number is "bowling ball"? Why?
Ten frames, tenpins, ten-pound ball, strike. What number is eggs?
Why? A dozen eggs, a dozen equals twelve. What number is goal-
post? Why? A goalpost looks like an 11. What number is ring?
Why? Fourteen-carat. What number is cat? Why? Nine lives. What
number is glove? Why? Five fingers. What number is car? Why?
Four-door, four-cylinder.
Okay, let's go on. Fifteen is "paycheck." Why do you think we
can link "paycheck" with 15? Many people are paid on the fifteenth
of the month. Some people say April fifteenth because that's when
you have to pay taxes and give away part of your paycheck. How
about 16 and "candy"? Sixteen ounces to a pound, sweet sixteen, or
sixteen candles. We put "magazine" with 17. Why? Seventeen is the
name of a magazine. How about 18 and "voting booth." That's
obvious — at eighteen years old you can vote. How about 19 and
"golf club"? The nineteenth hole. And how about 20 and "ciga-

rettes"? Twenty are in a pack.

Let's review once again. What number is paycheck? Why? The
fifteenth of the month when you get a paycheck or April fifteenth
when you give away What number is
part of your paycheck in taxes.

cigarettes? Why? Twenty What number is voting booth?

in a pack.

Why? At eighteen years old you can vote. What number is golf
club? Why? Nineteenth hole. What number is witch? Why? Friday the
thirteenth, something unlucky. What number is ring? Why? February

fourteenth, 14-carat. What number is magazine? Why? Seventeen is

the name of a magazine. What number is candy? Why* Sweet
sixteen or sixteen ounces to a pound.

Now I'm going to give the associations, and you are going to
think of the number and the word. When I mention the association,
you'll notice that your mind instantly throws out the number and

the word. Here we go. The association is legs. Instantly, you should
have thought of 3 and "stool." The association is doors, wheels, or
carburetor or "on the floor." Obviously, you know it's 4 and "car."
 Learning Basic Association 23

The association is the number in a pack. That gives you 20

and How about the age to vote? That gives you 18 and
"cigarettes."

"voting booth." How about ounces to a pound, or sweet? That gives

"candy" and 16. How about up/down, on/off, light/dark' You've
got 2 and "light switch." How about the trunk? One and "tree."
it,

How about fingers? Five and "glove." How about the figure eight,

eight wheels, or what rhymes with "skate?" How about lives or

tails? That's 9 and "cat." How about pins or frames? That's right,

10 and "bowling ball." How about the numbers of players on a field?

"Goalpost" and 11. How about one dozen? Twelve and "eggs." How
about something unlucky or Friday? "Witch" and 13. How about a
certain carat or Valentine's Day? "Ring" and 14. How about the

time of the month you get paid? Fifteen and "paycheck." How
about the name of a magazine? Seventeen is the name of a "maga-
zine." How about the number of the hole? That's right, the nine-
teenth hole, which gives you nineteen and "golf club." How about
one number that's a name? Seventeen and "magazine" again. How
about a lucky number or something come eleven? Seven come
eleven. Seven goes with "dice." How about chambers, bullets? They
call this number that many feet under. That's right, 6 and "gun."
Do you see how these associations help you remember what number
goes with what word?
I will next ask you to go to the Tree List below and read the
associations out loud. Saying things out loud is another important
part of the Mega Memory program. Why? Research shows that
the body has what it called neuromuscular memory. When you say
something out loud, you are using your vocal chords in addition to

just thinking about something. You're reinforcing your memory in

a new way because now the brain not only has to think about the
words, but also has to instruct your vocal chords to say them out
loud. I will be asking you to say things out loud often. Better yet,

if you can get a friend or colleague to work with you on these drills,
one of you can read the instructions while the other does the drills,

and then you can switch roles. Whether you do these exercises with
someone or alone, however, the important thing is saying things
out loud.
24 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

Now go to the Tree List. Read each number, the association,

and each word out loud. Then close your eyes and create a picture
in your mind of each item, each word, and review in your mind
the associations. Do this exercise now.f

Tree List

Number Association Word

I looks like the trunk of a tree tree
two words, two positions, up/down, on/off, light switch
light/dark

3 three legs stool

4 four doors, four-speed, four-wheel drive car

5 five fingers glove
6 six-shooter, six feet under gun
7 lucky number seven, seven come eleven dice

8 figure eight, eight wheels, rhymes with eight skate

9 nine lives, cat-o'-nine-tails cat
10 tenpins, ten frames, ten-pound ball, a strike bowling ball

II looks like an I I, eleven players on a football goalpost

team
12 one dozen eggs
13 unlucky, Friday the thirteenth witch
14 14-carat, February fourteenth (Valentine's Day) ring

15 get paid on the fifteenth of every month, paycheck

April fifteenth is when you pay taxes
16 sweet sixteen, sixteen ounces to a pound candy
17 Seventeen is the name of one of these magazine
18 old enough to do this at eighteen voting booth
19 nineteenth hole golf club

20 twenty in a pack cigarettes

I want to review an important concept in the exercise you just

completed. The most important thing you need to remember is not the
word but the association. If you're going over number five, for exam-
 Learning Basic Association 25

pic, you aren't trying to focus on "glove." The only thing you want
the number 5 to give you is fingers. What you want your brain to
picture when you read 5 is fingers. Five gives you fingers, because

they are associated, they go together. And then fingers will give you
what? "Glove." When you see the number 13, I don't want you to
remember "witch." All I want you to remember is unlucky or Friday
the thirteenth, because 13 goes with unlucky or Friday. And what
do unlucky and Friday the thirteenth give you? "Witch."
These associations are an important link between what you
know and what you don't know. You know numbers through 20 1

already. You don't know "tree," "light switch," "stool," etc. How

do you remember them? By the association — it links the number

and the word together. If the associations are still hazy in your
mind, do the above exercise a few more times until the associations

are clear to you.

Now I'm going to drill you one more time. I'm going to give

you the numbers, and you are to say the word out Make sure
loud.
you can do it without hesitation. Number 3. Number 5. Number
20. Number 19. Number 10. Number 11.
Now for some words, and you call out the numbers. How
about witch? Cigarettes. Goalpost. Paycheck. Light switch. Tree.
Stool. Car. Cat. Bowling ball. Glove. Gun. Dice. Skate. Eggs. Witch.
Magazine. Voting Booth. Golf Club. Cigarettes.
Next I want you to close the book and again review the Tree
List. In your mind, repeat this list. Say, "One is tree, two is light

switch, three is stool, four is car, hwt is glove," and so on. Go

through the entire list. If you get stuck on one, ask yourself the
right question: "What is my association?" For example, if you are
on number 6 and you don't remember the word, ask yourself, "What
does six give me? What's the association?" It should pop into your
mind. Six-gun, six-shooter, six feet under . . . which will give you,

what? Gun. So think about the association if you feel the word
doesn't come into your mind quickly.
If you become stuck on a particular number, keep reviewing
it. I have found in my seminars that some of these are easier than
others to remember depending on people's backgrounds and inter-
26 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

ests. An important thing to keep in mind, too, is that I'm the one

who made up the associations. You may have chosen something else

for each word. Keep reviewing the associations if you feel stuck and
you will soon see that they do really "lock in" the words. Now close

the book and review the Tree List out loud, saying the number, the
association, and the word.^
Next I want you to take a piece of paper, number 1 through
20 down the left-hand side, and write the words associated with
each number. Close the book and do it now.f
We're back again. Check your sheet against the Tree List and
see how well you did. This is your first test. If you didn't get twenty
out of twenty, that means you need a little work on the assocations.
Keep reviewing them. You need to get twenty out of twenty before
you go on to the next lesson. And you should know this list back-
ward and forward. Every number should spring the association in
your mind, which will give you the word, and every word should
spring the assocprion that will give you the number.

Chapter 2 — Review
Word Association
Linking together in logical fashion something you know and some-
thing you don't know.

Three Reasons for Studying Word Assocation

i. Stop a bad habit from the beginning.
2. Increase your mind's speed with a form of mental gymnastics.

3. Understand a fundamental concept of how the mind works.

 7
3

Learning Basic Association 27

Your Mind Thinks in Pictures

Tree List

Number Association Word

1 looks like the trunk of a tree tree

2 two words, two positions, up/down, on/off, light switch

light/dark

3 three legs stool

4 four doors, four-speed, four-wheel drive car

5 five fingers glove

6 six-shooter, six feet under gun
7 lucky number seven, seven come eleven dice

8 figure eight, eight wheels, rhymes with eight skate

9 nine lives, cat-o'-nine-tails cat

10 tenpins, ten frames, ten-pound ball, a strike bowling ball

I I looks like an I I, eleven players on a football goalpost

team
12 one dozen eggs
1 unlucky, Friday the thirteenth witch
14 14-carat, February fourteenth (Valentine's ring

Day)
15 get paid on the fifteenth of every month, paycheck
April fifteenth is when you pay taxes
16 sweet sixteen, sixteen ounces to a pound candy
1 Seventeen is the name of one of these magazine
18 old enough to do this at eighteen voting booth
19 nineteenth hole golf club

20 twenty in a pack cigarettes

28 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Chapter 2 — Required Mental Exercise

Exercise
If you're completing the course alone, review the Tree List in your
mind —while you are doing something else: listening to music, cook-
ing, as you drive.

Say to yourself, for example, "One looks like the trunk of a

tree. A six-shooter, which puts me six feet under, gives me a gun.

Tenpins, ten frames, and a ten-pound ball remind me of a bowling

ball." You must know why the number and the word go together.

Focus on the association.

If you're completing this course with a partner, quiz one an-
other by having one person call out numbers and the other call out
items from the Tree List throughout the day.
 Chaining: Putting the Power
of Vivid Images to Work

In this chapter, we are going to learn a technique called

chaining or linking. I will explain it first, and then we'll do a fun

exercise that will show you how it works. If you can find a partner
for this exercise, it will be helpful.

But first I want to repeat how important it is that you have

the Tree List from Chapter 2 memorized before you go on to chain-

ing. If you think of a number between 1 and 20, the word associated
with it should pop into your mind immediately. If you think of the
word first, its corresponding number should come to your mind. As
you do more exercises in the book, your mind will work more and
more quickly and smoothly. In order to get there, though, you have
to do the work that has come before.

And now on to chaining, which is simply creating a picture in

your mind of one thing, then a second thing, and putting both
pictures together in some crazy way. For example, a mountain lion

is one picture, and a fur coat is another. Put both of those pictures
together, and maybe you have a mountain lion wearing a fur coat.

What you've done is put two very dissimilar pictures together in a

ludicrous way. This is slightly different from the basic-association

29
30 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

exercises in Chapter 2, in which we were putting together one thing

we knew (a number) with something we didn't know (a word). In
chaining, both things we are putting together are new to us.

When you are chaining, the pictures you create must be very
vivid. And when I say vivid, I mean crystal clear and as detailed as

possible. If you're picturing a car, you must know whether it's a

Cadillac, a Lincoln limousine, or a Honda. You need to be able to

"see" whether the windows are blacked out. You have to be able to

tell whether it has an antenna at the back, what the wheels look
like, and how the car company name is written on the body.
If you're picturing an envelope, you need to know the color of

the paper. Is it stamped or metered? Is the address printed or writ-

ten? Is the return address on the front or the back? The more
details you have, the more vivid your picture is. And the more vivid

your picture, the better exercise it is for your memory.

To demonstrate the power of vivid images, let me give you an
example. Read the following description of a lemon, and as you're
reading, picture it in your mind. Even better, if you have a partner,

close your eyes and picture what is being read to you.

I want you to vividly imagine a lemon in your right hand. The
lemon is bright yellow. You can feel the hard, slightly nubby texture,
and the harder knobs at either end. Now, in your mind's eye, put
that lemon down on a table in front of you, and pick up a black,

shiny knife. Picture the handle of the knife, how the lemon is lying
on the table, where your hands are. Now begin to slice that lemon
slowly with the shiny knife. As you do, watch the knife penetrate
the skin and cut the lemon in two halves. Pick up one of those
lemon halves in your right hand and squeeze lightly. Feel the juices

ooze through and down your fingers and into your hand. Feel the
texture of the skin and the juices. Is it sticky or slippery? Hold that

lemon up to your nose. Smell that lemon aroma. Now I want you
to open your mouth and bite into that lemon.
You probably have a locked jaw right about now. When I do
this exercise in a large group, it's funny to see the expressions on
all the faces of the participants. Everyone is grimacing, swallowing
 —

Chaining: Putting the Power of Vivid Images to Work 3 I

a mouthful of saliva in an effort to wash away the sour taste. Vivid

images are very powerful. If you create a vivid picture, the body
does not know the difference between what is imagined and what's
real. That imagined lemon made you salivate as if you had bitter

into a real lemon. Your body reacted to an imagined picture as if

it were real.

Why is this important? It's another way of reinforcing your

memory. Everything that you have seen with your "real" eyes has
been photographed and stored in your mind. That's why I said at

the very beginning of the book that you already have a photographic
memory. When you re-create some of those pictures in your mind,
it's as if you are seeing them again for real. When you call back
or recall —what's already in your memory, you're giving it a great

workout!

Picturing a Story

Now it's time for an exercise to help you practice chaining. You
will read a story. After you read each sentence of the passage below,
I'd like you to sit back, close your eyes, and spend about five or ten
seconds vividly seeing the action in your mind's eye. If you're having
trouble visualizing a particular image, go on to the next one. If you
have a partner, let him or her read the story while you remain with
eyes closed, creating the vivid images. If your partner is also going
through the Mega Memory program, take turns with the reading.
A final reminder: As you re-create the images, be as vivid and
as detailed as you can. At one point, I'll mention a padlock. You
need to have a picture so clear, so vivid (just like that lemon) that
you can see the color of the padlock. You must know if it's a Master
or a Yale lock, if it's a combination or a key lock. Is it old and
rusty or new and shiny? How big is it? How heavy? In another
part of the story, I'm going to mention a house trailer. You'll have
to know the color of the house trailer. How it's shaped, how large
it is. You need to see all these things in that powerful mind's eye
that you have.
32 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Okay, let's begin:

Imagine the Statue of Liberty with its torch and its

book. On top of the Statue of Liberty is a big fat man.

In his right hand is an electric power drill. In his left

hand is a bar of soap. He drills into the soap, and out of

the soap come tumbling purple pennies. They fall into a

padlock on the back of a long house trailer being pulled

by a big black limousine. The limousine is being driven
by John Travolta, who is wearing a black Stetson hat, a

black vest, and black leather boots. Sitting next to John

Travolta is Cathy Lee Crosby. She's wearing a pink polka-
dot bikini. On her lap is a letter to her agent.

In the backseat of the limousine is a big Saint Ber-

nard who is wearing a big fur coat and a diamond collar.

In his mouth is a ham bone. A mountain lion jumps into

the backseat, grabs the ham bone, jumps out the other
side, runs up a palm tree, and the palm tree falls on the
Statue of Liberty.

Let me ask you some questions to make sure you are doing
this exercise correctly. Are your mental pictures in color? They
should be. Are they descriptive? For example, what type of soap did
you picture? Is it a very clear picture? Do you know exactly how
big the bar is? What did Travolta have on his feet? What do the
black leather boots look like? The reason I ask these questions is

this: When you picture something vividly, you know exactly what
it is. When you're not sure, you see it in a rather half-baked way,
sort of fuzzy or foggy. In answering what John Travolta had on his
feet, you may have said black shoes. If you said black shoes or
anything except black leather boots, it means one thing. Your picture
wasn't vivid enough.
If you had some trouble with your pictures (maybe you had
difficulty picturing purple pennies because you haven't seen them in

real life; or maybe you feel you know very little about house trailers,

so you couldn't develop a vivid picture of one), that's okay. We're

 Chaining: Putting the Power of Vivid Images to Work 33

going to read the story again, and this time you'll see that your
mind will work a little faster. The pictures will come more easily,

and they will also be a little more detailed, more colorful. And if

you are doing this exercise with a partner, you may find that you
actually get ahead of him or her. You will recall the picture of the
next scene before it is read to you. Watch for this phenomenon; it

means your brain is already picking up speed.

Now sit back, relax, and vividly see the images from the story
in as much detail as possible. And don't forget to get all your senses
involved, feeling the feelings, smelling smells, and hearing any
sounds. Make believe you are really there.

Imagine the Statue of Liberty with its torch and its

book. On top of the Statue of Liberty is a big fat man.

In his right hand is an electric power drill. In his left

hand is a bar of soap. He drills into the soap, and out of

the soap come tumbling purple pennies. They fall into a

padlock on the back of a long house trailer being pulled

by a big black limousine. The limousine is being driven
by John Travolta, who is wearing a black Stetson hat, a

black vest, and black leather boots. Sitting next to John

Travolta is Cathy Lee Crosby. She's wearing a pink polka-
dot bikini. On her lap is a letter to her agent.

In the backseat of the limousine is a big Saint Ber-

nard who is wearing a big fur coat and a diamond collar.

In his mouth is a ham bone. A mountain lion jumps into

the backseat, grabs the ham bone, jumps out the other
side, runs up a palm tree, and the palm tree falls on the
Statue of Liberty.

How did you do this time? Did the images come a little more
easily? Did you get ahead of the story, as some people do? Your
memory is being strengthened pretty quickly, isn't it? We're going
to review the story one more time. This time, try to go even faster.

And again, close your eyes to help you focus on the images.
Let's begin:
34 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Imagine the Statue of Liberty with its torch and its

book. On top of the Statue of Liberty is a big fat man.

In his right hand is an electric power drill. In his left

hand is a bar of soap. He drills into the soap, and out of

the soap come tumbling purple pennies. They fall into a

padlock on the back of a long house trailer being pulled

by a big black limousine. The limousine is being driven
by John Travolta, who is wearing a black Stetson hat, a

black vest, and black leather boots. Sitting next to John

Travolta is Cathy Lee Crosby. She's wearing a pink polka-
dot bikini. On her lap is a letter to her agent.

In the backseat of the limousine is a big Saint Ber-

nard who is wearing a big fur coat and a diamond collar.

In his mouth is a ham bone. A mountain lion jumps into

the backseat, grabs the ham bone, jumps out the other
side, and runs up a cherry tree.

Was it a cherry tree? No. It was what, a palm tree? When

you read "cherry tree," I bet you realized that was wrong. And
that's good because you knew that it was a palm tree. Why? Two
separate pictures. Did make any other mistakes during that story?
I

Of course, I didn't finish it. What happens to the palm tree? It falls

on the Statue of Liberty.

Focusing

We're going to do something a little different now. Remember, early

in this chapter we mentioned that when we put two pictures together
in chaining, this has to be done in a crazy, illogical way? When you
have to create something that doesn't really make any sense, a scene

that couldn't happen in "real" life, you have to think about it a little

harder, a little longer. You have to focus on it. The ability to focus

on something is another important part not only of chaining but of

all memory work. Have you ever searched for your house keys
frantically because you couldn't remember where you put them the
night before? Most of us have been in that predicament, and it
 Chaining: Putting the Power of Vivid Images to Work 35

happens because we weren't paying attention when we took those

keys out of our pocket or handbag and put them down someplace.
We weren't focusing on them. With a Mega Memory you will be
focusing better without even trying to do so.

I will ask you to stand up in a minute. You will be reading

the Statue of Liberty story again, this time out loud and standing
up. Doing that makes your brain perceive things a bit differently.

It forces you to focus a little more. Before, you were just picturing

the pictures. Now you are going to be picturing the pictures, re-

peating the entire story, and doing both of these things standing up,
which is adding yet another dimension to the exercise.

Stand up now. If you are alone, read the first line silently, then
repeat the italicized line. If you are doing this exercise with someone,
have your partner read the first line aloud, and then both of you
repeat the italicized line. And always, remember to picture the story

vividly in your mind's eye.

Imagine the Statue of Liberty with its torch and its

book. Imagine the Statue of Liberty with its torch and its

boo\. On top of the Statue of Liberty is a big fat man.

On top of the Statue of Liberty is a big fat man. In his right
hand is an electric power drill. In his right hand is an
electric power drill. In his left hand is a bar of soap. In his

left hand is a bar of soap. He drills into the soap, and out
of the soap come tumbling purple pennies. He drills into

and out of the soap come tumbling purple pennies.

the soap,

They fall into a padlock on the back of a long house

trailer being pulled by a big black limousine. They fall
into a padlock^ on the bac\ of a long house trailer being pulled
by a big blac\ limousine. The limousine is being driven by
John Travolta, who is wearing a black Stetson hat, a black

vest, and black leather boots. The limousine is being driven

by John Travolta, who is wearing a blac\ Stetson hat, a blac\
vest, and blac\ leather boots. Sitting next to John Travolta
is Cathy Lee Crosby. She is wearing a pink polka-dot
bikini. On her lap is a letter to her agent. Sitting next to
36 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

John Travolta is Cathy Lee Crosby. She is wearing a pin\

polka-dot bikini. On her lap is a letter to her agent.
In the backseat of the limousine is a big Saint Ber-

nard who is wearing a fur coat and a diamond collar. In

his mouth is a ham bone. In the backseat is a big Saint

Bernard who is wearing a fur coat and a diamond collar. In

his mouth is a ham bone. A mountain lion jumps into the

backseat, grabs the ham bone, jumps out the other side,
runs up a palm tree, and the palm tree falls on the Statue
of Liberty. A mountain lion jumps into the backseat, grabs

the ham bone, jumps out the other side, runs up a palm tree,

and the palm tree falls on the Statue of Liberty.

During my seminars, most people tell me that when you're

vocalizing the words the pictures don't come as quickly. For some
people it's also tougher to make the pictures vivid. Did you find

this to be true? It is, don't worry. Your brain is just learning to do

more things at the same time, just like that driver who's learning
to drive a stick shift. When you had your eyes closed in the earlier

exercise, you were able to completely focus on the visual aspects of

the story. Now, however, you are verbalizing the story and trying
to picture it at the same time, and you are standing up. It all is a

little more difficult.

Remain standing. We're going to do the exercise again, but this

time you're going to read the story entirely out loud, with or without
a partner. Say the words and vividly see the pictures in your mind's

eye. Remember, the key to vivid pictures is color and detail.

Imagine the Statue of Liberty with its torch and its

book. On top of the Statue of Liberty is a big fat man.

In his right hand is an electric power drill. In his left

hand is a bar of soap. He drills into the soap, and out of

the soap come tumbling purple pennies. They fall into a
padlock on the back of a long house trailer being pulled
by a big black limousine. The limousine is being driven
by John Travolta, who is wearing a black Stetson hat, a
 Chaining: Putting the Power of Vivid Images to Work 37

black vest, and black leather boots. Sitting next to John

Travolta is Cathy Lee Crosby. She's wearing a pink polka-
dot bikini. On her lap is a letter to her agent.

In the backseat of the limousine is a big Saint Ber-

nard who is wearing a big fur coat and a diamond collar.

In his mouth is a ham bone. A mountain lion jumps into

the backseat, grabs the ham bone, jumps out the other
side, runs up a palm tree, and the palm tree falls on the
Statue of Liberty.

You can sit now. We are going to do this exercise once more,
but this time really try to get a partner if you've been doing it alone.

If you can't, you'll have to skip it. This time, your partner should
read the story very fast, as fast as possible, while you sit back and
visualize everything. You'll notice something extraordinary: that you
are able to keep pace with your partner easily, and may go ahead
of him or her. As I mentioned earlier, this could have been happen-
ing to you already. Think about the ramifications of this. You can
think faster than you speak. You can think faster than you write.
That's why training your memory is so important —you can remem-
ber things faster and more efficiently than you can ever write them
down. Are you beginning to appreciate that your brain is the power-
ful, superefficient computer I've been telling you it is?

Okay, sit back, relax, and close your eyes. Create vivid, detailed
pictures in crystal clear colors as the story is read.

Imagine the Statue of Liberty with its torch and its

book. On top of the Statue of Liberty is a big fat man.

In his right hand is an electric power drill. In his left

hand is a bar of soap. He drills into the soap, and out of

the soap come tumbling purple pennies. They fall into a
padlock on the back of a long house trailer being pulled
by a big black limousine. The limousine is being driven
by John Travolta, who is wearing a black Stetson hat, a

black vest, and black leather boots. Sitting next to John

38 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Travolta is Cathy Lee Crosby. She's wearing a pink polka-

dot bikini. On her lap is a letter to her agent.

In the backseat of the limousine is a big Saint Ber-

nard who is wearing a big fur coat and a diamond collar.

In his mouth is a ham bone. A mountain lion jumps into

the backseat, grabs the ham bone, jumps out the other
side, runs up a palm tree, and the palm tree falls on the
Statue of Liberty.

Now I'd like you to write the Statue of Liberty story on paper,
jotting down only the key pictures. Your list should go something
like this: "Statue of Liberty, torch, book, fat man, power drill, bar
of soap, purple pennies, padlock, long house trailer, limousine, John
Travolta, black Stetson hat, black vest, black leather boots, etc." You
should make it from memory only. I'm sure you'll have no problem
completing it in about five or ten minutes, and probably much more
quickly. You'll be amazed at how rapidly you can recall these pic-
tures. Close the book and do it now.
Okay. You may be thinking, this is incredible. I remembered
all of those things. Well, the fact is, you can remember five hundred
things doing what we've just done. Reviewing the story six times
took only about ten or fifteen minutes. And keep in mind, we only
began to do the exercises. I hope you're starting to see how fast your
mind and memory actually can work.
Before you go on to the next lesson, make sure you can vividly
create the pictures from the Statue of Liberty story, and make sure
you can remember all of them without a problem. If you're still

feeling a little stuck, review the story a few more times, reading it

out loud and then testing yourself again by writing it down.

Chapter 3 — Review
Chaining or Linking
Putting together in illogical or nonsensical fashion vivid pictures for
two new things you are trying to remember.
 Chaining: Putting the Power of Vivid Images to Work 39

Three Differences Between Basic Word Association and

Chaining
i. In word association, using pictures, or visualizing, is not
emphasized.
2. In word association, the link is logical; in chaining, the link

is illogical.

3. In word association, the link is between two things you

already know —both are in your memory; in chaining, the

link is between two things you do not know.

The Pictures from the Statue of Liberty Story

Statue of Liberty torch book big fat man electric power drill

bar of soap purple pennies padlock house trailer black limou-

sine John Travolta black Stetson hat black vest black boots
Cathy Lee Crosby pink polka-dot bikini letter to her agent a big

Saint Bernard fur coat diamond collar ham bone mountain lion

palm tree Statue of Liberty

Chapter 3 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

i. Close your eyes.

2. Silently go through the entire Statue of Liberty story by
memory, creating vivid images.

3. As you are doing this, call out loud all the major elements
of the story above.

Exercise 2
Let's do it again! But this time vividly describe out loud everything
you see. Create as detailed, colorful, and crystal clear images as you
can — the more details you describe the better. This exercise will get
you thinking in pictures while simultaneously verbalizing.
 Creating Peg Lists:

Mental File Folders

In this chapter, we are going to learn an exercise that will

develop our ability to store information in a particular way so we

can retrieve it more easily at a later date. This information is stored

on what I call pegs.

Earlier, I used the image of a file cabinet as a way of describing

how your brain stores information. Think of pegs as the tabs on the
file folders, where you label each folder so that you know at a glance
what's inside it. Some people also think of pegs as hooks in a closet
or on a wall, where you might hang a jacket or a coat. Except this

is a mental hook where one hangs information.

To understand how we work with pegs, it is important to
know a little bit about short-term and long-term memory. When
we store information in we do it either
our brains for recall later,

for a short or long period of time. When we hear a name or a

telephone number, for example, we may remember it for thirty sec-

onds or perhaps a minute, and then it's gone, forgotten. We say that
that information was in short-term memory only. When someone
tells us something or we read a piece of news that makes a deep
impression on us, that information ha? entered our long-term

40
 Creating Peg Lists: Mental File Folders 41

memory. It is there for good, something we can retrieve a day, a

month, or a year later.

When they talk about improving their memories, most people

are really talking about improving their short-term memory, or more
specifically, making sure that information from short-term memory
gets into long-term memory. That is, if you hear that name or phone-
number at a party or business meeting, you want to be able to
remember it for more than just thirty seconds or a minute. You
don't want to have to say five minutes later, "I'm sorry. I've forgotten
your name."
I want to emphasize an important point about long-term mem-
ory. When information is in long-term memory — I call it the knowl-
edge bank — that information cannot be forgotten. Now think about
that. If you have information in your knowledge bank, you can't
forget it. For example, try to forget your own name. You can't. You
can't forget your name because at some point early in your life it

entered long-term memory. And you'll always know it (except in

the extreme case of amnesia or another illness). Even if you tried,

you could not forget your name. Why? Because the name is in the

knowledge bank. It's in long-term memory.

Since a lot of useful information is already in the knowledge
bank of the mind, and since that information cannot be forgotten,

we're going to use that to our advantage in Mega Memory. We are

going to take information that we want to remember and peg it to

information that cannot be forgotten. When we need to recall the

new information later on, it will be easier to do so because we have

pegged it to information that's readily available to us.

Think of pegs, then, as simply bits of information that have

already been committed to memory. The pegs are already part of
your knowledge bank and therefore cannot be forgotten. And
on these pegs we will put new information to be recalled at a
later date. We're taking something you know (the peg) and some-
thing you don't know (the new information) and we'll be put-
ting them together. And we'll be using the power of vivid images
that we learned about in the previous chapter to make our pegs
strong.
42 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

The Body List

Before we can use pegs, we have to create them. We're going to

develop two peg lists. The first one is the Body List. We are going
to establish ten pegs, or parts of your body. Obviously, you can't

forget parts of your body. If I ask you where your elbow is, for

example, you know where it's located. If I ask you to locate your
toes and knees, head and nose, you can tell me where they are
instantly. The only thing you'll need to remember is the sequence
of these body parts.
I'd like you to stand up and follow my instructions carefully.

Number 1 is toes. Wiggle your toes and repeat out

loud, "Number 1, Number 2 is knees.
toes." Pat your
knees and repeat, "Number 2, knees." Number 3 is going
to be your thigh muscle, and we're going to call it just

muscle. Pat your muscle and repeat, "Number 3, muscle."

Number 4 is your rear. Pat your rear and repeat, "Num-
ber 4, rear." Number 5 is your love handles. Grab your
love handles and "Number 5, loves handles."
repeat,

Number 6 is your shoulders. Tap your shoulders and re-

peat, "Number 6, shoulders." Number 7 is your collar.
Touch your collar and repeat, "Number 7, collar." Num-
ber 8 is your face. Touch your face, and repeat, "Number
8, face." Number 9 is your point. That is, it's the top of
your head. I call it your point because you point to it.

Point to your point, tap it, and repeat, "Number 9, point."

Number 10 is actually off the body; it's the ceiling. Point

to the ceiling and repeat, "Number 10, ceiling."

Now let's do this exercise again. Reamin standing and repeat

each peg out loud. And make sure that you repeat the action from
the previous exercise, too.

"Number 1, toes." Wiggle your toes. "Number 2,

knees." Pat your knees. "Number 3, muscle." Pat your

 Creating Peg Lists: Mental File Folders 43

muscle. "Number 4, rear." Pat your rear."Number 5, love

handles." Grab your love handles. "Number 6, shoulders."
Tap your shoulders. "Number 7, collar." Touch your col-
lar. "Number 8, face." Touch your face. "Number 9,

point." Point to your head. "Number 10, ceiling." Point

to the ceiling.

Let's do it a third time.

"Number 1, toes. Number 2, knees. Number 3, mus-

cle. Number 4, rear. Number 5, love handles. Number 6

shoulders. Number 7 collar. Number 8, face. Number 9,

point. Number 10, ceiling."

One more time, very quickly.

"Number 1, toes. Number 2, knees. Number 3, mus-

cle. Number 4, rear. Number 5, love handles. Number 6,

shoulders. Number 7, collar. Number 8, face. Number 9,

point. Number 10, ceiling."

Make sure that when you did this exercise each time you re-
peated each peg out loud, and carried out the action I had specified

for each body part. If you forgot to do both together, go back and
go through the three repetitions again.
Let's do it all one last time.

"Number 1, toes. Number 2, knees. Number 3, mus-

cle. Number 4, rear. Number 5, love handles. Number 6,

shoulders. Number 7, collar. Number 8, face. Number 9,

point. Number 10, ceiling."

You may sit down now to continue reading.

These ten parts of your body have become pegs. Notice that it

didn't take us more than a few minutes to commit to memory the

pegs on our Body List. In fact, we didn't have to commit them to
44 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

memory at all because they already were in our knowledge bank.

We were only learning the sequence. That's why we went in a nice,

orderly flow, from toes to the ceiling.

I want you to be aware of a few other things, too. We did not

use basic association linking the numbers to the pegs. Remember,
basic association is a logical linking of two things. There's no logical

reason why number 5 on this Body List, for example, is our love
handles. It's 5 only because we made it 5. In the Tree List we
created in Chapter 2, we associated the number 5 with glove because
glove reminded us of five fingers. There was a reason for it. When you
peg, there is no logical association. You're only creating a sequence.
Being able to create peg lists will help you in real-life situations

because the world around us is ordered in a particular sequence as

well. When you can remember things in order (and when I say

"remember" I am using it in an active sense — the act of putting the

information into your brain), you can later retrieve that information
more easily. This process works just like retrieving a memo from
the right file at the office. If you have a good filing system, you'll

be able to do it quickly.
Now you will write down the Body List from memory. Num-
ber from 1 through 10 on the left-side of a piece of paper, and
beside each number write the appropriate term of the Body List.

Close the book and do it now.4

We're back. If for some reason, you dropped one or two, stand
up and review the exercise once or twice. It usually takes people
about two minutes to have the Body List committed to memory.
Even if you remembered the entire list, stand up and repeat it again
to make sure those pegs are really solid.
Let's go.

"Number 1, toes. Number 2, knees. Number 3, mus-

cle. Number 4, rear. Number 5, love handles. Number 6,

shoulders. Number 7, collar. Number 8, face. Number 9,

point. Number 10, ceiling."

Now close the book and take a break.

 Creating Peg Lists: Mental File Folders 45

The House List

Before we establish the second peg list, want to quickly review

I

what we just did. In creating a Body List, we made up a specific

sequence, or order. This was different from the Tree List we devel-
oped in Chapter 2, which was an example of basic association. You
now have two ways of creating lists for later use, and have also
exercised your memory in two different ways.
Now I'd like to develop another peg list that you will commit
to memory for future use. This next list is called a House List.

There are three things you are going to do in creating this list:

i. Pick four rooms in your house.

2. Mentally go into each room and choose five items in that room.

3. Write each item in sequence on a piece of paper. That is,

you should write them down in the same order they are

placed in the room.

Pick any four rooms in your house (or four distinct areas if

you live in a small apartment). The rooms themselves should go in

order, too, as if you were walking through your home. For example,
when I walk into my house, the first room I enter is the kitchen.
That would be room Then there is the dining room,
1. the living room,

and the bedroom. Those would be rooms 2, 3, and 4, respectively.

Now that you have chosen four rooms in your house, in your
mind's eye go to the room and pick out five items in that room.
first

It's better if the items are large, having some mass and weight to
them. Each item should be different from the next. (Don't choose
two chairs in a room, for example.) The items should not be placed
close to one another. And most important, they should be in the
order in which they are placed in the room, either clockwise or
counterclockwise. Keep this sequence the same in all four rooms.
If the first room you've chosen is your kitchen, for example,
your items may be countertop, microwave, sink, refrigerator, trash
can. Those go clockwise in my kitchen.
Now take a piece of paper, number 1 through 5, and write
46 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

down the items you've chosen. When you're finished with the first

room, mentally visit the other three rooms and do same thing, so

that you have twenty items listed on your piece of paper. Don't
repeat any items. And remember, you are doing this in your mind's

eye. You shouldn't be walking through the house physically.

Your list may look something like this:

Example of a House List

R( )OM 1

i refrigerator

2 stove

3 sink

4 coffeepot

5 trash can

R( )OM 2

6 organ

7 chair

8 lamp
9 fireplace

to couch

R( )OM 3

ii shower head
12 tub

M towels

M toilet

l
5 medicine cabinet

RC )OM 4

16 dresser

17 mirror
18 bed
19 vanity
20 closet
 Creating Peg Lists: Mental File Folders 47

It should have taken about ten minutes to write down those

pegs. Remember, they're pegs because they are in your knowledge

bank already and you will be using them as reference points later
on. Just as with the Body List, they are places on which we can put
new information. All you have to do now is remember the sequence

in which you chose them.

Now listen to my instructions carefully. First, check your list

and make sure that none of the twenty pegs that you have chosen
is repeated. Also, make sure each peg flows in a nice orderly fashion,
in whatever direction you have chosen for the entire exercise.
I will now ask you to look at your paper, read the first peg
out loud, then close your eyes and, as vividly as you can, see that

peg in your mind's eye. Then go to the next peg. Read it out loud,
close your eyes, and vividly see it in your mind's eye. Do that with
all twenty pegs. It should take five to ten minutes. Do it now.4
We're going to do it again, but this time you don't have to call

the peg out loud. I still want you to read the name of the peg, but
this time repeat it silently. Then close your eyes and vividly see the
peg in your mind's eye. Proceed in sequence through all the pegs.
The key here is not speed, but making sure you silently repeat
each one by name, and vividly see the peg in your mind's eye. Do
that now.^
We're going to do it one more time. But this time, start with
peg 20 and go backward through your list. Look at each item in
sequence, close your eyes, call it by name silently, and vividly see it
in your mind's eye. Be deliberate, and make sure the images are
crystal clear — as if you were really there, looking at each object. Do
that now.4
Now stand up and hold your paper in your hand. This time I

want you to work on a little speed. You're going to do exactly the

same thing. Take a mental journey through your house, read the
name of each peg out loud, and as you do, see it vividly in your
mind's eye. Proceed through all the pages, and try to keep a more
brisk pace. Do it now>
Now turn the paper over and remain standing. Do it again,
calling out every peg by name and vividly seeing it. But there's one
48 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

big difference this time — you're not going to read the list off your

paper because the pegs are now committed to memory. Go through

the list now.4
Remain standing. You're going to do this again without reading
from the paper, only now you will be going backward. Start with
peg 20 and go all the way to peg 1. Close your eyes and take that
mental journey through your four rooms. You will be seeing each

peg and calling name out loud. When you are through, have
it by
a seat. Do that now.f

Please sit down now. We're going to do it one more time, with
another small difference. You do not have to call the name of the
peg out loud. Take the mental journey through your house, from
peg 1 to 20. Seeing each peg as vividly as you can, call it by name,
but call it by name silently. Do that now.#
Now we're going to add yet another little twist. You are going

to do exactly the same thing, starting with the first peg, ending with
the last. You will vividly see each peg as before, but this time you
won't have to call it by name at all. You will notice that your speed
dramatically increases. Why? Because, as I've said previously, you
can think faster than you can write or talk. If we could communicate
with thoughts, communication would go 10,000 times faster than it

is today, perhaps even 100,000 times faster.

Vividly see each peg in your mind's eye. Don't call it by name.
Just visualize each peg, then go to the next. Do it now.4
Do this exercise again without calling out each peg. Just visual-
ize it, starting with the first peg, ending with the last. Do it now>
We're going to do this two more times, but with a little twist

again. Start with the first peg, end with the last, but this time try
to visualize the pegs in groups rather than individually. Use the four
groups you created. You'll be able to do that easily because of that

photographic memory you have been training. Do it now.f

Isn't it dramatichow fast you're getting? You can go through
all twenty pegs in just a few seconds, because now you're seeing
them in groups. Do it one more time, seeing the pegs in groups,

starting with the first peg, ending with the last. now.4 Do it

Now take a sheet of paper. Number through 20 down

1 the
 Creating Peg Lists: Mental File Folders 49

left side and write down by memory your House List pegs. Do
it now.f
We're back. Take out another sheet of paper and number 1

through 10 and write down by memory the pegs of your Body List.

We created these at the beginning of the chapter, and you'll notice

they are still committed to memory. Write them down now>
I hope you're pretty excited by now. You know the Body List.

You know your House List, too. They are both reference points,

parts of your knowledge bank, which is long-term memory. The

items on both lists didn't have to be recalled. All we did was put
them in a particular sequence. It all took about a half hour, and
now you can start using these pegs.

Chapter 4 — Review
How Your Memory Works
Short-term memory recalls things you — hear, see, and think about
for a few seconds to several hours.

Long-term memory — accessible long-term information (your

knowledge bank). It is information you couldn't forget if you tried:

your name, address, and so forth.

Inaccessible long-term memory — all other experiences recorded
by the human tape recorder (the ear), the human camera (the eyes),

and all other senses.

Your Mind Is Like a File Cabinet.

When you have a trained memory, your mind is organized. Things
you hear, see, or think go into mental files for easy recall in the

future.

With an untrained memory, the files are literally jumbled to-

gether, like actual files, thrown onto the floor.

Body List Pegs

A list in long-term memory — so it can't be forgotten.
50 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory 1

1. toes

2. knees
3. muscle
4. rear

5. love handles
6. shoulders

7. collar

8. face

9. point
10. ceiling

Creating House-List Pegs

1. Pick out four rooms.
2. Pick out five pegs in each room, in a sequential order.
3. Each peg should be completely different from every other peg.

A Typical House List

ROOM 1

1. refrigerator

2. stove

3. sink

4. coffeepot

5. trash can

ROOM 2

6. organ
7. chair
8. lamp
9. fireplace

10. couch

ROOM 3

11. shower head

12. tub
13. towels
 Creating Peg Lists: Mental File Folders 51

14. toilet

15. medicine cabinet

ROOM 4

16. dresser

17. mirror
18. bed
19. vanity
20. closet

Chapter 4 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

i. From memory, review the Body List and the House List.

See each peg vividly in your mind.

2. Once you are sure you know them in order, review them
again, calling each one out loud by name.

Exercise 2
From memory, review the Body List and the House List —while
you drive, eat dinner, watch TV.
 Using Your Peg Lists

Now that we have pegs established, the question arises:

What do we do with them? Let's go back to our image of pegs as

tabs on file folders. For example, you may have a mental file folder

with the heading "Today's Errands." If you want to remember

"What do I have to do today?" you look in that folder to see what,
if anything, has been put there. You may have another folder titled

"Bills to Pay," and when you look inside, you see which bills need
attention.

When you have a Mega Memory and something in your experi-

ence brings you to a peg, whatever information you have put in the
folder represented by that peg will be accessible to you. And even
more important, after you have been exercising your memory for a

while, the information will pop back instantly.

To explain how this might work in real life, think of the

furniture in your house again, any piece of furniture, not necessarily
one of the pieces you used for your House List. What if I blindfolded
you, led you into one of the rooms, and spun you around. You
wouldn't know exactly where you were. You'd begin to grope and

52
 Using Your Peg Lists 53

look and feel to try to find something that you recognized. But
when you touched the television set, you would know immediately
where everything else was in the room. Why? The television set is

a reference point, one of many that you have created over time in

your house. That is, over time you have learned the arrangement of
furniture in your house, and it's in your memory in that order.

Each piece of furniture has become a peg and allows you to orient

yourself instantly.
Pegging works the same way. Just like knowing where the
furniture is in your living room, it's a way of ordering information
in your mind so that you can recall it later quickly and easily.

When pegging:

i. You take a preestablished peg (remember, it's always a vivid

picture, as vivid as you can make it!);

2. You create another vivid picture of something you want to

put into your knowledge bank; and

3. You link the two pictures in a ludicrous, nonsensical fashion

using action.

This is different from chaining, remember, which is linking

two totally new things, like the different images in the Statue of

Liberty story. In pegging, you are linking one new piece of informa-
tion with something that's already in your knowledge bank.
Let's say, for example, we decide to use our toes as our preestab-
lished peg. In our mind's eye, we would get a crystal clear picture
of our toes. Then, we would create a vivid picture of something
that we want to peg to it, let's say our computer. And then we
link the two together with nonsensical action, let's say by imagining
ourselves kicking the computer around the room like a beach ball.

We have just pegged the computer to our toes.

The kind of action you use in pegging is important. I define

action as being of two kinds, passive or active. Passive action is

walking, sauntering, balancing, holding. There's not a lot of move-

ment or activity there. It's rather slow and uninspired. Active action
is what we want in pegging. It's animated, dynamic, the crazier
54 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

the better, like a music video on MTV or the Saturday morning

cartoons in which anything can happen. Running, throwing,
jumping, smashing, hitting — lots of movement, lots of dynamism,
that's what we want.
There's an acronym I've created that should help you in peg-
ging —VIA, which stands for vivid visualization, imagination, and
action. It's the process you go through in pegging. First of all, vividly

creating pictures is the most important thing. Second, use your imag-
ination to create pictures that are interesting and unique. And third,

use active action to really give those pictures punch, a sense of

dynamic movement. If you think of VIA as you're pegging, you will

be building a very solid foundation for your Mega Memory.

At about this point in my seminars, I get a lot of questions.
"Kevin, why are we doing this?" "Kevin, all the exercises are getting
confusing. Can you explain the difference between them again.'"
"Can't we just use one peg list for everything'" want to reassure I

you if you're starting to feel the same way. I have been throwing a
lot of concepts at you. If you can't remember everything — the rea-
sons for doing this exercise or that one, the differences among all

the exercises — that's okay. As I've said before, you don't have to
explain the exercises or understand how they work. Your part is

doing the exercises. It's as if we were getting ready to jog, and I

was teaching you stretching exercises. If you know the names of all

the muscles that you are stretching and the reasons for stretching
them, that's fine. But it's not necessary. What's important is that

you are doing the stretching, and doing it correctly.

We're doing the same thing for your mind right now. We're
exercising it so it can think and order information properly, informa-
tion that it will want to recall in the future. And if some of these
exercises seem nonsensical, have fun with them, as much crazy fun
as you possibly can. Remember, the willingness to accept change is

the hallmark of learning.

Before we go on to some actual exercises, I wantmake one
to

important point, perhaps the most exciting point in this book. To

remember virtually anything, you will only need three things. The
three things are:
 Using Your Peg Lists 55

i. a place to put the information (peg)

2. a vivid picture of the information you arc pegging

4. mental glue to hold the picture on the peg

The place to put the information, as we've just learned, is a

peg, a reference point. You can think of it as a cuhbyhole, mental

filing folder, mental mailbox, whatever term you want to use. We've

also learned the importance of vivid images, just like that lemon in

Chapter 3. And we've talked about mental glue, which is — what do

you think? — action. Active action. As we practice pegging, you will

be repeating these three steps, and when you get into real-life situa-

tions, it will work the same way.

Pegging to the Body List

We're now going to do some pegging exercises. We'll take it slowly,

and I'll give you some tips on what to do and what not to do. Don't
get discouraged if you think you are progressing too slowly. We're
just getting started. In Part II of this book, when you start applying
pegging to real-life situations, you'll be performing this process very

fast and without consciously thinking about it. You'll be amazed

at how much more efficient this pegging method is than writing
things down.
For our first exercise, we're going to peg things to our bodies.
We are going to put the first thing we want to remember on our
toes, which is the first peg on our Body List. The second thing we
want to remember will go to our second peg, which is the knees.
The third thing will go to the third peg, which is the muscle, and
so on, through to our tenth peg, which is the ceiling.
The first thing we want to remember is eggs. Using animation
and movement, vividly link eggs to your toes somehow.
In trying this for the first time, many people reason as follows:
"Well, let's see. Kevin said we need to get a vivid picture of our
toes and a vivid picture of an egg, and put both together using
action. Okay, I'll make a picture in my mind of an egg, and I'll put
it on my toe." That's not very good. Why? The action is very
56 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

passive — you're just putting an egg on your toes and then it just

stays there. The picture has very little life.

Remember, we want active action: something dynamic and with
a lot of movement, like running, jumping, throwing, smashing. And
most important, with the power of your imagination, make the ac-

tion impossible —something that could never happen in real life. In

other words, make it crazy, nonsensical. The crazier, the better. If

it's illogical, it's good. Keep VIA in mind: vivid visualization, imagi-
nation, and action. Those three factors must always be present for

a peg to be effective.

Here's a tip forgood pegging: If you thin\ it's boring, it's bad.
Keep that in mind whenever you are pegging. Boring things are
forgotten. Crazy, animated, ridiculous, nonsensical things are re-
membered. Why? As I've said before, your mind automatically locks
onto something that could not or would not happen in real life,

precisely because it's so different and unique. The crazier, the better.

Use your imagination as much as possible.

This is an example of a good peg for toes and an egg. "Well,

Kevin said to exaggerate the picture, so maybe instead of just visual-
izing an egg, I'll see a giant egg, or maybe thousands of eggs." The
picture is exaggerated, which is much better. "Kevin also said to

animate the picture. Well, maybe the egg has legs and arms and it's

pink. He said use lots of action. Okay, maybe that egg is in front of
me, and I'm kicking the egg with my toe." This person gave his picture

a lot of life and made it something that is absolutely ridiculous.

Here's a tip for an even better peg: More is always better than
less. That is, use more action rather than less. Keep the scene going;
keep the action happening.
For example, if we say, "I see a giant egg with legs and arms,
and I kick him," that's an acceptable action. If you apply more-is-
better-than-less, maybe you'll be kicking the egg several times.
Maybe the egg is biting your toe or kicking you back. Maybe you
kick him so hard that he breaks open and yolk spreads all over
your toes. Maybe you scoop up the egg, put it in a big bowl, and
begin to mix it up with your toes.

Ready? Now stand up.

 Using Your Peg Lists 57

Peg an egg to your toes. You want this process to take about
thirty seconds, maybe forty-five, no more. Close your eyes and create
a picture, making sure it's vivid and crystal clear. Then think of an
action, a dynamic, crazy action. Do this now>
The second thing we want to remember is bacon. Where docs
it go? On the second peg on your Body List, which is the knees.

Create a vivid picture of your knees and a vivid picture of bacon.

To help yourself create the picture, think back to that exercise about
the lemon and do the same thing with bacon. What does the bacon
look like? Is it frozen? Is it in a package? Is the package open?
What's the color of the bacon? How greasy is it? Now put that
bacon on your knee using action.
Here are several examples of how someone might do this.

"Maybe I'll just nail the bacon to my knee." There's a lot of action
there, and it's ridiculous (if somewhat painful!), something that
would never happen in real life. Here's another example. "Well,
maybe I'm frying bacon all over my knee, and it's getting real hot
and my knee feels hot." Someone else might think, "Maybe I'm
taking bacon and shining my knee." One last example: "I'm putting
my knees together and wrapping bacon around them in a knot, and
I'm trying to walk, but I can't."

The examples in the above paragraph weren't boring because

they all had strong action. (In the first example the action was nail-

ing. In the second it was frying. The third was shining. The action
in the fourth example, tying, wasn't as good as the other three, but
it's still okay, especially if you keep the action going.)

Ask yourself, "What is my action?" to tell whether your peg

is a good one. If you can answer that question clearly, and you're
vividly picturing it, you have a good peg. In real-life situations, it

is the vivid action that will serve up on a silver platter whatever

you want to recall.

All right, close the book, and in your mind's eye, peg bacon to
your knee.#
The third thing we want to remember is hamburger. It goes
on the third peg on the Body List, which is the muscle. Vividly
58 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

picture that thigh muscle and vividly picture hamburger, and using
action, put hamburger on your thigh. Maybe your hamburger is raw,
and you're rubbing it all over your muscle in your mind's eye, and
your muscle is getting very greasy and gooey. Even better: You're
bouncing hamburger balls on your muscle, and they're getting bigger
and bigger and bouncing higher and higher. Don't be afraid of
exaggeration — the crazier and more ludicrous the picture, the better.
Close the book and do it now.f
The fourth thing we want to remember is milk, and you won't
be surprised to learn that it goes on the fourth peg on the Body List,

which is your rear. You're probably laughing right now, thinking of

a whole bunch of crazy things to do with milk and your rear.

That's something else I'm always trying to remind you of: Have
fun. Laughing makes Mega Memory much more effective! Maybe
very cold milk is being poured on your rear. Maybe you're playing
with a friend in an ocean of milk, and you're splashing each other
in the rear. Close the book, and peg milk all over your rear in your
own mind's eye.+
The fifth thing we want to remember is bananas, and it goes
on the fifth peg, which is love handles. Peg bananas to your love
handles. Maybe you're seeing banana trees sprouting out of your
love handles all over the place. Because you want to exaggerate the
picture, perhaps you're peeling a huge banana and wrapping it

around your love handles. Maybe the banana is blue or red. Close
the book and peg bananas to your love handles now.4
Let's go back and review what we've pegged so far. If you
can't answer each of these questions instantly, you need to go back
and intensify the images. What's on your toes 3 What's on your
knees? What's on your muscle? What's on your rear? What's on
your love handles? Notice when we go back to each one of the pegs,
what pops into your mind? The pictures, the action. If you had lots

of action, and vivid pictures, the peg comes back because it has been
locked into your knowledge bank. You used the right software for
the mind, which is pictures. And you used strong "glue," which
is action.

Let's go to the sixth peg. The sixth peg on your Body List is
 Using Your Peg Lists 59

shoulders. I want you to peg bread to your shoulders. Make sure

you get a vivid picture of the type of bread you're using. Is it Italian

bread? Is it whole wheat? Fresh and crisp, or old and hard? Make-
sure you exaggerate the picture. And don't do something obvious,
which is easy to do with number 6. "I'll just put bread as shoulder
pads," is not good because it has no action. In one of my seminars
someone once said, "I see a giant loaf of bread on my shoulders and
I'm slicing off a piece. I go too far and . . . Oh! I cut myself." Now
that's action!

Here's another tip regarding pegging: We've had a number of

images that involve pain because pain is very memorable. It's a good
thing to have in your pegs. Of course, if you don't want to be
thinking of painful images all the time, other emotions make for

very good pegs, too: love, fear, or anger, anything comical, or with
a sexual overtone — they're all memorable as well. So in your mind's
eye, create a vivid picture of your shoulders and bread, using lots

of memorable action. Close the book and do it now.f

The seventh peg is collar and the seventh thing you need to

remember is lettuce. In your mind's eye, peg lettuce to your collar.

Maybe you have a big lettuce leaf flapping in the breeze around
your collar. Maybe it's purple or silver. Maybe you're adding more
and more lettuce leaves. Close the book and do this now.^
Let's review. If you can't answer each of these instantly, you
need to go back and intensify the images. What's on your shoulders?
What's on your love handles? What's on your rear? What's on your
toes? How about your muscle? What's on your knee? What's on
your collar? What's on your shoulder?
Let's go to the eighth peg, which is face. I want you to peg a
pie to your face. Now, I know what your thinking. "Kevin, that's
easy. We're just going to smash a pie in our face." But what have
I been saying? When the action is obvious or possible in real life,

it usually isn't very memorable. Smashing a pie in someone's face is

very obvious, we've all seen it on TV or in the movies.

But here's a twist. The action in this picture, smashing, is good.
From experience, I know that when you're pegging, you can't always
come up with a "perfect" action, action that's both active and origi-
60 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

nal. So in this case of smashing a pie into your face, you can compen-
sate by making sure that your picture is vivid, vivid, vivid. Create

a peg by answering the following questions: What type of pie is it?

Does it smell delicious? Is it crusty? How big is it? Smell the smells,
get your taste buds involved, feel what you'd feel if you had the pie

right in front of you. The more you can picture yourself in the
scene, the better.

Now close the book and peg a pie to your face.^

The ninth peg is your point, the top of your head. Remember,
it's your point because you can point to it. I want you to peg carrots
to your point. Some good pictures: "I see a giant carrot and someone
is holding it like a baseball bat and just beating me over the head
with it." "I'm taking golden carrots one by one and tacking them
to my head." "There are two giant carrots up there on my head
and they're dancing with each other."
In your own mind's eye, get a vivid, crystal clear picture of
carrots to peg them to your point. Close the book and do it now.f
The tenth peg is the ceiling. I want you to peg hot dog buns
to the ceiling. Maybe you're putting butter or mustard on hot dog
buns, throwing them up one by one, and sticking them to the ceiling.
Or maybe you're standing on a ladder, trying to paint the ceiling
with a hot dog bun instead of a paint brush, and paint is getting
all over your hands.
In your own mind's eye, put hot dog buns on the ceiling. Keep
in mind, you can exaggerate it, which means there can be thousands
of hot dog buns or a giant one. We've also been talking about
making the picture dynamic, full of action. Maybe it's a live hot dog
bun trying to get away from you and running around on the ceiling.
The more nonsensical the picture, the better it is. And don't forget
to include feelings, and other sensations. Maybe you're hungry, can
smell that delicious hot dog, and that's why it's trying to run away.
Lots of action and movement; more is always better than less. Do
it now.^
Time to review. What's on your toes? What's on your knees?
What's on your shoulders? Where are the bananas? Where are the
 Using Your Peg Lists 61

carrots? What's on the ceiling? What's on your collar? Where are the

eggs? Where's the hamburger? Where's the milk? Where are the ba-

nanas? Where's the pie? Where are the carrots? Where are the hot

dog buns? Where's the lettuce? Where are the eggs?

What's on your knees? What's on your love handles? What's

on your shoulders? What's on your collar? What's on your face?
What's on your point? What's on the ceiling? What's number 5 on
the Tree List? What's number 7 on the Tree List? What number
is bowling ball on the Tree List? What number is paycheck?
Who is in the backseat of the limousine? What is he wearing?
What's in his mouth? What do the purple pennies fall on? Where
is the thing the purple pennies fall on? It is being pulled by what?
Who is sitting next to John Travolta? What is that person wearing?

What's on her lap? What is on top of the Statue of Liberty? What's

in someone's right hand? What's in the left hand?
What number is dice on the Tree List? What number is eggs
on the Tree List? What is the number for witch? What number is
light switch? What word is 18 on the Tree List? What word is 20

on the Tree List? What word is nineteen on the Tree List?

What's happened? The answers to all of these questions have
popped right out of your memory in the form of the pictures you
had earlier put there. Even questions from previous exercises and
chapters. And we're just getting started.
Let's review pegging. You create a vivid picture of an estab-
lished peg and a vivid picture of something you want to recall.

Using VIA (vivid visualization, imagination, and action), you then

put both pictures together in your mind. You make your pictures
funny, ludicrous, nonsensical, something that could never happen in
You exaggerate, animate. Include feelings and other sensa-
real life.

tions. Remember that more is always better than less. Get that imagi-

nation going. And smile. You are creating a foundation that will let
your memory do everything it is capable of doing.
62 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Chapter 5 — Review
Pegging
Linking in a ludricrous, nonsensical fashion a vivid picture of a
preestablished peg and a vivid picture of the information you want
to remember.

Key to Pegging
VIA: vivid visualization, imagination, and active action.

Characteristics of Vivid Pictures

Crystal clear and in color.
Specific, filled with detail.

Include sounds, smells, other sensations.

Include yourself and your feelings.
Include active action.

Active Action
Any type of fast movement — running, jumping, smashing. Passive
action — talking sitting, walking — weak mental glue and
is thus is

not useful when pegging.

Things to Keep in Mind While Pegging

i. Exaggeration: Always exaggerate your pictures, making them
bigger than life.

2. The senses: Pictures should be extremely vivid, in color, and

so real you can smell, hear, and feel them.
3. Animation: Use your imagination to make pictures of inani-
mate objects come to life.

4. Action: The best type is nonsensical, ludicrous, crazy.

5. More is better than less.

6. If it's boring, it's bad.

A Key Question When Pegging

What was my action?
 Using Your Peg Lists 63

The Three Basic Steps of Remembering

i. a place to put the information, which is a peg
2. a vivid picture of what you want to remember

3. mental glue holding the picture on the peg, which is action

Chapter 5 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

Review your Body List (toes, knees, muscle, etc.), by asking yourself

the following two questions for each peg:

i. What item did I peg to my toes, knees, muscle, etc.

2. What was my action?

Exercise 2
Do the same exercise as above, but think of another action for
each item!
6 Playing Concentration

This is going to be a fun lesson because we're going to be

playing a game. It's a game that was on television several years ago
and which still gets shown in syndication from time to time. The
game is called Concentration. If you remember, Concentration con-
sisted of a hidden puzzle on a board. The board was divided into
numbers, and different pieces of the puzzle were revealed as contes-

tants matched numbers and prizes. Once they saw enough pieces of
the puzzle, the contestants tried to guess what it was.
The puzzle could be a familiar phrase, a well-known saying, a
particular object. It was make up of pictures, pictures that represented
syllables of words. When you put all the pictures together, you came
up with whole words and sentences. For exmaple, the picture of an
eyeball and a tin can, "eye" and "can," would give you "I can."

We're going to play Concentration in this lesson, but we're

going to do it in reverse. Instead of my giving you pictures and
having you tell me what words they represent, I'm going to give
you words that we're going to break down into syllables, turning

the syllables into pictures. We'll do one word at a time. I'll lead you
through a few examples step by step, and then I'll ask you to do

64
 Playing Concentration 65

some on your own. It's fun to work with someone else on this

particular exercise.

When you are trying to come up with a picture for each sylla-

ble, think of what this syllable sounds like to you — the way you
would pronounce it — not necessarily the way the syllable is actually

spelled. Then choose the picture, what I call a sound-alike picture.

(Like "eye," which sounds like "I" in "I can.") We're going to repeat
this process for each syllable of the word, so that you will have two
or three pictures for every word. Remember, the pictures won't have

anything to do with the meaning of the word, they will only sound
like each syllable.

Let's take the word "building." What's the first syllable? "Buil."

I think of bills to be paid or a dollar bill. Let's use a picture of a

dollar bill, that's easier. What's the second syllable? "Ding." How
about two bells ringing — ding! "Bill-ding." "Building."
Let's take another word, "management." "Man-age-ment."
How about a picture of a man for the first syllable; that's easy.

Now how about "age"? That's harder because it's a concept. In

Concentration, the pictures in the puzzle could represent not only

sounds, but concepts, too. How do you represent the concept of age?
How about a picture of an old person? Or three people side by
side — a child, someone middle-aged, someone old? Now "ment."
What sounds like "ment"? How about "mints" or "mince," a picture
of cookies with a green filling or meat being chopped up? Let's

choose the cookies. "Man-age-mints." "Management."

How about the word "category"? What's the first syllable in

"category"? "Cat." Most people immediately think of a cat. What's

the next syllable? "E," which sounds like "eh." That doesn't really

help us, and in cases like this, you could combine syllables in Con-
centration, too. So what's the next syllable? "Gor." "Eh-gor." That
still doesn't sound like anything. Let's add the last syllable, "y,"
which sounds like "ee." We now have "eh-gor-ee." "Eh-gor-ee."
Something gory. What's a picture of something gory? A face with

blood running down it? Frankenstein? Another monster? "Cate-

gory," if we broke it down by syllables, would give you a picture of

a cat and something gory. "Cat-gory." "Category." Sorry, cat lovers.

66 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

As you can see from the three words above, you have a lot of

choices in the sound-alike pictures you come up with for each sylla-
ble. Some are easier than others. You can combine syllables if you
find that helpful. If you prefer, you can ignore the sound and choose
a picture that represents the entire word. There is no one right way
to do this.

When teaching Mega Memory, I always stress "good, better,

best." What I mean by this is that if something works for you, it's

okay, because there's rarely only one choice for anything. Try to do
what you think is best for your Mega Memory; it might be second
best for someone else, but if you feel it works for you, it's definitely

allowed. The most important point here is to stimulate the imagina-

tion, getting you to think in new ways that you might not have
done before. Remember, we are still trying to build a
at this point

solid foundation for our memories. The more ways you allow your
imagination to work, the firmer that foundation will be.

Breaking Down Words into Sound-Alike Pictures

Now for some exercises. I'll be giving you some words. After you
read the word, I want you to close the book. Say each syllable out
loud several times, and then create a picture for each syllable. If you
want to combine syllables, that's okay. But — this is important — don't
write anything down. You might be tempted to write down the
syllable or the picture. Don't. Remember, no note taking in this

book. Trust your memory; it will work. Say the syllable out loud

several times, think of a picture, and go on to the next syllable.

Spend only a few minutes on each word. Then come back to the

book and read what pictures I chose for the word.

The first word is "trading." Close the book and do now.4
it

Let's break "trading" down. The first syllable is "tray." What

sound-alike picture can represent "tray"? How about a silver serving

tray. What's the last syllable in "trading"? "Ding." How about those
ringing bells, or a picture of a scratch or dent in something, which
is referred to as a "ding." So you might have a picture of a tray
 Playing Concentration 67

and a picture of two bells, while someone else may have a tray and
a picture of something with a scratch in it.

The next word is "conduit." Close the book and do it now.#

The first syllable is "con." What did you imagine as a picture
for "con"? You may have thought of a convict. Or maybe you
thought of a convent or con artist. This brings up an interesting
point about choosing a good picture. As we've been considering the
different words, you may have noticed that the sound-alike pictures
that represent abstract ideas or general concepts are much harder to
come up with than those that represent a concrete thing. Why? Be-
cause something abstract can be represented by many pictures, while a

concrete object usually requires a simpler, clearer image. If you have a

choice, you want to think of a picture that's more specific and exact.

For "con," if you use the image of a convict, you would have
a pretty clear picture of a person in a striped uniform, with a ball

and chain around his feet, maybe standing behind bars. If you want
to use con artist, a good picture is harder to imagine. It's not as
specific because you have many choices. It's as if I asked you to give
me a picture of a teacher or a picture of a lawyer. "Teacher" or
"lawyer" could be represented by so many pictures — a man, woman,
someone young or old, with glasses or without — it's not as clear.
Let's finish "conduit." The last two syllables are "do" and "et."

You probably want to combine them. How about a picture of two

people singing, a duet. So your pictures for "conduit" would be a
con and two people singing.
Let's do a few more words. "Patience." Close the book and
turn "patience" into sound-alike pictures.
Many of you probably broke down "patience" into two syllables.
The first syllable, "pay," might be a picture of someone at a counter
or booth handing over money. The next syllable is "tience." What
does that sound like? How about "cents." "Pay-cents." "Patience."
You may also have thought of a person in a hospital bed, a patient,

and used only one picture for the entire word. That's fine. "Change"
is another word you can represent with one picture. Most people
think of coins on a counter or in a cash register.
68 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Let's try "proud." Close the book and come up with something
that represents proud.

"Proud" is an abstract term. What makes you think of the

word "proud"? Maybe a bald eagle, or a peacock? Other choices
are a father holding a newborn baby, a Marine ("the few and the
proud"), or someone getting a gold medal. I would choose peacock
or a Marine.
How about "peace"? Close the book and think of a sound-
alike picture for peace.

Was the first thing you thought of a "piece" of something?

You focused on the sound of the word, maybe coming up with a

slice of pie or pizza. Or you could have focused on the concept,

coming up with a peace symbol, an olive branch or a dove. Those
are all good pictures that can be used for "peace."

Here's another tricky one. Close the book and turn "find" into
a picture.

"Find" is one syllable, so you had to choose something that

either sounds like "find," or something that represents the idea of
finding something. A word that sounds like "find" is "fined." How
can you represent "fined" with a picture? How about being fined
for speeding? Your picture would have been a traffic ticket, or a

police officer writing one out, or even a judge in a courtroom.

Instead of something that sounds like "find," you may have thought
of a picture that represents finding something. How about a treasure
chest — that's a pretty good find.

One more: "freedom"? Close the book and give me a sound-

alike picture for freedom.

Breaking it down by syllable, you would have "free" and

"dom." I find both of those rather tough, so I would try to think

of a picture that represents freedom. When I asked for this in one

of my workshops once, a young man in the back of the room yelled

out, "Lottery ticket." Well, the whole group laughed, and I laughed.
But then I thought to myself that this was quite legitimate. A lottery

ticket was this man's picture of freedom. Other people might think
of the American flag, revolutionary soldiers, the Liberty Bell, the
Statue of Liberty.
 Playing Concentration 69

The key with "freedom," as with all the other words, is to use

what works for you. There are no right or wrong answers — the
important thing has been getting you into the habit of breaking
words down by syllable and turning them into pictures. Sound to

picture. Abstract term to picture. It's a great way to bend and stretch

and stimulate the imagination, and motivate you to think in new

and exciting ways.

The Jumping Flea

Many of my workshop participants tell me that the Concentration

exercises are not easy to do — at least when I first expose them to it.

If someone complains, I like to repeat the following story about how

they train fleas in the South.
I'm not an expert, but I'm told that fleas ride dogs, they jump,
and that's about all they do. I'm told if you have a flea and you put
it in a jar, it will jump right out of the jar. In order to train it, you
put a lid on the jar. Watch what happens when the flea tries to

jump out. It whacks its head on the inside of the lid. You come
back an hour later, and this flea is still jumping and whacking its

head on the inside of the lid. You come back two hours later and
it's still jumping and whacking its head. In three hours, it's still

jumping, but by now it's not hitting the lid anymore but is jumping
to about an inch below it. Then, you can take the lid off, and the
flea still won't jump out of the jar. You have trained the flea to
alter its jumping pattern.

I have to ask you —can the flea jump out of that jar? The
answer is no. It can't jump out of the jar anymore because it doesn't
know the difference between the real limitation of the lid and a
self-imposed limitation that it put on itself.

You and I are the same way. We go into business. We go into

life. We put limitations on ourselves, and many times we don't
know the difference between real limitations and those that we have
artificially imposed upon ourselves.
The exercises in this chapter teach you how to release your
imagination by thinking of new ways. If the exercises seem difficult,
70 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

do them again, more slowly. First focus on creating pictures that

remind you of the sounds; then create pictures that represent con-

cepts. Then combine the two.

I want you to keep jumping out of that jar. I want you to

know that there is no lid there. You can jump as high as you want.
You can go as far as you want. You can do what you want to do
and be what you want to be. Just allow yourself to be open to new
ways of thinking and believe that the answer is yes, instead of no.

Chapter 6 — Review of Lesson

Rules for Turning Abstract Words into Pictures

Break down the word by syllables.

Ignore how the word is spelled.
3. Focus on the syllable's sound.
4. Repeat each syllable out loud.
Create a sound-alike or symbolic picture based on the sylla

ble's sound.
Relax and have fun!

Chapter 6 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

For following words, create vivid mental pictures of each of their

syllables. If a syllable does not conjure up a picture for you, combine

it with the next syllable and work with the sound created by both
syllables. And be sure to always say the syllables out loud.

1. handsome
2. denial

3. conform
4. carriage

5. article
 Playing Concentration 71

Exercise 2
Say the following words out loud, then imagine a sound-alike picture
for each.

trust

peace
change
love
happiness

Once you've done that, also create a picture of something that sym
bolizes or represents each word.
 Pegging the Tree List

We are going to do another pegging exercise in this chap-

ter. In Chapter 5, we pegged ten items to our Body List. This time
we are going to peg twenty items to our Tree List from Chapter 2.

Let's first go back and review the Tree List pegs. Say each one
out loud. "Number 1, tree. Number 2, light switch. Number 3, stool.
Number 4, car. Number 6, gun, Number 7, dice. Number 8, skate.
Number 9, cat. Number 20, cigarettes. Number 5, glove. Number 10,
bowling ball. Number 11, goalpost. Number 19, golf club. Number 18,
voting booth. Number 15, paycheck. Number 16, candy. Number 17,
magazine. Number 14, ring. Number 13, witch. Number 12, eggs."
What number is glover Five. What number is bowling ball? Ten.
What number is paycheck? Fifteen. What number is witch? Thir-
teen. What number is stool? Three. What number is cigarettes?

Twenty. What number is gun? Six. What number is goalpost? Eleven.

I'd like you to review the Tree List on your own for about

three to five minutes. Go backward and forward, to make sure you

instantly know what numbers and pictures go together. Being able

to recall everything instantly is important, so if you keep getting

stuck on a particular number, go back to Chapter 2 and review the

72
 —

Pegging the Tree List 73

association. The Tree List should he fresh in your memory hefore

you can continue with this chapter.

Okay, we're now going to start pegging to our Tree List. When
I give you the number, you will create a vivid picture of the Tree
List peg that corresponds to that number. For example, when I say,

"Number 1," you will get a vivid picture of a tree. Then I will give

you an item that I want you to remember. You will link this item

to your Tree List peg, putting them together using action.

Keep in mind what's important in pegging. The pictures have

to be vivid, full of detail, and as colorful and exaggerated as you

can make them. You're going to use a lot of movement and action
active action. Include yourself in the pictures, which helps get your
emotions and different senses involved. Create pictures that are
funny and nonsensical, making sure that such a scene could never
take place in real life. Remember, if it's boring, it will be bad. If

it's funny and ridiculous, it will be good.

Let me give you a few more pegging tips. You can close your
eyes if you want; that helps you focus. Some people prefer to leave
their eyes open, as if they were daydreaming. That's okay, too. Work
on one item at a time. When we're on number 5 or 6, don't worry
about what we pegged to the tree or to the light switch or to the stool.

Just be concerned with what we are doing at that moment. Trust your
memory — that's what this chapter is all about. After you've done these
exercises, you'll really appreciate what a powerful tool it is.

One more important thing. When we get to about number 14,

you may have a little voice that says, "Hey! Do you think we're
going to remember all these things?" That's stress, which produces
a negative attitude. Don't let stress hold you back. Just relax. Breathe
easy, smile, and keep on reading and doing the exercises. The im-
portant thing is to let your imagination go wild and have fun. That's
the best way to learn how to trust your memory.

Pegging to the Tree List

Now please follow along with me carefully. I will start each item

by giving you the number, and you will spend no more than a
74 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

minute or two pegging the item to the Tree List. To help you along,
I will give you my pictures for the first example.

Number You should have a vivid picture right now of a tree in

I.

your mind's eye. The word that I want you to peg to it is "elephant."
So get a vivid picture of an elephant and peg it to the tree using

action. Include yourself if you can, and have lots of movement. If

you have the elephant sitting next to the tree, that's bad because it's

boring. Maybe you're riding the elephant and the elephant is stam-
peding into the tree. Maybe he sits on the tree, and you're in the

tree, so he threatens to sit on you, too. Maybe he's wrapping his

trunk around the tree, pulling it out of the ground and beating you
over the head with it. Or maybe you're Superman; you rip up the
tree and start beating the elephant. Use your imagination. More is

better than less. Number 1 is "elephant." Close your eyes if you want
to, and spend no more than a minute or two pegging "elephant" to

"tree." Do it now.4

Number 2. There should be a vivid picture of a light switch just waiting

to pop into your mind. The second item is "ketchup." Peg ketchup to
a light switch. You may be thinking ketchup doesn't belong on a light
switch. But you'll make it belong. Use your imagination and peg
ketchup to a light switch in a funny, nonsensical way. Don't forget the
action, and remind yourself you're having fun with this, that anything
is possible. Number 2 is "ketchup." Do it now.4

Number 3. You know the third peg is a stool. The third item is "Scotch
tape." Peg Scotch tape to a stool. Put yourself in this picture. Exagger-
ate the action as much as you can. And feel the feelings, smell the
smells, and experience the sensations. Number 3 is "Scotch tape." Do
it now.^
Now forget the Scotch tape. Go back to number 2 very quickly.

Do it now. You should have immediately come up with your picture

of the light switch and ketchup. Notice how fast that happened.
Go back to number 1 very quickly. Do it now. Notice how the
picture of the elephant and the tree pops right into your mind. You
are recalling things easily and at will. Go back to number 3 now.
 Pegging the Tree List 75

The stool and the Scotch tape were right there in your mind's eye.
They have been locked into your memory.

Number 4. You know the fourth peg is car. I want you to remember
"water." Don't create a picture of it raining on a car. There's not
enough action in that picture, and it's boring. Include yourself it

you can, maybe experiencing fear or other emotions. Exaggerate the

water; make the car a funny size or painted brilliant colors. Number
4 is "water." Do it now.f
Now forget about the car and the water. Go back to number
2 very quickly. You received a picture of ketchup and a light switch
and whatever action you had used to peg them together. Go back
to number 3. The scene with the stool and the Scotch tape popped
right into your mind. Now go back to number 4, water. There's
the picture of the car and the water again.

Number 5. You know the fifth peg is glove. Peg "bubble gum" to

it. Relax and focus on a crazy action for bubble gum and a glove.

Don't just wrap it around the glove, which is obvious. Exaggerate

it and make it ludicrous. More is better than less. And make the
picture vivid, of course — there's a lot you can do with bubble gum!
Let your imagination go wild. The object is to have fun, remember?
Five is "bubble gum." Do it now.^

Go back to number 4 now. You saw the car and the water in your
mind's eye, and reviewed the action that links them together. Go back
to number 2 now. In an instant you reviewed the picture and the ac-

tion. You can now appreciate that you have instant recall — at will.

Now go back to number 5, the glove and the bubble gum. Your mind's
eye reviewed the scene in pictures that were crystal clear.

Number 6. You know the sixth peg is gun. The sixth item I want you
to remember is "pillow." Make it funny. Make
Peg a pillow to a gun.

it ludicrous. Exaggerate it. And don't forget movement vivid, crystal —

clear pictures with movement. Six is "pillow." Do it now.4

Forget the pillow and the gun. Go back to number 5. The picture
of the bubble gum and the glove flashed through your mind. Go
back to number 4. You instantly saw the car and the water and
76 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

whatever action you used. Your great memory has locked them into
the knowledge bank. Now go back to number 6 and review the
gun and the pillow.

Number 7. You know the seventh peg is dice. I want you to remem-
ber "rug." Get a vivid picture of a rug. Now exaggerate the action,
keeping in mind that more is always better than less. Stay away
from the obvious, like someone throwing dice on a rug. Make it

fantastic, including yourself and your emotions in the picture . . .

pain, excitement, fear, pleasure. Make it memorable. Seven is "rug."

Do it now.4
Forget about the rug and dice. Go back to number 6 and
review your scene with the pillow and the gun. Your pictures are
vivid; your actions are clear because they're locked into your knowl-
edge bank. Go back to number 5, bubble gum and glove. Now go
back to number 7, the dice and the rug. Your imagination is getting
stronger and stronger. You picture things easily, your actions are ani-
mated and funny, and you're relaxed and having fun. Take a deep
breath and relax, allowing your mind to wander for a while. . . .

Number 8. You know the eighth peg is skate. I want you to remem-
ber "window." What can you do with a window and a skate? You're
avoiding the obvious, like watching someone skating through a win-
dow. Your picture is much more alive and ridiculous. It has lots of
action. Perhaps it's funny, or perhaps there's another emotion in-
volved. Number 8 is now.f
"window." Do it

Forget number 8. Go back to number 7. You reviewed the dice

and the rug. It's like running a movie in your mind's eye. The pictures

get more and more vivid, and the scene comes back more and more
easily. Go back to number 6. Now go back to number 8, the skate and
the window. That picture is right there in your mind's eye.

Number 9. You know the ninth peg is cat. The ninth thing I want
you to remember is "jeep." Create a picture of a cat and a jeep.

Exaggerate. Animate. Maybe the cat is a giant one; maybe there are

a lot of them. And of course, there's movement and outrageous

*

action. Number 9 is "jeep." Do it now.4

 Pegging the Tree List 77

Forget about the cats and the jeep; go back to number 8 now.
The skate and the window and whatever actions were going on
instantly popped right back into your mind. Go to number 7. Now
number 9, the cat and the jeep. The pictures and the action for both

of them come right back.

Number 10. You know the tenth peg is bowling ball. I want you to

peg your "foot" to it. Not your shoe, not your feet, your foot. Re-

member, you're being as specific as you can. And you're avoiding

the obvious. Come up with something impossible, funny, a bowling
ball made of some crazy material. Do something with your foot that
you can't in real life, like picking up the bowling ball and playing
catch. And keep the action coming. More is better than less. Number
10 is your "foot." Peg it to a bowling now.4
ball

Forget Number 10. Go back to number 9, the jeep and the cat.

Now review number 8. Now relax. Remember, we're just doing one
at a time, and I don't want you to trip over yourself. But I do hope
you are trusting your memory more and more. You are seeing how
great it is, how quickly it can remember things. Now review number
10 again, the bowling ball and your foot.

Number 1 1. You know the eleventh peg is goalpost. I want you to

remember a man's "necktie." What are the most vivid pictures you
can create involving a necktie and a goalpost? Perhaps you can make
them really big and very colorful. Include yourself in it and make
it as exaggerated as possible. One of my favorites is a huge, pink-

flowered necktie tied to the ends of the goalpost, and I'm swinging
in it wildly, about to fall out. That's exaggerated, it's got a lot of
action, and is full of emotion, too. Number 11 is "necktie." Peg it

to goalpost now.f
Go back to number 10. In your mind's eye you saw the bowling
ball and foot, pictured each thing clearly, and reviewed the action.
Go back to number 9. Now go back to 11, the goalpost and the
man's necktie. I hope you see vivid pictures with lots of action.

Number 12. You know the twelfth peg is eggs. I want you to remem-
ber "mustard." The first thing I think of about mustard is its texture.
78 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

If you want, focus on that as you create your picture. And think of
all the different shades of yellow mustard comes in. Now come up
with an exaggerated action for eggs and mustard. You can have a

lot of fun with this one. Just don't use logic. Focus on the fun you
can have with this. And don't forget to taste it, smell it, and feel

the texture.Number 12 is "mustard." Peg mustard to eggs now.4

Go back to Number 11. You saw the necktie and the goalpost.
Go to number 10. Remind yourself to stay relaxed. By now you know
you have a powerful memory and a vivid imagination. The pictures
come easily. Take a deep breath and review number 12 again.

Number 13. You know the thirteenth peg is witch. The thirteenth
thing I want you to remember is "book." Get a vivid, crystal clear
picture of a book. Using action and exaggeration, put a witch and
book together.
Go back to number 12 quickly. You saw the eggs and the
mustard. The pictures instantly pop back into your mind. Look at
number 11 now. Now go back to Number 13. The witch and the
book are back in your mind with whatever action was involved.

Number 14. You know the fourteenth peg is ring. You want to
remember "chair." Maybe it's your favorite chair. Maybe it's a chair
you've seen in a store window and would like to buy. How can you

put a ring and a chair together? Perhaps the ring can be bigger
than life. Perhaps the chair is precariously balancing on it. Perhaps
you're sitting in that chair, afraid of falling over. Or maybe the chair

is turning around and around on that ring, and you're holding on

for dear life. Or maybe the chair is suspended from a huge ring
that is hanging from the ceiling and you're doing gymnastics. These
are things that could never happen in real life — at least not in my
life. Keep it outrageous; have fun with it. Number 14 is "chair."

Peg it to a ring now.4

Go back to number 13 quickly and picture the witch and a

book. What was the action? Now go to number 12. What was that

action? Now go back to number 14. What is the action involving

the ring and the chair?
 —

Pegging the Tree List 79

Number 15. You know the fifteenth peg is paycheck. I want you to

remember a "cup of coffee." Peg coffee to a paycheck. No, don't

spill coffee on a paycheck. That's boring, predictable — at least in my
life. We want bigger than life. And don't forget to include different
emotions and feel different sensations. Put yourself right in the heart

of the action. Number 15 is "cup of coffee." Peg it to a paycheck now>

Forget the coffee and paycheck. Picture number 14. You imme-
diately saw the chair and the ring. Picture number 13. You saw the
witch and the book. Now go back to number 15, the paycheck and
the cup of coffee.

Number 16. You know the sixteenth peg is candy. Making sure you
have a detailed, crystal clear picture of the type of candy you want,
peg an "alligator" to it. Include yourself in this picture — that always

makes this picture a lot of fun. Maybe you're losing a limb as you
give your pet alligator a lick of your candy, or better yet, maybe the

alligator is losing a limb because you're the one taking a big bite.
Maybe the alligator lets you lie on top of him, and both of you
swim up the river, eating candy and having the time of your lives.
And don't forget to create as vivid a picture as you can of the
alligator. Let your imagination really go wild with this one. Number
16 is "alligator." Peg an alligator to candy now.#
Go back to number 15. The paycheck and cup of coffee have
instantly popped back into your mind without any effort on your
part. Now go tonumber 14. You're seeing the ring and the chair.
Go back to number 16. There are the alligator and the candy.

Number 1 7. The seventeenth peg is a magazine. I want you to re-

member "baseball bat." What's the magazine look like? How does
the baseball bat feel? What color are they? Now what's the action?
What can you do with a baseball bat and a magazine in your mind's
eye that you can't do in real life? Can you include yourself in the
picture? What are your emotions? Is your scene funny? Frightening?
Sad? Number 17 is "baseball bat." Peg it to a magazine now.f
Now picture number 16. Did you see candy and an alligator

and yourself —involved in some crazy action? Look at number 15.

80 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

You saw the paycheck and the cup of coffee. Go back to number
17, the magazine and the baseball bat. Make sure your pictures are
vivid and that action is continuing.

Number 18. The eighteenth peg is a voting booth, and we want to

remember "beer/' Beer and a voting booth. That shouldn't be too

hard. But remember, it Make
has to be exaggerated and nonsensical.
it Make it ludicrous. Make it bigger than life. Include a lot
funny.
of movement. Number 18 is "beer." Picture a voting booth and beer
and peg them together now.4
Go back to number 17 and your picture of the magazine and
the baseball bat. Now go to number 16, the alligator and the candy.
Now go back to number 18, the voting booth and beer.

Number 19. The nineteenth peg is a golf club, and we want to

remember a "basketball" with it. How can you put a basketball and
a golf club together.' They don't have very much to do with each
other in real life, and that's exactly the point of this exercise. Using
vivid images and lots of crazy action, think of a way you could link

them to each other. Number 19 is "basketball." Peg it to the golf

club no\v>
Go back to number 18 and your picture of the voting booth
and the beer. Now picture number 17, the magazine and the baseball
bat. Now go back to number 19, the basketball and golf club.

Number 20.One more number — 20. We know the twentieth peg is

cigarettes. The twentieth item is "piano." How do you peg a piano

to a pack of cigarettes? Since a piano is so big and cigarettes are so

small, how about doing the opposite —make the piano tiny and the
pack of cigarettes the size of a piano. Now choose animated action,
and include yourself in this picture. Make it funny, ludicrous, and
full of emotion. Number 20 is "piano." Peg it to cigarettes no\v>
back to number 19, the golf club and the basketball. Now
Go
go number 18, the voting booth and the beer. Now go back to
to

number 20, the cigarettes and the piano.

Now I want you to take out a sheet of paper and number 1

through 20 down the left side. When I tell you to, you will write down
 Pegging the Tree List 81

from memory the twenty words that I asked you to remember. When
you get number 1, you will ask yourself, what was my first peg?
to

And your mind will respond with the picture of a tree, which will pop
right into your mind. And almost at the same time, whatever you put
on the tree will be right there in your mind's eye. Don't write down
any of the action. Just write the word that I asked you to remember.
When you get to number 2, look for the second peg in your mind,
which is the light switch. Whatever picture you created with the light

switch will pop into your mind, vividly and automatically.

To help yourself along, you can ask two questions. The first,
"What is my peg?" will bring up the appropriate picture. The second

question is about action: "What was my action?" or "What was hap-

pening?" or "What was I doing?" This second question will help you
focus on the action and give you a picture of the item you are trying
to remember. You should be able to recall most if not all of them.
Stay relaxed and don't rush through this exercise. The more re-

laxed you are the more easily the pictures will come back to you. If you
get stuck on one, go to the next. Close the book and do it now.4
Now, let's how
review the twenty items for you and you can see
well you did. Number 1, elephant. Number 2, ketchup. Number 3,
Scotch tape. Number 4, water. Number 5, bubble gum. Number 6,
pillow. Number 7, rug. Number 8, window. Number 9, jeep. Num-

ber 10, foot. Number 11, necktie. Number 12, mustard. Number 13,
book. Number 14, chair. Number 15, cup of coffee. Number 16,
alligator. Number 17, baseball bat. Number 18, beer. Number 19,

basketball. Number 20, piano.

If you missed any, it's only because of one of four reasons:

i. You didn't know your pegs. If you didn't know the Tree List
well enough, then this exercise would have failed. That's the
first thing to ask yourself.
2. Your pictures weren't vivid and specific enough. If you wrote
down "glass" for number 8 (instead of "window") or "shoe"
for number 10 (instead of "foot"), you were close, but you
didn't get it right. The close-but-incorrect answer is an indi-
cation that you need more practice creating vivid pictures.
82 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

3. Your action was boring. That is why people usually forget an

item. If I ask you what your action is and you can't remem-
ber, nine times out of ten, it's because your action was
boring. Boring action means you didn't stimulate your
imagination enough. You need to work on developing more
action that is zany and animated.
4. Stress was affecting you. Stress does play havoc with your
memory, and it can block any information from getting out.
We'll be talking about stress in a later lesson. For now, it's

important to remember to stay as relaxed as possible when

pegging and let your memory do the work. You'll be
amazed at how it cooperates.

Congratulations! You not only committed twenty things to

memory without writing them down, you have given your memory
and your imagination a great workout. And most of all, I hope
you've become more confident and are really learning to respect your

memory's power. The more you can trust it, the further along you

are on your way to developing a Mega Memory.

Chapter 7 — Review
Pegging to the Tree List
You need a vivid, crystal clear, picture of the peg (tree, light switch,

stool, etc.) and a vivid, crystal clear, picture of what you want to

remember. You peg them together using action.

The first thing you want to remember always goes on the first

peg and the second thing you want to remember always goes on
the second peg, etc.

Helpful Hints
1. Include yourself in the picture.
2. Close your eyes to help you focus.

3. Concentrate on one peg at a time.

4. Ask two questions:

 Pegging the Tree List 83

a. What is my peg?
b. What am doing
I to my peg?

Reasons Why People Forget Their Pegs

i. They weren't sure of their pegs.
2. Pictures weren't vivid enough.

3. There was not enough of the right kind of action.

4. Stress.

Chapter 7 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

Review what you did in Chapter 7 by pegging the twenty items to

the Tree List again. But this time, try to come up with action that

is different from what we have already used.

Exercise 2
Go to the video store and rent videocassettes containing the follow-
ing characters:

i. Bullwinkle
2. The Road Runner
3. Bugs Bunny
4. Daffy Duck
5. Sylvester and Tweety Bird

Watching these cartoons will help you regain your powers of imagi-
nation and loosen up your sense of fun and fantasy. Cartoons are
also good examples for what to strive for when turning words into
mental pictures: exaggerated, colorful, nonsensical action.
8 How Your Body
Affects Your Memory

It's time to take a break from exercises. In the last few

chapters, you've learned how to create pegs, on which you will be

able to store new information. You've played a form of Concentra-

tion and have pegged twenty words to the Tree List, which not
only has helped you think in new ways but has also shown you how
quick and powerful your memory can be. And above all, you're
learning to trust your memory, starting to let go more and more so
that your memory can do the work it's capable of.

But just as in any exercise program, it's time to rest. In this

chapter, I will review how your mind works in processing informa-
tion so that you will have a better appreciation of the exercises you've
been doing. I will also provide information on how your body and
mind are connected, discussing how stress and the foods you eat

affect your memory. I will also share what I have learned about
certain diseases that affect your mind, and what you can do to create

not only a stronger, more powerful memory, but also a healthier,

more balanced life for yourself.

A book obviously can't replace a doctor. Based on my own

experiences, the points raised here are provided as guidelines for you

84
 How Your Body Affects Your Memory 85

to explore further, perhaps to help you talk to your doctor or to

another health practitioner about a particular problem. Maybe souk

thing you read here will lead to a solution. Maybe this chapter will
simply inspire you to take better care of yourself. As with the rest

of the book, the responsibility rests with you. Take the information

provided here and use it to your best advantage.

How Your Mind Works:

The Five Stages of Processing Information

I want to talk about your mind and how it works. In order to do this,

we need to be clear on one thing: Your mind is not your brain. When
we talk about the brain, we talk about that mass of gray matter inside
your skull. We talk about chemicals and neurotransmitters.
When we talk about your mind, we talk about what happens
when your brain does its work. It's really the essence of your brain,
and that's what we're concerned with in this book. We're looking
at both the conscious and unconscious processes that are under way
when all those neurotransmitters are firing away. How does memory
fit into this scenario? Why is it that you remember things when
you're not trying to?
Imagine this particular scene: You walk into a bank or a gro-

someone you've previously met. You

cery store
"Oh, hi
— andAs you
" soon
see

as you say "hi," your mind goes completely

say,

blank and you forget the person's name. Has that ever happened to
you? Of course it has. It has happened to all of us. And we agonize
the whole day, trying to remember the person's name, but we can't

remember it. Three days later, at two a.m., we wake up and from
nowhere the person's name pops into our mind. "Oh, it was Jack
Smith."
The same phenomenon also occurs in problem solving. How
many times has the following happened to you at work, at school,
or at home. You are trying to figure out a particular problem, and
you begin wrestling with it, one day, the next, and the next. Perhaps
your business is riding on the solution to a personnel problem or
you're trying to figure out your finances. You keep thinking about
86 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

this particular problem, trying to analyze all the angles, but you
can't come up with a satisfying answer. Three or four days later

you're at the movies. You're not thinking about the problem any-
more, either having given up or (more healthfully) having decided
to take a break from your ruminations. And what happens? A
light bulb goes off. You come up with a perfect solution. It

seems so simple you ask yourself, "Why didn't I see this earlier?"

What is happening in each of these cases? How does the mind

work when you are trying to recall something? In the examples
above, the answers you were looking for did come to you, though
not at the time you wanted them to. So they were obviously there
in your long-term memory, your knowledge bank. The knowledge
just wasn't accessible at the time. Why not? The best way to under-
stand what is going on in each of the above cases is to think of

memory as a five-step process. When you are processing information

or trying to recall something, your mind goes through five stages,

or levels, of thought. These h\e stages are:

think stage
emote stage
look/search stage
create stage

know stage (the knowledge bank)

The first stage, the think stage, is what you do consciously.

You know you want to remember a particular piece of information

or solve a problem, so you analyze, you compare, you ask yourself

questions that you hope will lead you to the right answer. As in the

examples above, at some level you know that you know the person's
name or can find a solution to your problem. But no matter how
hard you think, you don't receive the answer you are looking for.

Why? Because the information isn't accessible until stage five. You're
stuck in the think stage.
One of the ways to get to level five is through level two, your
emotions. Think of your emotions as the bridge between your con-
scious mind, represented by stage one, and your unconscious mind,
 How Your Body Affects Your Memory 87

represented by stages three through five. Emotions arc your "gut"

feelings. They are a slightly deeper stage of your mind than stage-

one. Remember that when you were pegging information in Chapter

5, I kept saying that adding some type of feeling helps reinforce the

peg? When you add pain, fear, anger, love, or any other emotion,
your mind is working at a deeper You can
level. let go of your
analytical thoughts because your emotions are now involved in the
recall process. And once your emotions are involved, you automati-
cally go to the next stage, the look/search stage.

Your mind works on many different levels. We say the deeper

levels of thought are unconscious because you're not aware of them.

But there's a lot going on, and as a matter of fact, your unconscious
is much more powerful than the conscious part of your mind. When
you are trying to remember something, step three, the look/search

stage is very important. Signaled by your emotions that it's time to

get to work, your unconscious mind begins freely accessing all of

the information that is stored in your memory. I've been using the
metaphor of your mind as a big file cabinet where everything you've
seen, heard, or thought about is stored in files. When you're in the
look/search stage, your unconscious mind can go through all those
files in seconds, searching for whatever it needs to find. Pictures are
the primary way it goes about this task, and you've already seen
how quickly all this can happen.
Now something interesting happens. Sometimes your uncon-
scious goes right to step five, going into the knowledge bank and
giving you whatever information you are looking for. Other times,
the solution isn't very accessible, and it takes our unconscious a while
to give us the information as shown by the example of the person
in the grocery store. Researchers still aren't sure why certain things
take longer to come "to the surface" than others. The point is,

however, once the unconscious gets involved, there is very little it

can't do.

In the case of the second example, when you are trying to come
up with a solution to a problem, your mind has to go to another
level, the create stage, before it can give you an answer. Why?
Because there is no one file with the solution to your problem. Your
88 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

mind has to keep going through different files, everything you al-
ready know, and then devise something new as the solution. It has
to create a new file for you. That takes time as well, during which
time you may have consciously stopped thinking about a problem
but in which your unconscious has been busy working on it.

Sometimes the create stage can be entered very quickly. A good

example is the Statue of Liberty story. What was going on in your
mind when I mentioned purple pennies? Without being consciously
aware of it, you entered the look/search stage. Your unconscious
found a file named "purple," and a file named "pennies." But with
all the trillions of bits of information that it looked through, it

probably didn't have a file named "purple pennies." So what did it

do? It created a new file. It's as if your unconscious was saying,

"I've got a purple file. I've got a pennies file. Now I'm going to
combine the two and create a file called 'purple pennies.'

In the create stage, your mind is taking different files, bits of

information, and creating new files in different combinations. When
you create new files, you are creating new pathways of information
in the brain, which serves to further reinforce your memory. The
more you create, the better your memory gets. Your mind thinks
faster and more clearly. And the whole process becomes progres-
sively easier.

And here's something even more important: When you create

something, you know it. You've arrived at level fivc the know stage. y

You are just like the person at the office with the cluttered desk
who knows where everything is. Why? Because they've created the
mess. That's also why I keep insisting that you don't take notes.
When you create something, you know it. The only problem is in
learning how to access it.
I also hope that as you continue going through the exercises in

this book and work through the examples I give you, you'll be
creating your own examples. My examples should provide a frame-
work and give you different ideas of how to proceed. The most
important thing is for you to build creatively on these ideas so that

you keep training your memory and expand your unconscious

capabilities.
 How Your Body Affects Your Memory 89

Stress and Your Memory

When you are trying to recall something, there is a menace that

keeps you in the think stage. And that menace is called stress. Stress
plays havoc with your memory because it causes you to spin your
mental wheels, preventing you from releasing the unconscious
thought processes that get you to level five.

There are two types of stress —emotional and physiological.

Emotional stress is a heightened level of a particular emotion. You
struggle to "keep control" so that the emotions don't get the better
of you. The emotions can be positive, like joy, or negative like fear

or anger. Physical stress is caused by overloading the functioning of

your body in some way: lifting material that is very heavy, overeat-
ing, working too hard, even reading too much.
Have you heard of the fight-or-flight syndrome? When you are
feeling stress, your brain tells your body to mount all of its defenses in
order to protect itself. Your heart beats faster, your blood pressure rises,

your muscles are tense — in other words, you are not relaxed. Far from
it. Your brain knows that now is not the time to allow the unconscious
thought processes free rein. It's time to hunker down, and prepare to
defend yourself, not release your deeper levels of thought.
Sometimes, just the very act of trying to remember something
causes you stress. Usually, the harder you try, the worse it gets, just

like when you're trying to remember someone's name or find a

solution to a problem. Telling yourself to relax doesn't work, either.

The more you tell yourself not to bother, to let go, the more stressful

you are apt to feel.

I use two techniques to cut down on my stress level. One is

fasting. Depending on your particular fast, this process cleanses your

entire system in a matter of days. By ridding yourself of various
toxins, you give the body a fresh start. You function more efficiently

and energetically, and this includes your thinking and memory as

well. Always keep in mind that fasting has to be carefully planned,

and done under the supervision of a physician. Never undertake
fasting alone.

In relation to fasting, I want to mention one other thing. There

90 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

is another insidious way poisons can build up in your body —through

your drinking water. There are so many chemicals in our water
supply — the lead, chlorine, synthetic organic chemicals, and the
many other chemicals introduced by municipal water treatment it-

self — which are really, literally poisonous. I recommend that you get
your water tested right away and consider some kind of purification
system. But please, don't be taken in by the advertisements of un-
scrupulous dealers and distributors who push water filters that would
actually put more poisons into your system than they're taking out.

Seek out some professionals who can test your water properly and
give you the right information.
The second way to reduce stress involves a simple action that
you can perform whenever you wish. If you are trying to remember
something, it's a great way to get out of the think stage and release

your unconscious thought processes. This action involves your eyes.

Take a moment to stop what you're doing and look up, either to the

right or the left. Hold your eyes in that upward position for a few
seconds. That simple action allows the left and right brain hemispheres

to work more in sync, which allows you to access information more

readily.

You can see this process at work by comparing talk shows and
movies. When someone is relating a personal anecdote or telling a

story about their life, their stress level is heightened because there
are a lot of emotions associated with recalling past events. Watch
what happens during interviews on talk shows. When guests are
talking about themselves, especially when it's about something that
seems important to them, they periodically look up. It's because
they're trying to reduce the stress produced by the emotions that are
arising. Now watch what happens in many movies during emotional
scenes when a character is revealing some important information or
telling a story. The actors keep facing forward and the drama feels

a little forced. I feel this at the movies all the time. At some level,

the actors' responses always seemed false to me, yet I had no idea
why. Now I love to point it out to anyone I'm at the movies with.
Keep this eye action in mind throughout the book when I ask
 How Your Body Affects Your Memory 91

you to recall something. Don't look down and stare. And don't try
so hard, thinking, thinking, thinking. When I say relax and take ;i

breath, I also want you to take a moment and look up to the right,
up to the left. It's the quickest, easiest way know of to get out of
I

the think stage.

Nutrition and Memory

The body and mind work synergistically. One affects the other. If

you are feeling bad physically, your emotions are affected negatively
as well, which in turn hampers memory. On the other hand, if you
are physically healthy and everything in your body is in balance,

you feel better emotionally as well: The same problems seem a little

bit less pressing, you're a little more optimistic about life in general,

and everything about you is a little more dynamic and vibrant. Your
memory capacity soars, too.
You function best when everything in your body is in balance.
The word for this state is homeostasis, defined by Webster's as "a
relatively stable state of equilibrium or a tendency toward such a
state between different but interdependent elements of an organism."
Your body operates at peak efficiency when all its interdependent
elements — the physical, emotional, mental — are in sync. The single

biggest way you can make sure that you stay physically healthy is

by the foods you eat.

Unfortunately, the study of nutrition is a very young discipline.

And there is much disagreement as to what is good or bad for you.

As soon as one study indicates that you should eat food X, another
study comes along indicating just the opposite. While the effects of
the foods you eat are very real, they're also very subtle and intercon-
nected in a myriad of ways. We're all different, and that goes for

body chemistry as well. The guidelines below are based on my own

experiences, things that helped me on my road to a fantastic memory.
I hope they help you, too. But as I have been saying throughout the
book, if you disagree with something, or the opposite seems to work
for you, trust your own experience. Use these guidelines as a spring-
92 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

board to do further research. And using the address at the end of

Chapter 28, write me a letter telling me what you have learned. We
will both be able to share it with others.
One more reminder: As you are doing the exercises in this

book — or any other heavy "brain work" —be aware of the digestive
times of different foods. As one of the ground rules in Chapter 1,

I cautioned you not to eat a heavy meal before doing these exercises.
You have only so much blood in your body, and it goes to the areas
where it is most needed. After a heavy meal, of course, blood goes
to the digestive organs. You should also be aware that it's not only
how much you eat that matters. Certain foods take longer to digest

than others. Pork, for example, takes longer to digest than other
meat. Beef takes a little less time. Then come poultry and fish. When
it comes to carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates such as whole-
wheat pasta are healthy choices, but they tend to take longer to

digest than simple carbohydrates such as regular pasta. Vegetables,

fruit, and fruit juices are digested the most quickly. If you must
have a big meal before doing a lot of mind work, have a meal with
more vegetables and fruit. You won't be as lethargic and will stay
mentally alert because the digestion will be relatively easy.

Foods to Be Avoided
Turkey. There is one particular food that should be avoided for the

few hours prior to which you want to have optimal mental capacity:
turkey. Turkey is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that promotes
sleep. Have you noticed that people fall asleep all over the place
after Thanksgiving dinner? Think back to any dinner where a lot

of turkey was served. You were tired, lethargic, not moving very
fast. It wasn't just because you ate a lot. It's because tryptophan
makes you mentally slow. So stay away from turkey when you want
to be thinking quickly and clearly. You can have as much turkey
as you want after that business deal, test at school, or marathon
working spree.

Sugar. Sugar is terrible for your memory. Why? The ingestion of

sugar into your body causes the pancreas to secrete insulin, which
 How Your Body Affects Your Memory 93

is the hormone essential in breaking down sugar so that it can be

metabolized properly. A sudden onrush of sugar makes the pancreas
go crazy as it produces higher amounts of insulin to cope with the
demand. You may get a sugar rush or sugar high for an hour or

two, but what happens after that big high? You "crash," which
is another way of saying everything slows down, including your
thought processes.
When I speak of the negative effects of sugar, I'm referring
primarily to processed or refined sugar. It's the sugar found in baked

goods, candy, soda, and the white sugar found on your table. Foods
with brown sugar should be included in this list as well.

Fructose, on the other hand, which is the simple sugar found

in fuits, does not produce the dramatic highs and lows of processed
sugar. It is absorbed more slowly by the bloodstream, and its effect

on the pancreas is much more mild, causing less insulin release.

White flour. The next food on the proscribed list is white flour. White
flour? Yes, white flour in the pasta and bread products you buy at

the supermarket. White flour is a simple carbohydrate. There is a

popular misconception that all carbohydrates are good for you. The
more you eat, the better off you are. There is a difference, however,
between simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates
such as white-flour pasta and breads have a high glucidic rate. What
that means is that they are high in sugar and that the pancreas has
to secrete relatively high levels of insulin in order to have them
broken down.
White-flour products are hard on the digestive tract as well. If
you need to be convinced of this further, just mix white flour and
water together as you used to do in school. What do you get?
Pastelike glue. That's what's lining your intestines. You become con-
stipated to a degree and your whole digestive system is out of whack
while the paste is slowly broken down. More blood is needed for
that work, which means less blood is available for your brain.
If you take some whole wheat floor, however, and mix it with
water, nothing happens. It will not harden. Whole wheat is a com-
plex carbohydrate, which has a relatively low glucidic rate. The
94 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

pancreas doesn't have to work very hard to break it down and the
blood levels of insulin stay relatively stable. You have fewer of those
sugar highs and lows.

Coffee and Alcohol. We need to mention coffee and alcohol as well,

two "foods" that we are told to stay away from and which most of
us consume anyway. As far as coffee is concerned, we all know
that caffeine makes us more mentally alert. It does kickstart those
neurotransmitters in the brain, making them fire more rapidly. But
there is a point of diminishing returns. Caffeine also makes many
people jittery as well as causing other physical problems. Alcohol,
on the other hand, has the opposite effect of coffee. It numbs the
neurotransmitters so that you think more slowly. But there is a side

benefit to this, which I hate to admit. It reduces stress — which, as

we've already discussed, helps you recall things more easily.

Though both coffee and alcohol have what may seem some short-
term benefits for your memory, you should never drink one or the
other with the assumption that they will aid memory in the long run.
The point of diminishing returns for both coffee and alcohol comes
very quickly as well as causing a host of other physical problems.

Aspartame and MSG. Stay away from these "excitotoxins"! The re-

search is mixed and controversial; however, here's a simple test to

see if these substances may be affecting you: Stay off aspartame

(NutraSweet) and MSG (monosodium glutamate, also sometimes
listed as "hydrolyzed vegetable protein") for two weeks. Then eat
something containing one or both of these substances (a diet soda is

likely to contain aspartame, for example) and watch how you feel!

I'm especially concerned about children eating foods containing

aspartame or MSG. My opinion: "Stay away! Danger!"

Lecithin and Other Memory Boosters

If you want to increase your memory power, eat foods rich in leci-

thin. Lecithin is a phospholipid, which is a class of fats. Lecithin

contains choline, a building block of one of the many neurotransmit-

 How Your Body Affects Your Memory 95

ters in the brain that form the basis of thought and memory. If you
have high levels of lecithin in your brain, you think quicker, faster,

more efficiently. If you don't, you think more slowly. Geniuses,

people with IQs in the 150-200 range, have incredible amounts of
lecithin in their brains. Foods rich in lecithin are soybeans, organ
meats, eggs, and wheat germ.
Lecithin is also sold separately as a supplement. There is much
controversy about food supplements, of course, as researchers try to
determine the effectiveness of supplements as opposed to getting
what you need from the foods you eat. The side effects of overly

high dosages are also a problem with certain supplements. I believe

that supplements can be an effective aid to good nutrition —but an

aid, not a substitute.

If you do buy lecithin supplements at a health food store, make

sure you inquire about the product's PC concentration. That refers

to the purity of the lecithin you are buying, which varies from
product to product. Although there are no official FDA guidelines
on this, most people who take it agree the PC concentration should
be in the 30—35 percent range.
There are also some exotic (to us Americans) herbs that have

a positive effect on brain function and memory. A wonderful herb

used in China and Europe for centuries is called ginkgo biloba.

Extracted from the leaves of the ginkgo tree, ginkgo biloba improves
oxygenation to the brain, makes you more alert, mentally and sub-
stantially increases your brain power and memory function.
For people who need a quick mental boost, guarana is an op-
tion. An herb, guarana is a naturally occurring source of caffeine.

It usually has the same positive effects as caffeine but doesn't produce
the jittery feeling that many people associate with coffee. Used all

over the world, guarana is sold in health food stores.

Candidiasis and Epstein-Barr Syndrome

A number of diseases have received much attention in the papers
in the last few years. Their myriad symptoms have made them hard
to diagnose. Sometimes the symptoms are subtle, involving a whole
96 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

list of vague complaints. Doctors often told people who came for

help that everything was "in their minds." Sometimes, aware that
something was not quite right but not really feeling terribly sick,

people avoided going to doctors for the same reason. Even though
awareness of these diseases is growing, there are still many miscon-
ceptions about them. Since they both affect memory, I want to dis-

cuss two of them here. They are candidiasis and Epstein-Barr

syndrome.
Discussing candidiasis is very important to me because a few
years ago I was diagnosed with candidiasis. Over a period of months,
I slowly noticed that I was sleeping more and more, sometimes up
to twelve hours a day. There were also other subtle problems. I

felt bloated and gassy. I also had a harder time concentrating and
remembering things. At first, I thought it was due to my stressful

lifestyle: I was traveling around the country constantly, conducting

my seminars and taking care of other business related to the Ameri-

can Memory Institute. But no matter how much I slept, how much
I tried to take care of myself, the symptoms continued. I began a
merry-go-round of doctor visits, most of whom said the problem

was in my mind.
Luckily, I finally went to a doctor who diagnosed me as having
candidiasis. Over the next few months, with dietary changes, holistic
remedies, and vitamin supplementation, I began to feel better. My
energy returned, my mental clarity improved, the bloated feeling
disappeared. I was finally back to my old self.

Candidiasis is an intestinal overabundance of a fungus, Candida

albicans, that resembles yeast. The problem with diagnosing candidi-
asis is that, as in my case, the symptoms are so varied and begin
subtly, progressing over a long period of time. People who later are

diagnosed with this illness say they feel They may crave
"spacy."
sugar and white flour and have a hard time getting up in the morn-
ing. One of the most common symptoms is lack of energy. "I'm
always tired by the afternoon. I just can't think that well. I'm anx-
ious and nervous. Is there anything wrong with me?" is a typical

series of complaints. Candidiasis can affect your thinking and mem-

ory as well.
 How Your Body Affects Your Memory 97

I also feci that if you suspect you may have candidiasis or

any other combination of vague and debilitating problems, it's very

important to go to a doctor who is aware of holistic medicine. Prac-

titioners of traditional Western medicine are trained to focus on

specific problems and treat those problems with drugs and surgery.
In contrast, doctors practicing holistic medicine look at the body as

a whole entity, studying how all the parts function together. In the

holistic approach, treatment focuses on natural substances as well as

dietary and lifestyle changes.
The other disease I want to discuss is the one caused by the
Epstein-Barr virus. Although there is still some debate, it is now
generally referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome. It is another dis-

ease with subtle but very real symptoms.

Consider a young friend of mine who suffered from this syn-

drome for years without knowing what was going on. Hearing about
my experience with candidiasis, she came to me one day and started
telling me her symptoms. She said that all through her years at

school she could never think very clearly. Concepts that other chil-
dren grasped quickly took her a long time to grasp. She felt it was
because she was "not very smart." Looking back, she realized she
had always been somewhat mentally lethargic, having a hard time
concentrating, unable to focus very well. That, too, she felt was "just

the way she was." Deciding she was not cut out for college, she
had stopped studying and taken a low-paying, stress-free job just to

get by.
We took her to a clinic where clients are evaluated from a
holistic standpoint. The doctor diagnosed her with Epstein-Barr
virus. As is normal with Epstein-Barr, the virus had lodged itself in

my friend's central nervous system, affecting not only her memory

but her other thinking processes as well. With a few homeopathic
injections, in a couple of weeks the Epstein-Barr virus was under
control, and this young woman is now back in school, and doing
very well.
As with candidiasis, we're finding that Epstein-Barr can be
controlled through the holistic approach. I highly recommend that

you seek out the people who are specialists in homeopathic medicine
98 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

and experienced in treating candidiasis, Epstein-Barr syndrome, and

other related diseases. Too many of these ailments remain untested,
undiagnosed, and untreated. I've seen people all over the country
who can't seem to function at peak mental capacity. Whether they
suffer from an inability to think clearly or have a poor recall of
information, they are not very productive in their work or in school.
There are practitioners who can simply and inexpensively diagnose
and treat these particular problems.

In reading the material presented in this section, I hope you've

reached one basic, but very important conclusion: All too often, there
are physiological reasons why we can't think clearly and our memory
is adversely affected. Keep aware of what's happening to your own
body, seek out articles and books on these issues, and find out which
doctors are knowledgeable about these diseases.
For a listing of recommended homeopathic clinics, call the

American Memory Institute at 219-736-6172.

Chapter 8 — Review
The Five Stages of Processing Information
i. think
2. emote
3. look/search

4. create

5. know

The Two Types of Stress

emotional
physical

Reducing Stress
Looking up, either to the right or to the left.
 How Your Body Affects Your Memory 99

Digestion Rates of Basic Foods (from slowest to fastest)

pork
beef
poultry, fish

vegetables
fruits

fruit juices

Foods to Be Avoided
turkey
sugar
white-flour products
coffee and alcohol
 Pegging the House List

It's time to do another pegging exercise. I think you will

be even more impressed with your memory by the end of this chap-
ter because we are going to be working on increasing speed.
I'd like to go back to the House List. First we will review it.

All this will be done in your mind's eye —no pencil or paper allowed.

Just sit back and relax. What I will want you to do is take that
mental journey through the four rooms that you chose for your
House List. I will ask you to see vividly, in order, every peg on that
list. You will begin with the first room and spend no more than a

few seconds visualizing the first peg. Then you will go in sequence
to peg numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5. After you've finished the first room,
continue on to the next room, and proceed in order through all the

pegs until you've gone through all four rooms. Review these pegs
in sequence three times, going forward from 1 through 20, seeing

each peg vividly. The pegs will come mind instantly.

to

Close the book and start the exercise now.4

As you were doing this exercise, you probably thought to your-

self, "That was fairly easy. I reviewed the House List just a few
chapters ago, Kevin, and it's still locked into my memory." Yes, I

know it is. It should be right there, and it should be firm.

Now that you've reviewed your House List, we are going to

100
 Pegging the House List 101

do another exercise with it. I am going to give you a list of ten

words to peg to your House List. As with all pegging, you will
create vivid, colorful pictures for these words. You'll smell the smells,

feel the feelings, include any sounds you can, and add yourself if

you like. Then you will take a picture of one of your House List
pegs and join the two together, using some kind of ludicrous action.
An important point to keep in mind: When you peg to your
House List, you will be creating slightly stronger pegs than if you
were pegging to the Body List or the Tree List. Why? You created
this list. These are items from your house, not mine or anyone else's.

And when something is yours, there's more emotion associated with

it. (Damaging a rental car isn't the same as damaging your own car,

is it?) This will help youwhen you want to

later recall what you
put on your House List pegs. As we learned in the last chapter, the
fact that you used more emotion will more easily lead you out of
the think stage and into the look/search stage of your unconscious.
And as an added bonus, you'll see that pegging to the House List

will be easier as well.

One more important reminder: When pegging, do not use asso-

ciation. Remember, association is based on logic. Way back in Chap-
ter 2, we linked "tree" and the number 1 because the trunk of a
tree looks like the number 1. Pegging is the exact opposite: You're
putting your two pictures together in a nonsensical way, creating
something that could never happen in real life. Like a lion wearing
a fur coat.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, you're going

to be working on speed this time. This exercise works a little more
easily with a partner, but you can do it by yourself, too. When I

tell you to, I want you to look at the first item on the list of ten
words below and create a vivid picture of it. Then take the first

peg from your House List and put the two pictures together using
action. Go through the entire list. Do this as fast as you can, spending
no more than five seconds on each word. We'll peg only ten words
so that you'll use only half your House List, but that will give you
a good idea of how powerful and fast your recall abilities are. If

you're working with a partner, have him or her read the words to
102 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

you at five-second intervals. If you're alone, probably the easiest way

to work is by sliding a straightedge down the page.
Before we continue, I want you to close the book and review
your House List one final time. Make sure that your pegs are com-
mitted to memory so that you can scan them very, very quickly.
Make sure that you have the sequence down. Close the book and
do it now.^
Okay, now sit back, relax, and take a deep breath. As a begin-

ning student, if you wish you may shut your eyes between words
to help you focus. Visualize the item, then the House List peg, and
put them together, spending no more than five seconds on each
item. Take another deep breath. Exhale. . . . Now take your straight-
edge and begin pegging in five-second intervals:

i. a man s suit

2. a bottle of beer
3. Donald Duck
4. dollar bills

5. turkey
6. a pencil

7. a pig

8. a wig
9. hot dogs
10. a wedding cake

Now close the book, number 1 through 10 down the left side
of a clean sheet of paper, and from memory, write down the ten
words. Do it now.^
Now check yourself. How did you do? I'm sure you're feeling
pretty pleased with yourself because you remembered most, if not
all, of the words. And I'm sure you noticed that when you went
back to each House List peg, its image came to you instantly.

If you missed one or two items, ask yourself the four perti-

nent questions:
 .

Pegging the House List 103

i. Did you know your House List pegs well enough?

2. Were your pictures vivid enough?
3. Was your pegging action strong and clear?
4. Were you stressed while doing this?

Perhaps you were nervous, putting pressure on yourself to suc-

ceed. That would have caused you to stay stuck in the think stage.

If your problem was in using strong, clear action, don't worry. In

the following chapters, you will get plenty more practice at it.

If you did well, you now have established fifty pegs for yourself,
fifty places to store information. Think of them as fifty file folders

in your Mega Memory inventory. You will be using these file folders

to remember all sorts of useful things, things you never thought

were practical or possible. Can you see why they say your mind thinks
faster than the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second? You
spent only five seconds on each item in the above exercise.
Think back to the story of the flea and our discussion of self-

imposed limitations in Chapter 6. You don't have them anymore.

They're gone. Do you now really believe your mind is incredibly
powerful, your memory photographic? And can you say you have
learned that it's available for you to use any time you want?
If the answers to the above questions are yes, you have reached
an important milestone in your Mega Memory program. You're now
ready to walk into that room of fifty people and remember every-
one's name. . .

Chapter 9 — Review
How We Program Our Memories to Fail
"I have a terrible memory."
"I never remember people's names."
"I better write this down or I'll forget."

"I just know I'll forget that appointment."

Begin reprogramming yourself today by making positive statements.
104 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

Chapter 9 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

Review your House List mentally while your mind's eye sees the

pegs vividly, in detail and in the exact order you chose them.

Exercise 2
Peg a different list to the House List from the one we did in

Chapter 9.

Exercise 3
Say out loud three times daily until you finish this course:

"I have a great memory."

"I remember easily."

"I recall easily."

This is the beginning of reprogramming your unconscious mind.

 10 Remembering Names:
Part I

You're ready to put your Mega Memory to use in real life!

As a result of the exercises in the first nine chapters of this book,

you have established a Mega Memory inventory for yourself — fifty

pegs that you will be using as reference points in the future on

which to store information. And just as important, if you have done
the exercises faithfully and have followed the chapters in sequence
as I have been advising, you now trust your memory enough to

release its vast power. In the last chapter, by pegging ten words at

five-second intervals, you learned to appreciate the speed of your

memory, too. Now you will apply both its speed and its power to

remembering people's names.

I am going to break one of my major ground rules now: You
may read this and all the following chapers more than once. As you
begin to use your Mega Memory in real life, I want you to feel free

to use these chapters for reference. You may want to reread certain

sections or review an entire chapter. Feel free to do whatever you

feel necessary to build your memory skills. I keep emphasizing that
everybody learns different concepts at different rates, and I have
found that the best way to utilize the Mega Memory program is by

05
106 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

allowing everyone to go at his or her natural pace. So feel free to

practice, play with, or put a different spin on whatever techniques

you find on the following pages. They are there for your use.

What's Your Name Again?

How many times has this happened to you? You walked into a
room, met someone, shook hands, heard the person's name, and
then, as soon as the handshake broke, forgot the name you had
heard? And a few minutes later, when trying to recall that name,
you were forced to say, "I'm sorry. What's your name again?" It's

happened to all of us.And it's very embarrassing.

Now just think how great it would be not to have to ask that
question ever again. People will be amazed with the ability you have
to walk into a room, meet forty or fifty people, and in a few hours
leave and say good-bye using everyone's name. I've had so many
students come up to me at my seminars and say, "Kevin, I can meet
fifty, sixty, or seventy-five people and remember their names. When
I do, they all remember me\" People will be very impressed, because

the most important thing you can remember about a person is his

or her name. It's the sweetest sound in any language to that person.

It commands attention —and that person's respect — every time it is

used. And you can bet that the person will remember you because
something like that doesn't happen very often.

Once you know someone, that person's name stays with you.
For example, think back to the last time you started a new job. On
the first day, you were introduced to all the people in your depart-
ment, and even if your department was rather small, let's say four

people, you promptly forgot their names. By the end of the first

week, however, you knew everybody's name. You did that by repeti-

tion. After hearing each person's name a couple of times, you were
able to reinforce it in your memory. With only four people, you
didn't have too much information to process, so that you were able
to commit everyone's name to memory very easily.
When you walk into a room of forty or fifty people, however,
you don't have the luxury of repetition. At most you have a few
 Remembering Names: Part I 107

hours, and usually much less, to remember whatever nanus you can.

This is where the power of your newly trained Mega Memory comes
into play. In the next three chapters of this book, we're going to

learn how to take someone's name, put it into short-term memory,

and keep it there long enough that it goes into long-term memory
and becomes knowledge.
As we've discussed previously, there are three basic steps to

remembering anything:

i. a place to put the information, called a peg

2. the information turned into a picture

3. mental glue to hold the picture on the peg, which is action

We've spent the first nine chapters doing each of these basic
steps in a variety of ways. Now we are going to use these steps in
remembering names. Each of these next three chapters will focus on

one of the steps. Once you have finished Chapter 12 and done the
review lessons, you will be walking into meetings and parties and
recalling more names than you ever thought possible. You probably
won't remember fifty or sixty right off the bat — like everything else

in life, it will take some time to become that proficient —but I

guarantee that you won't be putting yourself into the embarrassing

position of having to say, "I'm sorry. What's your name again?"

Creating a See Peg

As we've been learning over and over, the first thing you need in

order to remember anything is a place to store the information. In

Mega Memory, that place is a peg. In learning names, we will be

using what I call a see peg. I call it a see peg because it's something
you see, the first thing you notice about a person. It could be some-
thing the person is wearing: a big red tie, a bright flowered print

dress, a bow in the hair. It could be something about the person's

face or body (big hands, dark eyes) or a striking piece of jewelry.
It could even be the person's gestures or body language —someone
speaking with a loud voice, waving their hands excitedly, or striking
108 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

a particular pose. It can be anything, but it's the first thing that
strikes you about the person.

Sometimes we can pick out a see peg very quickly. We can

often glance around a room, spot someone, and immediately notice
something that pops out at us about that person. At other times, no
one trait strikes us immediately and we have to make a choice

pick one thing that we want to associate with that person. "That's
a great red blouse she's wearing," we might think. We call that
person Miss Red Blouse. "Look at that guy with the ugly yellow
polka-dot tie,"we say of someone else. That person becomes Mr.
Yellow Tie. Then there might be Mr. Ponytail, Ms. Almond Eyes,
Mr. Thin Lips. Learn to pay attention to these things. They become
your see pegs.
Here's a tip on choosing your see pegs. Pick concrete things
rather than abstract concepts. In your exercises, you have already
learned that concrete images are easier to visualize, and the same
goes for see pegs. For example, if you notice someone who seems
pompous and full of himself, talking about all the money he'smade
or how everyone should believe what he believes, don't name him
Mr. Obnoxious or Mr. Attitude. It would be better to choose Mr.
Loudmouth or Mr. Moneybags. Having a simple, concrete see peg
will help you in step two, which we will discuss in the following

chapter.
In certain situations, you don't have the luxury of standing
around and observing someone from far away. There will be times
you will be introduced to someone you've never laid eyes on before.
Picking out see pegs at a time like that is harder for most people
because you're face-to-face with someone, concentrating on inter-
acting with that other person. My advice for such situations is to

take a genuine concern in the person you have just met. Just focus
on giving the other person your attention and really listening to

them. You will find that that will give you a chance to relax, which
will allow you to start noticing their hair, their clothes, their manner-
isms. The see pegs will stand out. And over time, you will notice
the see pegs more and more quickly and easily.

Taking a genuine interest in someone, by the way, is not only

 Remembering Names: Part I 109

helpful for your memory, but will pay big dividends in your communi-
cations and "people" skills. Sensing your concern, people will respond
to you much more warmly, openly, and genuinely themselves. You will

be rewarded with their attention in what you have to say or do.

As you can see, creating see pegs is a very simple task. You
are engaging the memory because you art focusing on something. If

you remember, just by focusing you are getting those neurotransmit-

ters in the brain to fire away and reinforce the memory, even if it's

for a hundredth or a thousandth of a second. That's all it takes.

And by creating pictures, you are using the software your brain
needs for recall.

At this point I want you to do an exercise in choosing see pegs.

Look at the photographs on page 110 and choose see pegs for the
four people pictured. And one more reminder. "Good, better, best"
applies here. There's no one right answer for each picture. Do what
works best for you. It's what you notice about the person, what you
choose as a see peg. The important thing is that you focus on one
aspect of the person pictured.
Take a look at the pictures and choose a see peg for each
person now.^
Now go to the end of the chapter and look at the see pegs I

chose for each of the pictures.

I hope the exercise was fun. As you can see, it's very simple to
do. Most important, it forces you to observe the people you meet.
And when you observe, you focus. Instead of merely looking at
someone and then quickly forgetting what you just saw, you are
training yourself to commit it all to memory.
 I 10 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 7

# /:
 Remembering Names: Part I III

Chapter 10 — Review
See Peg
The first thing you notice about a person.

Two Types of See Pegs

i. Permanent: something about the features of the individual,
either facial or bodily. This may also include their gestures.

2. Temporary: something noticeable but transient about a per-

son's appearance, such as an article of clothing or jewelry.

By picking see pegs, we fulfilled the first of three steps toward remember-
ing anything: We found a place to put the information.

Chapter 10 — Required Mental Exercise

Exercise
Try to pick a see peg for five people you meet today. At the end
of the day, sit down and visualize the hwt see pegs as clearly as

you can.

suowng ssejg SW >

UIU.SJE3MS jbis JW e
UjLjs paduis *s|aI T
ail o|og •jw 1

sSad 93$ O} SJ8MSUV J>

t
UjA9>|
 I I Remembering Names:
Part 2

In the previous chapter, you learned how to create see

pegs, which is the first step in remembering someone's name.

Now what is the second of the three basic steps in remember-
ing any piece of information? It's taking that information and
turning it into a picture. And that's what we're going to practice

doing in this chapter: turning people's first and last names into

pictures.

Let's say named Bill. We need to turn "Bill"

you meet a person

into a picture using the same method we used earlier in Chapter 6

when we played Concentration. In Concentration we took words,

broke them down into syllables, and then created sound-alike pic-

tures for each syllable. When we put the syllables together, we came
up with the entire word. If the word was one syllable, we came up
with of a sound-alike picture for the entire word.
Our rule for turning each syllable into a picture was to focus

on the way the syllable sounded, not the way it was written.
Sometimes the syllables reminded us of abstract things or con-
cepts, and sometimes they reminded us of a particular object. We
decided that simple, concrete objects were easier to work with,

112
 Remembering Names: Part 2 113

though syllables that reminded us of abstract terms were allowed

as well.

We'll be doing the same thing in picturing names. The object

of creating pictures is building a vocabulary — a vocabulary of
names. It's just like learning a new
Once you've learned
language.
the meanings of certain words, their meaning is instantly clear
when you hear the words again in the future. Remembering
names will work the same way. In this chapter, we are creating
our vocabulary. In the next, you will see how we use that vocabu-
lary to recall the names of people we meet in any and every

situation.

Picturing First Names

Let us go over a few examples of picturing first names. Remember,
what you are doing now is building a vocabulary, setting the ground-
work for the future.

When you hear someone's name, break down the name into
syllables, and think of what the syllables sound like to you. If you
meet a man named Bill, for example, you'd probably think of a
dollar bill or a duck's bill. Either one is a good picture. If someone's

name is Mike, you might picture a microphone. John? —my choice

is a toilet! If someone named Donald, you might picture Donald
is

Duck, instead of breaking his name down into two syllables. Re-
member, combining syllables is allowed, too.
Here's a tougher one: Sue. If you focus on the way it sounds,
you might think of a Sioux Indian or suing someone in court,
both of which are pretty abstract concepts. Keep in mind that the
key to picturing abstracts is choosing as simple and clear a pic-
ture as possible. If you use suing someone in court for the name
"Sue," you may choose a picture of a judge, with his gavel and
black robe, or perhaps imagine a summons or the scales of jus-
tice. Your picture has to be vivid and clear, as I've been empha-
sizing throughout the book. Some of my seminar participants
choose to picture a man's suit because "suit" and "Sue" sound so
much alike. That's allowed too — the two words don't have to
I 14 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

sound exactly alike, just enough so that one reminds you of the
other.
Here are a couple of longer names. Roseanne sounds like "rose"
and "ant," "rose-ant," so you could create a picture of those two
things. For Robert, I would choose "rob," and "hurt," picturing a

robber in a ski mask and a finger with a Band-Aid around it. When
I hear "Beverly," I think of a lever of some kind and leaves, "lever-
leaves." I hope you understand how it works.
Some people in my seminars wonder whether creating pictures
every time they hear someone's name is too much effort. "We don't
want to be doing this for everyone we meet," they tell me. But here
is the beauty of this system. Once you create a picture, you can use

that picture over and over again. Let's use Mike as an example.
Once you've decided to use a picture of a microphone for the name
"Mike," you can use it again for every Mike that you meet. As I've

said, you are building a vocabulary. Just as in learning any new

language, it might take a little while at first to get the meanings of
certain words, but once those meanings become clear to you, you
use the words effortlessly.
To understand how this will work, think back to Chapter 7
when we pegged twenty words to our Tree List. When I call out
number 7, for example, what image comes to your mind? It's
dice, isn't it? How about ten? It's bowling ball. Twelve is no
longer 12, but eggs. The picture vocabulary of names will work
the same way. In your memory, the picture of the name will

replace the name itself.

Now I would like you to do an exercise. Below is a list of

ten common first names. Look at each name and spend no more
than a few seconds creating a picture for it. Make sure it feels

right to you —chances are if it comes easily it will be memorable

to you and thus useful over and over. Write down your choices
for each name in the space provided. Yes, I want you to write

down your choices — you'll see why in a moment. After you've

gone through the entire list, go to the end of the chapter and
compare my choices with yours. Go to the list and do the exer-
cise now.^
 Remembering Names: Part 2 115

List of Names Your Choice of

Pictures
pJai( t*)l<L™^h on <
+
Waldo f

3. Dolly 3. .\ i? <><-<-

4. Debbie 4. -pe*c£ &<?€^

5. Nicole 5. A/tcL //> p/<?^
6. Jan 6. J*"" 1
7. Ann 7. Art"f
8. Jim 8.C7//M J/A1
9. Joe 9. £JT, Jae
"""
o. Mark 10. Che.cLt'xt&r^

Now go to the end of the chapter and look at my choices, then

come back here.^

How did your choices compare with mine? I hope you could
see how I chose pictures that were simple and clear. They are objects

that you can visualize easily. Here's an important point. For number
3, I many people choose Dolly Parton. Never use celebri-
have heard
ties. People don't make good pictures. Here's another reminder:

Keep your picture small. For number 8, Jim, for example, a picture
of a basketball or a Slim Jim is better than imagining an entire

gymnasium. Keeping the picture simple and clear makes it easier to

keep in your memory.

Okay. In a moment you'll return to the list above. To reinforce
the link between the pictures and the names you have just created,

I want you to cover your choice of pictures, so all you see are the

first names to the left. Review the names and see if you remember
the pictures you chose. Spend some time doing this, covering up the
picture word and seeing if you can recall the picture just by looking
at the first names. Repeat this several times, because some of them
are difficult. Four or five times on a tough one, and you'll remember
it. It's important to have this picture vocabulary established. Do
that now>
Now I want you to do the exact opposite. Cover up the first

names, look at each picture you've chosen, and see if you can remem-
I 1 6 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

ber what first name that picture represents. If you've been doing all

the exercises in this chapter correctly, you will have instantaneous

recall. The names will pop into your head right away. Go back up
to the list and do the exercise now.^
Okay. At this point you should have established a beginning
picture vocabulary for ten first names. Let me remind you once
more that you can make this vocabulary grow by practicing this
technique with everyone you meet. Over time, you will develop
pictures for many first names. And the larger your vocabulary is,

the easier it will be for your memory to function at peak capacity.

Picturing Last Names

Now we are going to practice picturing last names. Working with last

names is usually harder than with first names. In the first place, last

names tend to be longer and less familiar. You need to do a little more
work in breaking down the names into syllables and creating pictures

for them. And building a picture vocabulary that you can use over and
over again is harder, too. For example, how many Kowalskis and
Martinellis are you going to meet over the course of your life?

You may not want to make a practice of remembering the full

name of everyone you meet, but there will be times when you will

be happy to remember someone's full name. And I do have students

in my seminars who immediately start working on both first and
last names. They're good at it and they enjoy it.

I do want to remind you, though: Walk before you run. When

you start doing this for real, make sure you are confident with first

names before you attempt last names. As I've just said, some people
can do both immediately. Most people, however, need a few days to a
week or so practicing on first names before they feel comfortable
enough with last names. Success builds confidence, and failure does the
opposite. So if it takes you a while to begin working with last names,
don't be too hard on yourself. You are like the majority of my students.

Turning last names into pictures is the same as doing it for

first names. We break the name we have just heard into syllables.

We then take each syllable and turn it into a picture based on the
 Remembering Names: Part 2 117

way it sounds or what it represents to us. You can combine syllables,

and you can choose sounds that are similar to, but not exactly like,

the syllable you're trying to picture. Let's go over a few examples.

We meet someone with the last name Johnson. Breaking John-
son into syllables, we get "John" and "son." My picture for "John"

is a toilet. For the second syllable, "son," you can picture either the
sun in the sky or a son, someone's male offspring. Picturing the sun
in the sky is better because it's simpler and clearer than son, which
is more vague. So take a few seconds to vividly picture a toilet and
a big, bright yellow sun in the clear blue sky. "Johnson." You've
created a picture for Johnson.
name Maskowitz. "Mask-kow-itz." The first syllable
Let's take the

is "mask," for which I picture a Halloween mask. The next syllable is

"kow," which makes me think of a big brown cow. The last syllable,
"witz," is a little tougher. My choices are a witch, or perhaps a whip.

So you're picturing a mask, a cow, and a witch. "Mask-cow-witch."

"Maskowitz." They're close enough to work very well.

What if someone pronounces Maskowitz differently, as people

with the same last name sometimes do? For example, someone might
say "Mas-kow-itz." What do you do then? Well, how about pictur-
ing a mass, the Catholic ceremony, plus a cow, plus an itch? "Mas-
cow-itch." "Maskowitz." It still works, doesn't it? Remember, it's

the sound that matters. How you pronounce the name is how you
turn it into pictures.

How about the last name Saffron? Some people may think of
saffron rice. Others might break it into syllables, "saf ' and "ron."
They may picture a safe for the first syllable. It doesn't sound exactly
the same but it's close. For the second syllable, they may choose a
picture of someone's feet running. "Safe-run." "Saffron."
How about Kowalski? You have two choices. "Kow-wal-ski"
gives you a cow, a wall, and a ski. "Cow-wall-ski." "Kowalski." Or
you can put the first two syllables together. "Kowal" sounds like

"koala" bear "Koala-ski." "Kowalski." That works just as well.

Let's do one more name, Jeffries. The first syllable is "jeff."

What sounds like "Jeff"? How about "chef." A picture of a chefs

hat would be good for this. Now how about "fries" — pronounced
1 18 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

"freez"? "Freez." Think of something frozen like an ice cube or an

image of someone with chattering teeth. Some people would use
"fries" as in french fries. It's close enough. Either one of these picture
combinations sounds like the name we want to remember.
Now I'd like you to go to the list of ten last names below and
choose sound-alike pictures for each one, just as you did for first

names. Take a few seconds to break each name down by syllable,

create pictures, and next to each name write what you visualized.
Do this exercise now.

List of Names Your Choice of

Pictures
'

i. Atwater 1. \dt* 'ifl v*rt< /

2. Carmichael 2. Cor +fecjj\flt& ^lovj^e,

3. Crawford 3. C < \j-> Ac *) \ iv^Fo rc\

4. Gardner
5. Hawkins
6. Jarrett

Rabinowitz * \£*0"
7. 7. fab^*
8. Schuster 8. 4 hoe 5 ur€
9. Shelton
10. Wayne 10. Unt

Now turn to the end of this chapter and look at my choices,

then come back here.^

How did your choices compare with mine? Let's review a few
of them. Are you wondering about number 2, Carmichael? "Car-
bicycle" sounds close to Carmichael, doesn't it? How about the white
glove? If you remember, when we discussed picturing first names,
I told you not to use celebrities as subjects of pictures. So for Michael,

you can't picture Michael Jackson. However, what object is closely

linked with Michael Jackson? A white glove. Objects that represent

celebrities are fine to use.

How about number 9, Shelton? The first syllable can be pic-

tured by a seashell and the second by a representation of something
 Remembering Names: Part 2 119

that weighs a ton or a tin. Tin is better because it's less vague (and
probably smaller!). "Shell-tin." Shelton.
Now I want you to do the same exercise you did with first names.
I want you to cover your picture choices, so all you see are the nanus
to the left. Go through the names and see if you remember the pictures
you chose. Review each name several times. Do that now.4
Now do it in reverse. Cover up the first names, look at each
picture you've chosen, and see if you can remember what name that
picture represents. Do the exercise now.^
Let's review what you have done in this chapter. You've
worked on mastering step two in the process of remembering, which
is creating pictures. We've gone over pictures for both first names
and last names. First names are a little easier. If you find last names
a bit overwhelming, stick with first names for a while. As you
practice this technique more and more, it will become easier and
easier and you will want to graduate to last names. But do it at

your own pace.

Now it's time to combine these pictures with our see pegs from
the previous chapter. But make sure you do the review exercises
before you go on to Chapter 12. Once you feel comfortable with
turning names into pictures, learning how to put these pictures onto
your see pegs will be a snap.

Kevin's Pictures for First Names

1. Waldo — with dough on
a wall it

2. Wallace— with on
a wall or walrus lace it a
3. Dolly— or mechanical
a doll a dolly

4. Debbie — dead bee a

5. Nicole— on a nick or a piece of coal a nickel

6. Jan—jam
7. Ann —an ant
8. Jim — or
basketball Jim than gymnasium)
a Slim (better
9. Joe— hoe or
a Joe or G.I. coffee
10. Mark— marking pen or marker
a
120 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 1

Kevin's Pictures for Last Names

1. Atwater — ants in water
2. Carmichael — car and a bicycle or car and a white sequined
glove
3. Crawford — crow a Ford driving a (car)

4. Gardner— gardenera

5. Hawkins — hawk with or hawk fins a entering an inn

6. Jarrett — and a jar or and
a rat a chair a rat
7. Rabinowitz— and witch
a robin a

8. Schuster— shoe a or shoe

stirring a store
9. Shelton — weighing
a shell ton or a a shell made of tin

10. Wayne— cane a

Chapter I I — Review of Lesson

Turning Names into Pictures
This is essentially the same as turning any abstracts into pictures.

1. Break the name into syllables; if the name is one syllable,

use the whole name.

2. Close your eyes and say the syllable (or whole name) several
times out loud.

3. Create a sound-alike picture or something representative or

symbolic of the sound.

Helpful Hints for Turning Names into Pictures

1. Never use celebrities, though you may use something repre-
sentative of a celebrity.

Example: for Michael, many people picture Michael Jack-

son, which will not work. However, a white sequined glove,
representative of Michael Jackson, will work.
Exception: You can use cartoon characters.
2. Anytime you have a large picture, simplify it.
 Remembering Names: Part 2 121

Example: If for Jim you have a large picture of a gymna-

sium, reduce that to a smaller picture, such as a basketball.

Turning Last Names into Mental Pictures

This is done exactly the same way we turned first names and ab-
stracts into pictures. If possible, divide the words into syllables; close

your eyes, say the syllables out loud (combining two or more if

necessary); and create sound-alike or representative images. Avoid

creating a picture of a real person who has that last name.

Chapter I I — Required Mental Exercise

Exercise I

Create a picture word for each of the following names, and write
it in the space provided. If you get stuck, you can refer to the Name
Guide at the end of the book, but I highly recommend you do it

on your own first.

Al
Andy
Art
Barry
Ben
Bob
Carl
Dan
Donald
Ed
Frank
Harry
Jack
Jeff

Martin
Anita
Betty
122 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Carol
Cindy
Diane
Dorothy
Elizabeth

Fran

Jean
Kris

Mary
Nancy
Pat
Ruth
Toni

Exercise 2
Each day for the next twenty-one days, pick out last names of
five people whom you know. Create a mental picture for each
one. Make the pictures either sound-alike or symbolic of that
person in some way.
 1 2 Remembering Names:
Part 3

Let me tell you a quick story. I was visiting a sales organi-

zation in New York City to conduct business having to do with my

American Memory Institute. The woman I was talking to inter-

rupted me for a second and conducted some other business with a

young man who had just walked by. After they exchanged a few
sentences, the woman turned back to me, apologized again for the

interruption, and introduced the young man to me, saying, "Kevin,

this is Tom So-and-so, our general manager from Atlanta."
"Hi, Tom. Kevin Trudeau. Nice to meet you," I said.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, too," said the young man and
walked away.
About six months later, I was in the lobby of the same building
in New York, waiting for an elevator. The elevator doors opened,
and out came about twenty or thirty people. I recognized the young
man, and he seemed to recognize me, too.

"You're the memory guy," he said coming up to me and smil-

"T T' "
ing. Hi.
"Hi. You're Tom So-and-so," I said, remembering both his first

and last names.

123
124 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

This guy was shocked. "I can't believe you remembered my

name!" he stammered.
I laughed. "I can't believe I remembered your name, either!"
The young man was literally beaming, the smile on his face broader
and broader. We both had a good laugh; then he asked me if I had
a few minutes, and would I pop by his office when I was finished
with my other business.
I love seeing people react when I remember their names. A big
broad smile spreads across their face. I can tell that they instantly
have become a little more open to me, impressed that I took the
time to remember their name. On a personal level, it's a great way
to get to know people better. And it opens up opportunities in

business situations as well.

Once you finish this chapter, you will be well on your way to

making this one of your talents, too. This is the third and final lesson

in remembering names. Using action — active action —we are going to

take our see pegs from Chapter 10 and peg them to the sound-alike
pictures we learned to create in the previous chapter. We've already
done a lot of pegging exercises in the book, so this should come very
easily to you. Putting it all together is actually the icing on the cake.
By pegging various names to see pegs, you will be training your
memory to file away information for the future, preparing it to

remember the names of people you encounter every day. Combining

all three steps of our name-remembering process might feel a little

cumbersome at first — like driving a stick shift or learning a foreign

language —but it will become easier and easier, and in time you will
be doing it without even thinking.
If this sounds like a hard promise for me to keep, let me
remind you that in Chapter 9 you were able to peg ten items to the

House List in five-second intervals. Until then, you probably didn't

believe you could do that, either. So keep your faith now. You've
seen the speed and power of your memory —continue to trust it. It

will do the work if you just let it. And of course, I'll lead you

through the exercises step by step.

make sure you apply the techniques exactly as I describe

Just
them. You will look at photographs of various people. Then you
 Remembering Names: Part 3 125

will pick a sec peg for each person, turn the name into a picture,

and put both pictures together using exaggerated, nonsensical action.

Remember, both pictures have to be linked together illogically. They
can't make sense. And don't forget some of our other tips for good
pegging: If the action is logical or boring, it's bad. Include emotions
and yourself in the scene, hear the sounds, smell the smells, feel the

feelings. Keep the scene going —more is always better than less.

Now look at the first photograph below. There are six photo-
graphs in all. We will pretend as though we are meeting these
people for the first time. After looking at each photograph, I

will lead you through all three steps of remembering, slowly and
methodically. You will get a sense of how you will be doing this

for real.

Step 3: Putting It All Together

Photo I. Look at the first photo.

Let's call this gentlemen Mr.

Bow Tie. The bow tie is his see

peg because it's the first thing

I notice about this man when I

look at his picture. Take a few

seconds to observe his bow tie,

noticing its size, the material

it's made of, the patterns.
Let's say this man tells

you his first name is Harry. Say

it out loud, as if you were re-

peating it while shaking hands:

"Harry." Meanwhile, how do
we create a sound-alike picture

for "Harry"? You may think of

a few things. I'm going to visu-

alize hair. I always use hair for the name Harry. In your mind's
eye, create a vivid picture of hair: its color, thickness, how it may
feel to you.
126 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

Now for step three. Peg the hair to the bow tie, which is the
see peg.Remember to use active action. Perhaps you're sewing hair
on the bow tie. Or perhaps you're wrapping the hair around and

around the bow tie in a faster and faster motion. Pick a clear, simple
action and peg the two pictures together now. See it all as vividly

as you can.
What was our see peg in the above exercise? Bow tie. What
did we peg to it? Hair, because "hair" sounds like "Harry. "
Photo 2. Look at this woman
and decide what you would use
as a see peg. You could use sev-
eral items she is wearing, but
I'm going to use earrings. Take
a few seconds to really observe

those earrings so that they are

embedded in your memory.
This woman tells you her
name is Judy. "Judy." Say it

out loud. Now what would be

a good picture for Judy? "Ju-
dy." Breaking Judy into two
syllables is tough, so I don't use
a sound-alike picture. I'll use
Jf

J M ^
something that represents Judy
to me: red shoes. Why red
shoes? They remind me of Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz.
Remember, in the last chapter I told you that you could use an
object that reminded you of someone? Like a white glove for Mi-
chael Jackson? Red shoes always remind me of Judy Garland.
Now in your mind's eye you need to peg the red shoes to

the earrings using strong, clear action. Maybe you see these red

woman's earrings, and they

shoes attached to the are whirling
around and around. Maybe you're walking up to the woman,
saying, "I love those earrings," and trying to pull the red shoes

off them as she jerks back, saying "Ouch!" In your mind's eye,
 Remembering Names: Part 3 127

create a scene with the earrings and the red shoes. See everything
vividly: the colors, the action. Use your imagination and make
everything bigger than life.

Let's review photo 2. What's your see peg? Earrings. Wh.it

picture have you pegged to the see peg? Red shoes. Why? They
represent Judy.+

Photo 3. Let's look at the third

photo. We're going to call this

man Mr. Striped Shirt. Observe

him, really look at this man's
shirt for a few seconds, so that
the picture is reinforced in

your memory.
This gentleman goes by
the name of Bill. What's a

sound-alike picture for "Bill"?

We've come across this one be-

fore. Let's use a dollar bill. In

your mind's eye, link dollar

bills to this striped shirt. "Ow!

Ow! Ow!" Maybe you're tack-
ing dollar bills to this man's
shirt and he's trying to pull

away. Maybe huge dollar bills are wrapping themselves around this

man's shirt. Maybe there are two bills that look like wings attached
to the shirt, and the man flies away.
As you're pegging the bills to the shirt, keep the action vivid
and exaggerated. Make sure you picture the dollar bills clearly: Are
they big, small? Are there many of them or just a few? Don't forget
to include emotion in your scene, as well as other sensations. Maybe
the dollar bills are new, and you can feel their crispness and smell
that newly minted smell.
Let's review. What was your see peg for photo 3? A striped
shirt. What did you peg to the shirt? Dollar bills because the man's
name is Bill.^
128 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

Now go back and look at the first photo. What's the see peg?

Bow tie. What do we put on the bow tie? Hair. And what's the
man's name? Harry.
Photo number 2. What is the see peg? Earrings. What do we
put on the earrings? Red shoes. And what's the woman's name?
Judy.
Photo number 3. What's your see peg? The striped shirt. What
do we put on the striped shirt? Dollar bills. What's the man's
name? Bill.

Photo 4. Now look at photo 4.

We're going to call this person

Miss Glasses. That's her see

peg. And her name is going to

be Mary.
How do we turn Mary
into a picture? Getting sound-

alike pictures for the two sylla-

bles "Ma-ry" seems kind of dif-

ficult to me. How about the

whole word. What sounds like

Mary? How about "marry."

What's a good picture for

"marry" —remember, we want

something simple. How about
a wedding dress or a wedding
cake? What are other choices
for Mary? Some people think of "merry "-go-round, which is fine.

Some people link the name to Christmas, because they are thinking

of the Virgin Mary. What's a good picture for Christmas? How

about a Christmas tree or a wreath. My picture for the name Mary
is a horse. Can you guess why? Mare. "Mare" sounds like "Mary,"
and it's even a common nickname for Mary.
Do you see how far you can make your imagination go when
you're creating pictures? Even if it's a little awkward at first, the

more you do it the more fun you can have imagining outrageous
 Remembering Names: Part 3 129

combinations. I use "mare" for Mary, but you may think of some-
thing no one has ever thought of before. And that's great because
that's what Mega Memory is all about.
Now let's peg a mare to our see peg, glasses. I see the glasses

as being very big and silver-colored, and the mare is eating them.
The woman is yelling, "Oh, no! Oh, no!" but the horse just keeps
gobbling up more and more. Visualize this in your mind's eye. Or
perhaps the woman is taking off these big glasses and beating the
mare over the head with them. "Stay away from me! Stay away
from me!" Or even better, put both pictures together. The mare
is trying to bite the glasses off. The woman rips the glasses off

and starts pummeling the mare with them. See all this in your
mind's eye.
Let's review. What is our see peg? Glasses. What is our picture?
A mare, for the woman's name, Mary.#

Photo 5. Here is the fifth photo.

We're going to call this person
Mr. Pocket Silk because of that
striking silk handkerchief in

his breast pocket. Your see peg

may have been different from
mine. You could choose any-
thing — hair, eyes, shirt, ears,

etc., but I'm going to call him

Mr. Pocket Silk.

The man tells you his

name is Mark. How would you
turn Mark into a picture?
"Mark." How about a Magic
Marker, a big, red Magic
Marker? Other people think of
marks on a report card, and
others of a marker on a piece of property to distinguish boundaries,
like a stone or a post. For now, let's use my choice, the Magic
Marker. In your mind's eye, put a big, red Magic Marker to the
130 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

silk Remember
handkerchief. to use action that's ludicrous and exag-
gerated. What can we think of? You're marking up that beautiful

silk handkerchief with big, red streaks. And what does the man do?
He's nodding and saying, "Wow! That looks great! It really looks

great!" And the handkerchief keeps getting bigger and redder and
both of you are nodding excitedly, very pleased with the results!

Let's review. What's your see peg for thisman? Pocket silk.
What's his name? Mark. What picture did you choose for Mark?
A Magic Marker, which you pegged to the handkerchief in a vivid,

ludicrous way.+

Photo 6. We're going to call the

woman in Photo 6 Miss Scarf.

Again, we could choose other

things for see pegs, but we're
going to use a scarf.

This woman's name is Janet.

Janet. jan-et. Jan-net.

How can you create a sound-

alike picture for these syllables?

How about "jam," for "jan"?

And the second syllable? That's
easy, a picture of a net, either

a volleyball net that's high up

in the air, or a tennis net that's

nearer to the ground. Other

people might think of a butter-
fly net. They're all great pic-
tures. Let's use a tennis net. Create a picture of jam on a tennis net,
and see that vividly in your mind: the color of the jam, the gooey
texture, whether the net is taut or sagging against the ground.

Now in your mind's eye, peg that picture to the scarf, which
is your see peg for this woman. Perhaps you're playing tennis over
this net with jam all over it, but instead of tennis balls you're using
the woman's scarf. She's terrified that the scarf will get stuck on
that gooey net. But you keep playing, hitting volleys and ground
 Remembering Names: Part 3 131

strokes, and the scarf keeps sailing over the net at all angles, missing

the jam by inches. The woman keeps yelling more loudly, and
you keep playing more and more recklessly, trying to win each
point. This scene has action, emotion, and is certainly exaggerated

and ludicrous. I want you to create a similar scene in your mind's

eye now.
Let's review. What is your see peg for this woman? A scarf.

What picture is pegged to the scarf? "jam" and a "net," for the

woman's name, Janet.

Now go back to the first photo. What was your see peg? Bow
tie. And what's the picture we pegged to the bow tie? Hair. And
what does that give us for a name? Harry.
Photo 2. What was your see peg? Earrings. What's the picture
on the earrings? Red shoes. What's the woman's name? Judy.
Photo 3. What was your see peg? A striped shirt. What picture

did you peg to it in your mind's eye? Dollar bills. What's the man's
name? Bill.

Photo 4. What was your see peg? Glasses. What picture was
pegged to the glasses? A female horse, a mare. And what's the name
you're trying to put into your memory? Mary.
Photo 5. What was your see peg? What picture
Pocket silk.

did we put on the pocket silk? A Magic Marker. And what's the
man's name? Mark.
Photo 6. What is the see peg? Scarf. What picture did we put
on the scarf? A net with jam all over it. What name are we trying
to remember? Janet.

How Your Mega Memory Recalls Names

Now, how does putting these three steps together help you in re-
membering names? Let's examine what happens when you later

meet one of these people. Let's use Janet, the woman from the last
photo, as an example.
One day, you run into Janet again, let's say at the supermarket,
a scenario we referred to a few chapters ago. We've all been in that

situation. We know we've met the person, but we just can't remem-
132 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

ber the name. Instead of saying, "Excuse me, I forget your name,"
with a trained memory you do the following:
First ask yourself, "What was my peg?" If you have done the
exercises correctly, I promise you that the picture of the see peg, the
scarf, will pop into your mind, even though the woman may no
longer be wearing it. Then ask yourself, "What was I doing to the

scarf? What was the action?" I guarantee you, your picture of playing
tennis with the scarf over the net with jam on it will come to you.

"Net-jam." "Jam-net." "Jan-et." Janet! The name will come to you.

Let's return to another photo, number 3. You've met the man
with the striped shirt at a party, you talked to him for a few minutes,
and then went on to talk to someone else. It is three hours later
and you're approaching him What was your see
to say good-bye.

peg for this man? A striped shirt. What was your action involving
the striped shirt? You were tacking dollar bills to his shirt. Bills.
Bill! The man's name is Bill.
Now keep in mind that this process is happening in your un-
conscious mind, which is very powerful and very quick. In the
beginning, the process might take a while, and you might not always
remember all the steps correctly, especially when you're in a rush.
However, as with all the individual steps you've been practicing, the
more you do this, the more automatically everything will happen.
As you keep going, you won't even have to ask yourself these

questions consciously. Sometimes you'll see the person, and in a few

seconds the name will pop into your mind. That will happen more
and more as you practice. Your memory will have learned to go
through these questions on its own and will give you the name you
are searching for. And instead of waking up in the middle of the
night three days later with the name of the person on the tip of
your tongue, you'll have it when you need it.

At this point in my seminars, I am always asked a lot of ques-

tions, and I sense that people are experiencing a lot of resistance.
"Kevin, how will I ever learn to meet fifty people and remember
all their names in the space of a few hours?" "Kevin, everything
we're doing seems pretty strange and complicated. Is it really worth
all that effort?"
 Remembering Names: Part 3 133

In answer to the first question, I tell everybody, "You learn how

to remember the names of fifty people the same way you learned to

eat a big piece of steak as a child. One bite at a time. Take it slowly.

Have fun with the different pieces. Over time you'll learn how to

put all the pieces together and you'll be remembering all those names
without even thinking about it, just like you now eat that big piece
of steak. That's the best thing about Mega Memory. You let every-
thing happen at its own pace."

As for the second question, I want to quote you a line from

Zig Ziglar, America's premier motivational speaker and author of
several books on motivation and attitude. He says, "We don't pay
the price of success, we enjoy the benefits of success." Yes, there is

some time and effort involved in learning how to use this technique
easily. But think of the You
benefits. will generate goodwill. People
will be appreciative that you made the effort to remember their

names, and they will in turn remember you. And think how im-
portant that is in business. Making a good impression and generating
goodwill might be just that "small" edge that gets you the job or
the contract. We often don't consider these small interpersonal fac-
tors when thinking about business, but they are the engine that

usually generates business deals, gets contracts signed, and opens up

opportunities. When you remember people's names, you will be giv-

ing yourself that small but vital edge.

Remembering Last Names

I have some students in every seminar who pick up these techniques
in a few days. If you're one of these fast learners who wants even
more of an edge, here are some exercises that involve adding last

names Mega Memory equation.

to the

Again, I'm going to recommend that you feel confident with

first names before you start adding last names to your repertoire.
As you become more and more successful with first names, you will

be able to build on that confidence as you start playing with remem-

bering last names. The procedure is the same. We just add another
step to our technique. We still pick a see peg in the beginning. We
134 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

still turn the first name into a picture. Then we create another

picture for the last name before pegging everything together.

For our examples, let's go back to the photos we used for first

names, staring on page 125. The man in the first photo is named
Harry. Our see peg is the bow tie, and we've pegged hair to it. Let's
assume this fellow's full name is Harry Johnson. How do we turn
the last name, Johnson, into a picture? Say it out loud upon hearing
it, that always helps. "John-son." We pictured "Johnson" in the last

chapter. We used a picture of a John, representing a toilet, and the

picture of the sun in the sky. So picture a toilet in a great big field
with the sun shining brightly on it. Add that picture to the bow tie

and the picture you created for the first name in your mind's eye.+
Let's go to the second photo. Let's assume the woman's last

name is Wilbond, Judy Wilbond. "Wil-bond." How do we turn it

into a picture? What's a good picture for the first syllable, "wil"?

Maybe a will that someone has written. And what does "bond"
remind you of? It reminds me of cement, bonding cement. What
else for bond? A ring? Or bonds, as in stocks and bonds? Or tying
something, binding something up. I can picture a will being tied
and bound to a chair in my mind's eye. Add that picture to the

red shoes.
Let's go to our third photo, Mr. Striped Shirt. What is pegged
to the stripes? Dollar bills. His first name is Bill. Let's assume his

last name is Conant. Breaking it into syllables would give us "Co-

nant" or "Con-ant." What picture can you use for the first syllable?

It depends on how you pronounced it, "con" or "cone." Let's say

"cone." Let's picture an ant, a big black ant for the second syllable.
Now put both pictures together. How about big black ants eating a
scrumptious pistachio cone? Add that picture to the dollar bills on
the man's striped shirt.^
Now we'll do some exercises involving the other three photos.
I'm going to give you last names and I want you to turn them into

vivid pictures and vividly peg the pictures to the see pegs.

Go to the fourth person. Our see peg for her is glasses, and our
picture is the horse eating the big silver-colored glasses. The worn-
 Remembering Names: Part 3 135

an's last name is Nightingale. Say it out loud. "Nightingale." Repeat

it out loud, breaking it down into syllables. "Night-in-gale." Repeat

the first syllable. "Night." "Night." What does that give you a pic-

ture of? Now take the other syllables, say them out loud several

times, and turn them into pictures. Now close the book and turn
Nightingale into a picture using as much action as you can.+
Go to the fifth person, Mr. Pocket Silk. His last name is Ya-
magishi. Repeat it out loud. "Yamagishi." "Yam-a-gi-shi." "Yam-a-
gi-shi." How can you turn the first syllable, "yam," into a picture?
Now repeat the other syllables out loud. "A-gi-shi." Repeat them
either singly or in combination. How can you turn them into pic-
tures? Close the book and do that now.4
Let's go to our last photo, Miss Scarf. Let's assume her last

name is Shafeet. "Shafeet." Say it out loud, breaking it down by

syllable. "Sha-feet." "Shaf-fet." Take each syllable and see if you can
break them down into pictures. Close the book and do that now.^
How did you do? As you can see, turning last names into

pictures is the same as doing it with first names. And pegging those
pictures to our see pegs works the same way as well; it's just another
step in the entire process. Once you become comfortable with break-
ing down the names into syllables and turning the syllables into

pictures, the rest comes easily. And you can have a lot of fun with
the pegging, which I hope you have been doing already, letting your
imagination get as crazy as it wants.
By doing these exercises —by letting your imagination go wild,
by picking see pegs and creating vivid pictures, by pegging things
together in interesting ways, and above all by having fun with this

technique —you will develop great skill at remembering people's

names. You won't remember just one name, or two or three names,
but you'll be able to walk into a room, meet forty or fifty people
and a few hours later go back and recall everyone's name. I can do
it, and many of my seminar participants do it in the practice
I've seen

"cocktail parties" we stage. So go to it start pegging! I promise —

you, when you leave your next cocktail party or business meeting,
you'll have a lot of people remembering you.
136 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Chapter 12 — Review
The Three Steps for Remembering Names
i. Pick the see peg.
2. Turn the name into a picture.

3. Put the picture on the see peg with action in a ludicrous way.

Chapter 12 — Required Mental Exercise

Practice pegging the name of anyone you meet today by doing the
three basic steps reviewed in this chapter. If you have a partner, you
can also have your partner introduce himself/herself to you using a
made-up name.
 I 3 Basic Day-to-day
Applications

One of the most gratifying comments I hear from my

seminar participants is "Kevin, I just can't believe how powerful my
memory is. I'm remembering all sorts of things when I'm not even
trying to apply your techniques!" That's perhaps the most satisfying

aspect of Mega Memory. As you really get into the various exercises

and techniques on a day-to-day basis, your unconscious literally takes

over and performs what you've been training it to do— except even more
so. A great memory becomes habit, part of your makeup, just as deep
lung capacity or great stamina is developed by any well-trained athlete.

I hope you had fun learning how to remember names —and I

hope you're already dazzling your friends and business colleagues

with these techniques! In this chapter I'm going to begin teaching
some additional real-life applications of Mega Memory. Again, we'll

be taking it very slowly —one step at a time. I'll discuss the tech-
niques with you, explain why I'm doing what I am, and then let

you try the same thing. While you're learning them, these techniques
will begin to work on your unconscious. Slowly but very surely,

when you see, hear, and experience various things, you will be auto-

matically filing them away for instantaneous recall in the future.

137
138 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

Before beginning to discuss the various applications, I want to

reemphasize one important thing. All of these techniques are

grounded in certain fundamentals. I will be very specific in describ-

ing each technique, but it doesn't mean that you can't apply what
you've just learned to another situation. If something's not touched
upon in this book, it doesn't matter. If a technique seems useful, go
ahead and use it. By the end of this book, you will have learned to
use techniques that are applicable to many situations in daily life. So
keep your mind open to the possibilities — they're virtually endless.

The Daily Schedule

To remind themselves of their daily schedule, most people keep a

written to-do list or a pocket calendar. Used almost universally, it's

a widely accepted practice for everybody, including businesspeople.

Keeping a written list or a calendar is well and good at the office

or on your kitchen table, but the problem is, it's not enough. What
happens if you think of something when you're not in a position to

write it down? When you're driving a car, in the shower, or in a

meeting? That's often when you think of things like, "Oh, I've got

to stop by the dry cleaners." Or, "I've got to pick up milk at the

grocery store." Or, "I'd better not forget to mail that letter again
today!"
Let me say this, even with a Mega Memory, your memory will

not replace the written word; it will supplement it. That's very, very
important. It will not replace; it will supplement. I've been saying
throughout this book that I don't want you to write things down.
I don't want you to do it when it will interfere with your memory
and get you in the bad habit of not trying to remember a piece of
information. By writing something down when you think of it, you
are really telling yourself that you don't need to remember it, your
pen and paper will do the work for you. It's just like the employee
whose boss goes over his work in great detail. The employee knows
he doesn't have to try very hard because his boss hasn't really given
him much responsibility.

What I'm telling you here is to give your memory real responsi-
 Basic Day-to-day Applications 1 39

bility. Train it to remember things; you then go back and write

something down to reinforce what it is you're trying to remember.
But as I've been repeating, the more you train your memory, the
less you will need to rely on pen and paper. Just like a good boss
with a good employee, you may have to be there occasionally to give

some guidance and provide support, but basically your employee will
want to keep growing and taking on more and more tasks. The
paper and pencil will be needed less and less.

I always find it funny when I'm out on one of my speaking

or teaching engagements and someone asks me to send some infor-

mation or a set of tapes. I'll say, "Sure, give me your address." The
person responds with, "Oh, jeez, I don't have a pen." I laugh and
say, "That's okay, I don't have a pen, either, but I have a memory."
And we both laugh, though I can see the person just dying to say,
"You're really going to remember?" Yes, I'm going to remember!
I'm going to ask you to establish a Things to Do Today list

for yourself. When you're keeping a mental to-do list, what do you
need first? You need a place to put the information — a peg. Since

you'll want room for more than one thing, you'll need a few pegs.
You'll want to use one of your peg lists. The pegs I use for my
Things to Do Today list are from my Body List. Whenever I think
of something I need to do — pick something up, make a phone call,

complete a task — I turn it into a picture and peg it to my Body

List. I put the first thing I think of on my first peg, which is my
toes. I put the second thing I think of on my second peg, which is

my knees, and so on. Then throughout the day all I need to do is

periodically scan this list and see what's on my pegs, just as I would
look to see what's on a written to-do list.

When I'm teaching this in my seminars, inevitably someone

will say, "But Kevin, what if I forget to look at my Body List?
What do I do then?" The only answer I have for that person is

"What if you forgot to look at a written to-do list? What if you

forget to look in your mailbox?" That's not the point. You'll always
know you have things to do. You just might forget the specifics. All

you need to do is get in the habit of scanning your mental to-do

list. Look at each of the pegs and ask yourself, "What's on my toes?
140 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

What's on my knees? What's on my muscle?" You can go through

the whole list in a few seconds.
In a moment I'll ask you to close the book and think of five
things that you want to do today. They should be very ordinary,
perhaps going to buy some groceries, picking up your dry cleaning,
purchasing a particular book. Do not write down these tasks. Close

the book and think of five tasks now.4

Now let's take the first thing you want to do and turn it into

a vivid picture. Then, in your mind's eye, using action, peg that
picture to your toes. Make sure the action is exaggerated. Include
emotion, like joy, sorrow, or pain. Include yourself in the picture,
too, and make sure the action could never happen in real life. Close
the book and do it now.^
Let's review what you've just done. If you needed to buy some
milk, for example, perhaps you pictured ten milk cartons on your
You were walking on them, feeling lighter than air. Or perhaps
toes.

you were picturing a giant cow nibbling on your toes. Perhaps you
pictured yourself as very thirsty while all of this was happening, just

dying for that tall, cold glass of milk.

Now, close the book and repeat the same procedure with the
other four tasks you've set for yourself. Turn each one into a picture

and peg it to your Body List. Your second picture will go on your
knees, the third on your muscle, the fourth on your rear, and the
fifth on your love handles. See the pictures clearly. Use strong, simple
action. Turn each task into a picture and peg it to your Body List
now.^
Now that you have done this, just scan this list to remind
yourself of your five tasks. The pictures that you pegged to your
Body List should flash through your mind. That's exactly how you
would do this in real life.

Keep in mind that you can peg anything in seconds, anywhere

you are: right before you go to sleep; in the shower; in an elevator;
while doing the laundry; even while you're doing something like
cooking or gardening or cleaning and just don't want to take the

time to write things down. I even do when I'm on a phone

it, call

and something pops into my mind. You will be able to peg that
 Basic Day-to-day Applications 141

quickly. It's that easy and convenient. You always have your mem-
ory, and can always process and organize the information in mental
file folders so that it's right there at your mental fingertips.

Where Are My Keys?

How often have you asked yourself, "Where are my keys?" You've
come home from work, thrown down the keys, grabbed a quick
sandwich because you wanted to go out again soon, and twenty
minutes later you're frantically searching for your keys, not knowing
where you threw them down. Or perhaps you've overslept and are
going to be late for work, so you shower and dress quickly, and
start out the door, when you realize you don't have your keys. You
search frantically through the clothes you wore yesterday, your purse,
your coat. They're not there. How would you like never to have
this problem again?
You forget where your keys are because you are not focusing
on the keys when you put them down in the first place. Your
memory is not connected to what your hand is doing. You're throw-
ing down the keys, but consciously you're thinking about your up-
coming date or what you'll have for supper or how horrible your
boss is. The movement of placing the keys somewhere is being
accomplished without any link to the memory. And this doesn't just

happen with keys. It happens with many small items you use on a

regular basis: glasses, umbrellas, a favorite pen, a comb, a brush. I

always used to forget where I put my sunglasses.

To we need to do is get into

prevent this from happening, all

the habit of focusing and adding action when putting down the
keys. Let's say you come home from work and throw your keys

down on the coffee table. To practice this technique, picture the

coffee table blowing up with the keys on it. That's all you have to

do. You're still applying the three basic steps of remembering. You've
got a picture of the coffee table, which is your peg and you've got
a picture of the keys, which is the information you want to remem-
ber. Put both pictures together using action. Blowing up the coffee
table is strong and simple. But you could choose other action as
142 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

well: nailing the keys to the table, or imagining the keys being huge
as you throw them down.
The result of doing this? Thirty minutes or a day later, when
you ask yourself, "Where are my keys?" your memory will produce
a picture of the coffee table blowing up, in a sense telling you, "You
blew up the coffee table with them, dummy." And there they'll be,

on the coffee table. The very act of imagining that action of blowing
up the coffee table —even if that imagining lasts one hundredth of
a second or even less —engages the memory. What you're doing is

focusing, making sure you connect the movement of your hand to

your memory, and by doing that you're locking in a piece of infor-

mation for recall later.

You might very well ask, "Well, Kevin, what if I put my keys
down on the coffee table today and on the microwave oven tomor-
row, and on the TV the day after that? Won't I get confused?
What's going to happen if I blow them all up!" First of all, let's

take the worst-case scenario. Your keys will be in one of three places:

the coffee table, the microwave, or the TV. Having three places to
search in is still better than running around the entire house, isn't it?

But if you get in the habit of practicing this technique, the

more likely scenario is the following: When you ask yourself where
the keys are the first day, a picture of the coffee table blowing up
will flash through your mind. When you ask the same question the
next day, a picture of the microwave blowing up will flash through
your mind. The third day a picture of the TV blowing up will

come to you. If you've been practicing this technique, your memory

will tell you where you put the keys most recently.

Let me repeat a very important point I mentioned when we

first started this chapter. In the beginning, you will be applying this

technique consciously. That is, you will have to make yourself think
about blowing up the table, or imagine nailing to a desk a pair of
glasses you always misplace. In a very short time, just a few weeks,
you'll be applying these techniques on an unconscious level. You
really won't be thinking about blowing up the coffee table or
applying any other action when you put down the keys or glasses.
 Basic Day-to-day Applications 143

Your unconscious will do it automatically for you because you will

have trained your memory to be engaged when you take that action.

Don't be surprised one day when you find yourself saying some-
thing like this: "Where did I put that contract? Oh yeah, it's on
this chair." And you'll think, "You know, I didn't peg it to the

chair, but I guess I have a great memory." The technique was

applied unconsciously, and you have recalled the information seem-
ingly without trying to.

Remembering Addresses
Memorizing addresses involves using the pegging and chaining tech-
niques we've already learned. Remembering an address, such as 15

Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, involves breaking it down into

three parts: the number, the street name, and the city.

The number. Let's use the above address as our example. To remem-
ber the number, you first select a peg list on which you will peg
the information. You have three lists to choose from: the Body List,

Tree List, and House List. Let's say you choose the Body List, and
your first peg on it, toes. Visualize toes.
Now create a picture for your number by going to the Tree
List and picking the appropriate word. In this example it's number
15, which is "paycheck." In your mind's eye, link the two pictures
together using action. How about a big paycheck falling down and
cutting your toe? So from now on you may decide that anything

pegged to your toes will be address. The next time you ask yourself
what number this particular house is on, a picture of the check
cutting your toe will flash through your mind, and you'll be able to

decode it: "Toes" represents an address; "paycheck" is number 15.

A few tips: Don't worry if there's a zero in the address; you

can use a doughnut, for example, as a picture for zero. If the number
is 21 or above, divide the number into smaller pieces. Create a
picture for each piece and then peg or chain them together. (In Part

II, "Advanced Mega Memory," I will give you some techniques so

you can easily remember much longer numbers.)
144 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Street name. Break the street name into syllables. Here's how the
address above would sound: "wil-shire-boul-e-vard." Create a sound-
alike or representative picture for each syllable. Peg the pictures to

a peg list or chain them together. For "wil-shire" how about a

picture of a will being cut in two by scissors or shears? "Will-
shears." For "boul-e-vard" how about a bull carrying a work of
art
— "Bull-art"? "Will-shears-bull-art"? "Wilshire Boulevard."

City. Follow the same initial steps you did for the street name. Break
the city into syllables and create pictures for each syllable. Los
Angeles might be "lost-angles" or "lost-angels." Now you can peg
the city name to an entirely new peg; in which case each picture
for the number and the street would have its own peg. Or you can

chain the pictures for the city name to the street.

For example, you might picture a will being cut by huge shears,

being followed by a bull with art on its back, being chased by a

group of lost angels. To include the number, start your chaining
sequence with the paycheck cutting your toe, and then follow
through with the rest of the chain.
Once you practice using the different lists and techniques, you
will find the ones that suit you best in various situations. I think
being able to remember addresses is not only practical, it's fun. So
the next time someone asks you whether you have a pen and paper
with which to record an address, take a breath and say, "No, I don't
have a pen, but I have a memory," and use one of your Mega
Memory techniques!

Remembering Driving Directions

How many times has this happened to you? You're driving some-
place with a friend, and you get lost. Your fiiend, who's driving,

asks you to roll down the window and ask someone for directions.
This person, being very helpful, decides to give you very explicit

directions. "Well," she says, "you go down this road for about a
mile. Then there's a hill, take a left at that street. Then you take a
right and continue for about a mile. When you come to a fork in
 Basic Day-to-day Applications 145

the road, bear right." While the woman is talking, you're nodding.

"Uh-huh, okay. Right, up the hill, then left. Uh-huh. Okay. Then
right or left? Right. Uh-huh, after the fork another right." When
you're finished, you roll the window back up and turn to the driver.
"Okay, did you get that?" Your friend shakes his head. "You're the
navigator." "But you're the driver!"
Between the two of you — if you're lucky — you might remem-
ber that you go down the same road for a while, then up a hill to

the left. If you're really resourceful, you might have had a pencil

and notebook handy, and you would have started scribbling down
as best you could what the woman was saying. Then you would
start driving, and suddenly what you had written in the notebook
wouldn't make sense. Time to pull over again.

You can save yourself a lot of trouble when you use your Mega
Memory techniques. And, again, when receiving driving instructions,
the techniques are very basic: pictures and action.

Rule number one for directions: Always ask for a landmark.

Why? You can use the landmark as a peg. If the person says, "You
go down a road ... I think to the third light, and at the second
street after the third light take a right," ask for a landmark. "Is

there anything at that right?" The landmark can be either man-

made, like a gas station or a building, or natural, like a pond or
stream. Usually, man-made landmarks stand out more. Then, even
if you get a bit confused, you can still search for that landmark. For
example, if the person giving you directions tells you there's an
Exxon station at the third light, you can use that information to
orient yourself.

There is something else you can do. Very often you forget
whether someone told you to take a right or a left at a particular

place. To reinforce the information, you need to establish a picture

for right and left. From now on after reading this book, your picture
for right is going to be one of rats. Your picture for left is going to

be leaves. (Yes, these are mnemonics; as I've said before, in certain

situations they are very helpful!) When you hear someone tell you
to take a right, create a picture of rats in your mind. When you
hear someone tell you to take a left, visualize leaves.
146 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

In the above example, let's say the person tells you to take a

right at an Exxon station. Create a picture in your mind of an Exxon

station with —you guessed — it! rats pumping gas. Big, old, gray, very

helpful, rats. See that in your mind's eye.

Now this is how your trained Mega Memory will work. You'll
be driving along, and even if you've forgotten the details, you don't
have to worry. When you see an Exxon gas station, the picture of
those rats pumping gas will flash through your mind and you'll

remember you have to take a right.

Let's say you're asking for another set of directions from some-
one. That person tells you, "Go down the road, past two intersec-

tions, I think. At the second intersection, take a left." Ask for a

landmark. "What's at the intersection?" "There's a bank." Get a

clearer picture. "What does the bank look like?" "It's a big white
building."
Then, visualize the big, white bank, and since you've been told

you should take a left, guess what you peg to that bank? Leaves.
Add action. Maybe the leaves are on fire. Maybe they're huge and
brightly colored.
You will have given your unconscious enough information to
get you where you're going. As you're driving along and you pass

by a white bank, you'll remember that you have to take a left

because the picture of the white building with the leaves on it will

spring to your mind.

The same thing happens in an unplanned way when you're
driving through a place you've been to before and can't quite re-
member where you go next. If you're with a friend and your friend
asks you for directions, you might say you don't know but, "as soon
aswe get there, I'll know." At some level you know that you
—
know you know that your unconscious remembers and you only
hope that at the right time the correct information will spring to
your mind. With a Mega Memory, you don't have to leave things
to chance. You train your mind to provide this information when
you need it.

Again, let me emphasize that, as you're first reading this book,

it may seem like you have to do a lot of work —picking a peg,
 Basic Day-to-day Applications 147

creating a picture, thinking of an action — in order to remember a

simple piece of information, like whether to turn right or left. But,

always keep in mind that as the days and weeks go by, you'll get

better and better, faster and faster with these techniques. The more
you train your memory, the more quickly you'll be able to do all

these steps and combine them in all sorts of interesting combinations.

Whenever you feel the need, these mental tools will be there for

you, allowing you to operate much more efficiently in many differ-

ent situations.

Creating Your Own Applications

Now I'd like to review a couple of other situations in which you

would use these same techniques, and I want you to figure out how
to apply them. Whatever the scenario will be, however, remember
that the basic steps are always the same:

i. a place to put the information, which is your peg

2. the information turned into a vivid picture

3. mental glue holding the pictures together, which is action

Scenario /. Let's say you're a real estate agent, and that you're going
on tour to look at new homes. You want to make sure you remem-
ber specific things about each home. Sure, you can write things
down. But you don't want to be a slave to pen and paper. With so
many homes and so many clients, you want to make sure that when
you're talking to someone about each home, these things will come
right to your mind.
Let's say you visit three homes. The first one has very big
bathrooms, a swimming pool, and a master bedroom with a balcony.
The second home has beautiful wood paneling and a spacious two-
car garage. The third home is small, but is situated on top of a hill

and has lovely views.

Think of the three-step procedure you would use to remember
these things about each particular home. Close the book and do
it now.^
148 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Let me show you how I would remember the outstanding fea-

tures of the first home. The first step is to pick a peg on which to

place our information. I could choose any of my three peg lists, the
Tree List, the Body List, or the House List, and then I could create
pictures of the bathrooms, the swimming pool, and the master bed-
room, and peg them to one of the lists.

There's another way to create a peg. Let's say I've noticed that

this first house has a huge oak tree in the front lawn. I can use the
oak tree as a peg. This is a form of association we learned in the

very beginning of the book when we discussed the mnemonic

HOMES for remembering the Great Lakes. You use association

when you need to remember something that you can logically link

to a piece of information already in your memory. Something you

know, with something you don't know.
Because I already associate the oak tree with the first house, let's

use option two. Make that oak tree your peg. Now create pictures for

your three features and peg them to the tree. The first picture would
be a toilet bowl for "John"; the second picture could involve water,

which would represent the swimming pool; and the third picture
might be one of pillows, which would represent the master bedroom.
Then, using exaggerated, nonsensical action, you would peg these
pictures to the three.

To emphasize again, once you've become adept at these tech-

niques, you would be doing this as you go through the house, simulta-
neously seeing its various features. That's what makes Mega Memory
so practical. You need to waste precious little time later, writing
down everything or reviewing everything in your head. The infor-

mation gets locked in as you are seeing, hearing, or experiencing it.

Now try the same techniques with the other two houses.

Scenario 2. Let's practice another scenario. Assume you're in the

automotive business and you want to have a better recall of the cars
you have and their different features. You start with your first car,

a used model that you think is a good deal. You want to remember
that the car has 13,000 miles on it and. has air conditioning. What
 Basic Day-to-day Applications 149

would you do to remember those two pieces of information about

this car? Close the book and do the exercise now>

What's our memory rule? We need a peg, a place to put
first

the information. Have you observed anything outstanding about the

car? Let's assume it has mag wheels. That would be my peg. (Other

pegs: a dent on the body, a shiny color, a missing light.) Now we

need to take the two pieces of information and create pictures for

them. This car has 13,000 miles on it, so I'd get a picture of a witch,

because that's 13 on the Tree List. And I'd also make the witch

seem cold or frozen, her teeth chattering away to remember the air

conditioning. How would I do step three? I'd put the witch on the
mag wheels using a lot of action. Perhaps she's spinning with the
wheels; perhaps she's rotating the wheels trying to keep warm.
The next time I talk to a customer about her needs for a car,

what happens? If she tells me she's looking for a used car, I'll flip

through my mental file folders of used cars. One of them will be of

this particular car. The pictures I've created will flash through my
mind. The witch reminds me of 13, her chattering teeth remind me
of cold, and I'll remember that car has 13,000 miles on it and air

conditioning. Without needing to look things up, I'll be able to tell my

customers this information right away and find out whether she's inter-
ested. Remembering that one used car has 13,000 miles on it and air

conditioning may not seem like a great achievement to you. But multi-
ply this by twenty, fifty, a hundred cars, all with their different features,
and you'll get an idea of how useful your Mega Memory can be.

Scenario 3. Let's try one more application. Assume you're going to

make a speech and you have an outline. There are ten points in

your outline. How would you make the speech without the use of
notes? Close the book and think about the procedure right now>
Here's my solution. The first thing you need is a peg on which
to put the information. I would probably pick one of the lists, Tree
List, House List, or Body List, because all the information in my notes
is new. If I were going to use association, I'd already have to be pretty
familiar with my speech so I could use certain parts as preexisting pegs.
150 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Next, we need to turn each of the ten points in our outline

into pictures. Let's say our topic for this speech is making money
in real estate, and the first point in your outline is how to become
an astute investor. Focus on the most important part of point one,
which is on being astute, and turn it into a picture. "As-tute." "Ass-

toot." Maybe you'd see a jackass tooting a horn. And you'd put that
on the first peg on a list.

Your second point might be choosing your sales categories.

What's the main idea of point two? Sales categories, choosing catego-
ries. We've already turned categories into a picture when we played
Concentration. We came up with a bloody, gory cat ("cat-gory").
Peg the picture to the second peg on whichever list you are using.
Then complete the process with the rest of the items in your outline.

When making your speech, in your mind's eye you'll be able

to look at the first peg, and you see what? A jackass tooting a horn.
"Folks, I want to talk about how to become an astute investor."

After you've finished discussing point one, you'll take a look at your
second peg, and you'll see a bloody cat. "The next thing I want to

talk about is categories. Sales categories . .

." And you'll continue
down your list until you have finished your speech. It may take you
a while to become that confident in using your Mega Memory, but
believe me, it happens. Whatever you're doing and wherever you
are, just keep practicing those three rules of memory:

i. a place to store the data, which is a peg

2. the information turned into a picture

3. mental glue to hold it there, which is action

Chapter 13 — Review
Daily To-Do List

1. Choose a peg list (Tree List, Body List, House List).

2. Create a picture of each thing you- would like to do or remember.

2. Peg each picture to the pegs on the list you have chosen.
 Basic Day-to-day Applications 151

Where Are My Keys?

i. Get into the habit of focusing on the piece of furniture or
place where you put down your keys.

2. In your mind's eye, add action.

Remembering an Address

The Number Part of an Address

i. Select a peg list you already know (Tree List, Body List,

House List).

2. Choose a picture for your number.

3. Peg the picture to one of the pegs on the list you chose.
4. Create a mental picture linking the two.
5. If there's a zero in the address, use a doughnut for your picture.
6. Divide longer numbers into sections and follow the same
rules as above.

The Street Name

1. Break the street name into syllables.

2. Create sound-alike or representative pictures for each sylla-

ble in the street (remember, you can combine syllables).

3. Peg them sequentially to a peg list. Or:

4. Chain them together and peg just the first one to a peg list.

The City Name

1. Follow same first two steps you did for the street name.
2. Peg the pictures on an entirely new peg. Or:

3. Chain them to the street name.

Remembering Directions
1. Ask for a landmark.

2. Convert the street names into pictures — as when memoriz-

ing addresses.

3. Use pictures for directions, as below:

Indicating right and left:

Right — picture rats.

Left — picture leaves.
152 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Indicating additional directions:

North —north pole.

South —sow (female pig).

East — chopsticks.
West —cowboy hat.

Chapter 13 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

Peg the following activities to one of your lists, pretending this is

today's to-do list.

i. Go to the post office to mail a package.

2. Buy a trash can.

3. Return a defective flea collar.

4. Buy a light bulb.

5. Go to the grocery store for condensed milk.

6. Pick up some flowers for your significant other.

7. Spend fifteen minutes reading a positive-think book.

8. Get your car washed.
9. Do thirty minutes of aerobics.
10. Get your shoes polished.

Exercise 2
txercise z
Using the steps described above, peg the following addresses:

1. 100 Nightingale Court

Peoria
2. 1512 Main Street
Boston
3. 9 Phillips Circle
Fort Hood
4. 723 Jackson Drive
Wheeling
 Basic Day-to-day Applications 153

5. 1902 Tremont
Seattle

Exercise 2
Practice pegging at least fifteen sets of directions per week. You can
begin with the ones below.

1. Turn left on Ashbury.

2. Go south on East Maple.

3. Drive west on Eagleton Way.

4. Turn right on Ramsdale Road.
5. Go north on Belleview Avenue.
 14 Reading and Mega
Memory

We're now going to apply our Mega Memory techniques

to reading comprehension. Do you always remember what you have
read? Has the following ever happened to you: You're reading along,
and suddenly you notice with a start that you have no idea what
you're reading or even how far you've gone in the book? You have,
quite literally, lost the train of thought.
That happens because even though your eyes are going over

each word, your mind is focused on something else. It's similar to

your throwing keys down someplace but not paying attention to

what you are doing with your hand. In this case you're not paying
attention to the words. Your mind is wandering, focusing on some-
thing else, and the meaning of the words doesn't register.

You lose interest in the words for many reasons: The mate-
rial is difficult or complicated. Sometimes, it's simply a case of
the book not being written well, and you're bored. Textbooks
with a lot of data can often feel overwhelming and incomprehen-
sible. You can also have trouble focusing for physiological reasons:
You're tired; you're upset about something; or you are feeling
stressed because you are studying for a test. Whatever the situa-

154
 Reading and Mega Memory 155

tion, the bottom line is that you need to absorb the information
better.

Reading and Remembering

To help people become more focused readers, I've developed a tech-

nique using the Mega Memory system that is very simple. But when
done properly, the results are quite astonishing. The technique is

this: When you are reading, you must always read as though you
are imparting the information presented in the book to someone else.

Let me rephrase that. When you are reading, in your mind's

eye you should picture yourself speaking the words to someone else.

Why? As we've said a number of times, we are our own favorite

subject. We always pay more attention to what we say than whatever

anyone else might ever say. When we imagine ourselves speaking

the words that we are reading, we make the process and material
personal, because we are in the picture. The emotions come into
play. And being the bridge to our unconscious, our emotions start

the wheels of those deeper thought processes going, and our memory
becomes engaged. We start paying attention.
There's another reason why this technique works well. Your
conscious mind can focus upon —and picture —only one thing at a

time. It can't be in two places at once, so to speak. By picturing

yourself saying these words as you're reading, you are forcing your-
self to mentally stay put. i.e., not wander or daydream. You are
engaging your memory instead, and locking in the information. That
one simple step will also help you to recall infinitely more data than
reading normally, because the process of engaging the memory will

increase recall substantially.

I want you to practice this technique right now. Imagine saying,

"I want you to practice this technique right now." Pick whomever
you want as your audience. In your mind's eye, take whatever posi-
tion you want, sitting or standing up. Your audience is facing you.
Tell that person or persons, "I want you to practice this technique

right now." Do it now.4

How did it feel? Most people tell me it's a bit difficult at first,
156 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

because in their mind's eye they have to concentrate on what they

are saying. And that's exactly the point. Concentrating means fo-

cusing, which means engaging the memory. Like other techniques

in Mega Memory, this will make you read a little more slowly at
first. But when you get used to it, you will be reading with more
comprehension.
Here's another twist we can add to this technique. What if you
don't understand what you're reading? You come across words and
concepts that are unknown or seem too difficult to grasp. What do
you ordinarily do in situations like that? Try to reread the material

once or twice? Look up words in the dictionary? How long do you

do that before you give up?
If you encounter something that you don't understand, in your
mind's eye see yourself not only as the teacher, but as the student
as well. And, as the student, ask yourself a question: What did you
mean by that sentence? What does that word mean? Can you explain
that again?

Got that? If you read past something you don't fully under-
stand, you disengage from it, your memory is turned off. If you
continue to read, you stop paying attention because at a certain level
you're still thinking about what you didn't understand. It's as if

you're actually saying to yourself, "Now, wait a minute. What was

that? I didn't get it, I don't understand. Stop!" If you don't stop,
your mind disengages. There's too much stress involved in trying to
figure out the meaning of an earlier word or sentence and keep up
with what you're reading presently. Remember, your mind can't be
in two places at once.
Use this to your advantage. When you come to a word you
don't understand, for example, stop. In your mind's eye, ask yourself
a question. "What does that word mean?" If you can't figure it out,

in your mind's eye say, "Let's go to a dictionary and find out." Go

and look the word up in a dictionary, and explain it to your imagi-
nary student. That causes you to engage and to focus. It's that one
little extra thing to do which makes you cognizant of what you're
reading or studying.
When you imagine yourself as the student, you can also ask
 Reading and Mega Memory 157

yourself to rephrase something. For example, you're reading along

and you come to a sentence that you don't understand. Ask yourself,
"Could you please rephrase that?" "What are you really saying?"
And you will be amazed that if you take this step, the meaning of
the sentence that seemed incomprehensible a minute before will sud-

denly make sense. Again, this happens because you make use of
the power of your unconscious. By imagining yourself asking these

questions, you engage those deeper levels of thought.

Rephrasing in your mind's eye is one of the most powerful
tools you can use to lock in memory. When you rephrase, it causes
your unconscious to go into the look/search stage, pop out all the

data, and come up with an explanation you understand. Rephrasing

makes you re-create the material (know it), and infinitely increases

recall ability, whether it be for a test, a meeting, or in any situation.

Studying for a Test

Let us take our discussion of reading yet another step further. Let's
assume you're reading a chapter for a test and doing it as described

above, that is, in your mind's eye seeing yourself telling an imaginary
student what you are reading. You are also asking yourself questions
like, "Could you rephrase that?" "I don't understand this word."
You look things up. All well and good. Now here's something you
can do when you come to a passage or selection of data that you
think you'll be tested on.
In your mind's eye, tell your imaginary student, "By the way,
make sure you remember this because it will probably be on the
test." After playing that little scene in your mind's eye, jot down a
note. The note should be a buzzword or a phrase about what you
just read, something that, if brought into the classroom, would jog
your memory and let the information come back when you needed
it. What you jot down can be a summary of a passage, a particular
word, an outstanding fact, an important phrase, any reminder of
what you just read. After you have jotted this note down, con-
tinue reading.
You may be doing a double take right now. After all I told
158 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

you in this book about not writing things down, now I seem to be

switching gears. But as I said in Chapter 13, I don't want you to

use note taking as an excuse not to remember something. This tech-

nique is very different. By jotting things down, you are making a

list, a reference, telling yourself what to commit to memory later.

You will come back to this list later and use Mega Memory tech-
niques to reinforce these bits of information in your memory.
Once you're finished with your list, review it and make sure
that everything is condensed as much as possible. Ideas, words, and
concepts; that's what I want you to jot down. Now just think how
well you would do on the exam if you could bring that list to class

with you. One word or one small phrase would bring back a lot of

information to you. It would be great if you could refer to it.

Well you can — in your mind! All you have to do is apply our
memory techniques to this list. Take the words and phrases and
turn them into pictures using the techniques taught in the previous
lessons. Break the words down by syllable, and turn the syllables

into sound-alike pictures. One at a time. Take your time. It may

take you fifteen minutes or half an hour for a one-page list, but just
think how relaxed you will be once you're in the classroom, knowing
you have this "sheet" to work from. Once you've completed the
process, connect, or chain, these vivid pictures into a story as we did
with the Statue of Liberty. You may have thirty, forty, or even one
hundred pictures. Make a wonderful, ludicrous, nonsensical story
out of them. Review it two or three times, and I guarantee that you
have all the information committed to memory.
This technique is one of the most powerful tools available to

help us remember information for tests. Even a story with five hun-
dred pictures can be run through entirely in your mind's eye in a

minute or two. Each picture would give you a phrase or a key word,
and each phrase or key word would being back large amounts of
information. This is the technique law students use for recalling
tremendous amounts of case law.
Keep in mind, we can either work hard or work smart. You can
spend hours per night studying using the rote method -
— repeating,
repeating, repeating —and hope that information will penetrate your
 Reading and Mega Memory 159

mind. Or you can use the smart method. Not only does using Mega
Memory techniques accomplish the goal, but it actually reduces stress

on the body. You're using your imagination. You're having fun

thinking ludicrous, nonsensical thoughts and being imaginative. It's

enjoyable. And most important, you remember every single thing.

You walk into the exam room with confidence, and you'll be the
first person done. It will feel wonderful.
As a final test, let me ask you right now: in the Statue of
Liberty story, who's driving the limousine? John Travolta. What is

the limousine pulling? A long house trailer. Doesn't it feel good to

know your recall is instantaneous?

Listening to Lectures

Now I'd like to give you some tips on how to listen to lectures to

absorb the maximum amount of information. Whether you're lis-

tening to a lecture in class, are participating in a seminar of some

kind, or are in any other situation where a speaker is sharing infor-
mation, the basics are similar to what you do when reading.
I first have to remind you again, of course, not to take notes.

When you are at a lecture, you need to pay attention to what is

being said. And you can't do that fully if you're trying to write

down things at the same time. As I've already mentioned, your

conscious mind can't be in "two places" at once. Also, there is stress

involved in note taking. You're not only putting pressure on yourself

("I've got to get this down!"), you're also struggling to write some-
thing as quickly as possible while the speaker has already moved
onto something else. You are playing catch-up constantly, and be-
cause of that you retain less information.
Your basic rule in listening to a speaker at a lecture is this: In
your mind's eye, pretend that the speaker is talking only to you.
Make believe there's no one else in the room. Have you ever had a
tutor or been the lone student in a class? If you have, you will

understand how different that experience is from being one of

twenty or thirty students. You really ha ve to concentrate and respond
to what the teacher is saying. The energy between you and the
160 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

teacher is heightened. And because the teacher has only you to focus
on, all the information is tailored to you and you alone.
You can create a similar situation in your mind's eye. And, just

as you would in real life, ask questions in your mind's eye. During
pauses, breaks, or any other interruption in the lecture, imagine

yourself raising your hand and saying, "Excuse me. Could you re-

phrase that?" Obviously you won't get an answer, but just taking
those few seconds to focus on that will help lock in a particular
piece of information into memory.
You can take this strategy one step further by imagining your-
self saying, "Excuse me, just to clarify my own thinking, do you
mean ... ?" That's even better because you have rephrased the infor-

mation. And when you rephrase you re-create, right? Which means
you've caused those neurons in your brain to fire away, for that
incremental sliver of time, and engaged your memory.
I do recommend that you tape lectures. When you go home,
listen to the tape of the lecture. Buy yourself a variable-speed tape
recorder, and you can double the playback speed. There's also a

pitch adjustment on some recorders so the playback doesn't sound

like Mickey Mouse talking, which I find annoying. As you listen to

the lecture a second time, do the same thing: Rephrase things in

your mind's eye. This time, however, when you come to something
that you feel is important or that you think you'll be tested on, press
the pause button and jot down a note.

Follow the same procedures I described in the section on read-

ing. Condense the notes, turn each of the condensed notes into pic-

tures and make a ludicrous, nonsensical, and funny story out of

them, a story similar to our Statue of Liberty example in Chapter

2. Now everything will be committed to memory.
Even if you don't want to go through this last step of creating
pictures from your notes, you're still ahead of the game. If you have
just listened to the tape, you have already intently listened to the

lecture twice. People who were taking notes didn't listen intently
even once. I would bet that you are already capable of doing very
well if you were tested on the material in that lecture.

I cannot emphasize enough the value of using the simple

 Reading and Mega Memory 161

methods I have described in these sections on reading and lis-

tening to lectures. The techniques work. They worked for me as

I after my experience at St. Mary's High

began applying them
when was told I had a learning disability, and I've seen
School, I

them work for many of my seminar participants. They work

because they cause you to focus on the information being pre-
sented to you. They work because you can have fun with them.
And they work much better than repetition, which is boring and
doesn't engage your unconscious to help you. When people ask
you why you have this great memory, you'll think, "Because I

know how to study. know how to learn the information prop-

I

erly. I know how the mind works and know how to process I

and organize information in my mind so it can be there when I

need it, at my mental fingertips."

By the way, you can also employ this technique in conversa-
tions. Ask people to rephrase things. Or say something like, "Just

to clarify, do you mean ... ?" and rephrase it for them. Don't be
afraid to ask someone to repeat something. Everyone likes to be
listened to, and when you ask someone to repeat something, you are
telling that person that you are really interested in what he or she
is saying. That kind of gesture always elicits a great response.

Chapter 14 — Review
Reading for Better Comprehension
i. Read the information as if you are saying it to someone else.

2. Question yourself about things in the text you don't under-

stand. ("Could you rephrase that?" "I don't understand.")

3. Tell yourself to remember particular items of information;

at the same time, jot down a brief note to yourself.

4. Condense your notes into single-word phases if possible, each

phrase representing lots of information.
5. Convert the phrases, one syllable at a time, into pictures.

6. Combine the pictures into a nonsensical story similar to the

Statue of Liberty story we learned earlier in the book.
162 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Studying for a Test

Follow the same steps as above, but when you come to a section

that you suspect you will be tested on, tell your imaginary student,
"Make sure you remember this because it will probably be on the
test.

Listening to a Lecture or Speech

i. Pretend that the speaker is talking only to you.
2. In your mind's eye, ask questions.

3. Tape the lecture and listen to the tape (on fast speed if

you like).

4. Follow steps 4, 5, and 6 from the "Reading for Better Com-

prehension" section, above.

Chapter 14 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

Take a book that you have previously had trouble with. Try reading
it again using Mega Memory techniques. (You can also do this with
just one chapter in a book that you otherwise liked.) Is it easier to

read? Do you remember more?

Exercise 2
The next time you go to a lecture or a speech, don't take notes. Try
Mega Memory techniques instead. How well do you remember what
was said?
 I 5 Vocabulary, Spelling, and
Mega Memory

Remembering Vocabulary Words

How do you memorize a word and its definition? You could do it
by repetition, which we've all been taught, and which we all know
is boring and takes a long time. Or, you can turn it into vivid

pictures with action.

Let's take the word "consternation." Consternation means para-

lyzing amazement, dismay, or a confounding terror. How do we
turn consternation into a picture? What are its syllables? Repeat out
loud. "Con-ster-na-tion." Or "con-stern-nation." The first syllable,

"con," might be your picture of a convict. For the second syllable

you could have a picture of a spoon going around in a bowl (stir),

or a stern of a boat. "Na-tion" is trickier. I prefer creating a picture

of both syllables together, something that represents a nation, like
the United Nations, an atlas, or a globe. So perhaps you see a convict
sitting on the stern of a boat going to something that represents
a nation.

Once you've created your picture from your syllables, take

the meaning of the word and make it part of your picture.
"Consternation" means to be in paralyzing amazement or dismay.

163
164 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

In your mind's eye, picture the convict being confused, dumb-

founded and in despair. He's experiencing what? Consternation,
of course.
What you are doing is reinforcing the meaning of the word by
turning it into a picture. The next time you come across consterna-
tion, you will have a much better idea of what it is. If you relied
on repetition, you would have to look it up any number of times
before its meaning got locked into your memory.
You can also use this technique in learning foreign language

words. Learning foreign language words is the same as learning

vocabulary in our own language. Divide the word into syllables,

turn the syllables into sound-alike pictures, turn the meaning itself

into a picture, and put all the pictures together, just as we did
with "consternation." As an example, let's take the word pelo
(pronounced "paylow"), which in Spanish means "hair." Pelo
needs to be converted into a picture, which means first turning
it into syllables. Repeat out loud, "Pe-lo." "Pe-lo." What does pelo
sound like? How about a picture of a halo? Your sound-alike
picture is "halo." Create a vivid picture in your mind of a halo.

Now what's all over the halo? You guessed it — hair. Make sure
your picture is vivid and clear. You've created a picture from the
syllables of the word, and you've created a picture of its meaning,
and you have put them together. You're finished memorizing
the word.
If you were taking a test, you'd be asked one of two questions.
The first one would be, What is "hair" in Spanish? When you ask
yourself that question what pops into your mind? A picture of hair.
And guess what it's covering. A halo. "Halo" reminds you of pelo.
The second question would be the opposite of the first: "What is

the definition of pelo?" When you ask yourself that question, what
pops into your mind's eye? A picture of a halo. And guess what's
all over it? Hair. It works both ways.
Let's take one more foreign word, something more difficult.

It's a Portuguese word, amesuis. Amesuis means "clam" in Portuguese

and is pronounced "ah-mess-yu-is." "Ah r mess-yu-is." Repeat the syl-
 Vocabulary, Spelling, and Mega Memory 165

lables out loud. "A." "Mes." "A-mess." "Yu." "Is." "A-mess-yu-is,"

meaning clam.
To reinforce the word in your memory, perform the following
visualization: You are standing on a beach. The waves are coming
in, and the water is rolling up to your feet. Looking out to sea, you
see a giant clam walking out of the water. He's got legs. He's got

arms. He's got eyes. And this clam is covered with dirt: muck, goo,
barnacles, seaweed. I want you to point to him in your mind's eye
and repeat out loud, "What a mess you is." Say it out loud: "What
a mess you is, amesuis" Repeat it several times, "A mess you is,

amesuis" "A mess you is, amesuis" If you see that scene vividly in

your mind, guess what? You'll always remember that amesuis means
"clam" in Portuguese.

It took us less than thirty seconds to commit the meaning of

that word to memory. You used our basic equation, vivid pictures

plus action equal memory. By using your imagination, you can in-

crease your vocabulary and learn foreign language words, medical

terms, and any other information more easily than you can by
repetition.

Keep in mind that you are not associating, using mnemonics.

Association is taking something you know and something you
don't know and putting them together in a logical way. We are
linking these things illogically. We're taking a vivid, crystal clear
picture of one thing and a vivid, crystal clear picture of something
else, and putting them together in a ludicrous, nonsensical way
using as much action as possible.
I love teaching this technique, because I remember how I

used to sit in front of flash cards, repeating words over and over
again. Instead of spending half an hour on each vocabulary word,
using the rote method of learning, just think what it would
be like to take one or two minutes on each word. Turn the
word into a picture, turn the definition into a picture, and
put them both together. You are using your imagination, you
are having fun, you are reducing stress, and it doesn't take any
more time, and guess what . . . ? You remember 100 percent of
166 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

the words. It's the difference between working hard or working

smart.

Spelling

So many kids and adults come to me and say, "I'm terrible at

spelling." I tell them that if they memorize the spelling of a word

using Mega Memory techniques, they'll remember how to spell that

word forever. And I mean it.

Usually, in any given word, there is only a two- or three-

letter combination that's confusing to you. To remember the correct
spelling, isolate the letter combination that's giving you trouble, and
create a vivid picture of it. That's it.

Let's take the word "weight." It's the e and i that usually
bother people. How do we remember that the "e" comes before
the "i" in "weight"? In your mind's eye, think of an elephant.
This elephant walks up to a scale and gets on it to weigh himself.
Looking down he cries in shock, "Oh no, I'm so fat!" He's so
depressed because he weighs so much that he begins to cry ice

cubes. He's crying, and the cubes hit the scale — clink, clink, clink.

Your picture is done.

Review the sequence of events. The elephant walks up to the
scale, and, after seeing how much he weighs, he cries ice cubes. In

the sequence, elephant, which represents e, comes first. The ice cubes,

which represent i, come second. Now, forever more, the picture of

the elephant crying ice cubes will tell you that e comes before /

in "weight."

Let's do another one. "Necessary" gives people fits Is it one c

and two s\ or the opposite, two <r's and one s?

Picture a cat —your cat? —prowling around in your living

room. All of sudden, he sees a skunk run from behind your couch
and jump onto your coffee table. Then another skunk joins the

first and the two of them begin dancing on the coffee table. The
cat runs to the coffee table, trying to attack the skunks. It is

doing what is necessary, trying to jump up and bat its paw at

them, but they don't care. There are two of them, and your cat
 Vocabulary, Spelling, and Mega Memory 167

is powerless against them, so they keep dancing, waltzing back

and forth over your coffee table.

I guarantee that from now on, if you have committed this story

to memory, the image of your cat confronting two dancing skunks

will remind you that "necessary" has one c and two s\.

Chapter 15 — Review
Committing the Meaning of Words to Memory
1. Look up the meaning of the word.
2. Break down the word into syllables.

3. Create sound-alike or representational pictures for each

syllable.

4. Chain the pictures together.

5. Take the meaning of the word and make it part of your
picture.

Committing the Spelling of Words to Memory

1. Look up the correct spelling of a word.
2. Pick out the combination of letters in the word that you
find difficult.

3. Choose pictures that represent the letter combination.

4. Chain the pictures together into a ludicrous story.

Chapter 15 —Required Mental Exercises

*

Exercise I

Using the process we discussed in this chapter, commit the meaning

of the following words to memory.

1. bookkeeping
2. precede
3. liaison

4. receivable
168 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

5. census
6. questionnaire

7. pneumonia
8. subtle

9. macabre
10. wreckage

Exercise 2
Use the same list of words and commit their spelling to memory.
 16 Numbers and Mega
Memory

Not too long ago, I was visiting a grammar school in

Connecticut. In one of the classrooms, I asked a student what 7
times 7 was. He opened up his desk, grabbed a calculator, and
punched in the numbers. "Do you sneak that calculator into class?"
I asked him. "Oh, no," he replied. "We're required to have it for

math." My eyes were wide open in disbelief. "Required in math

class?" I asked him. He looked at me as if I was from the moon.
"Yeah. How else are you supposed to add stuff?"
We really have let our minds get flabby, and nowhere else does
this show up more than in doing math. I sometimes find it hard to
how lazy we've become with numbers and how
believe afraid of
them we are. And I'm not just talking about children in school. A
lot of adults can't do simple addition in their heads. Without the
use of a calculator, many of us can't balance a checkbook. Simple
multiplication and division require a calculator, too, and anything
slightly more complicated seems way beyond us. Believe me, there's

a price to pay for all this. Just as your body pays a price when you
don't exercise, your brain suffers when you don't use it.

Calculating the math in our minds instead of using calculators

169
170 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

should be a priority for everyone. It's a great way to keep those neurons
firing away, those pathways of thought fresh and active. And the more
you do it, the more clearly and quickly your mind works. That's the
message I've been emphasizing throughout this entire book.
I have to admit, though, there's a reason why we've embraced
calculators so thoroughly. For many of us, learning numbers was
not easy —and definitely not fun. Let's take multiplication tables. I

am told by educators that learning multiplication is one of the most

difficult and even traumatic experiences for many, many students.

Why? Like vocabulary words and many other things, multiplication

tables are taught by rote memorization. And as I've been saying,
not only is repetition boring, it's not a very efficient way to stimulate

those brain cells. "Memorizing" becomes a very frightening and de-

moralizing thing for many schoolchildren.
I think there's a better way.

Learning Multiplication Tables

What is 4 times 3? Here's my answer:

Picture the following scene in your mind's eye. You are standing

outside your house right next to your father's brand-new car. You're
angry, so you pick up a stool and smash it over the hood of the car.

You do it again. And again. All of a sudden, your father appears in

the doorway. Seeing what's going on, he thinks you've gone bonkers.
He is angry, too —about what you've just done to his car. He's got a
big basket of eggs in his hand, and he starts to throw the eggs at you.

You yell, "No, Dad! Don't hit me!" But then, smack! An egg hits you
in the back. You catch another egg your father has thrown, and throw
it back at him. Another egg hits you in the back of your head. You
and your dad both have egg all over your faces.

Now I'm sure that if you give this answer for 4 times 3 to your
fourth-grade math teacher, she would think you'd gone bonkers, too.
But can you guess what we just did? We created a picture for
the equation.
Think of our Tree List. What number on the list is car? 4. What
 Numbers and Mega Memory 171

number is stool ? 3. What number is egg? 12. And 4 times 3 equals

12. I created that little scene in about thirty seconds, and you can too.

In order to teach yourself or anyone else the multiplication

tables, you follow our three basic steps for remembering any piece

of information. You need a peg for each number. You create pictures
for each number. And then you put the pictures together using
action. In the example above, I used elements of the Tree List as
pegs. You can also use your House List or the Body List.

Let's try another example: 2 times 4 equals 8. Using your Body

List, close the book and create a scene for this equation now.4
Here's my equation: I am walking along the street and all of
a sudden my knees being to tickle. I look down and I notice a big

pink mosquito buzzing around my knees ready to strike. swat it I

away, and what does he do? He lands on my rear. swat it away I

and he goes to my face. I slap my face, but I miss and he goes back
to my knees. And we keep chasing each other, and my knees and

rear tickle, and my face hurts from slapping.

Simple. Knees, rear, face: 2 times 4 equals 8. It's not only fun
to create these stories, it's easy. And thinking along these lines gets
your mind working at those deeper creative levels, so that you really

remember the answers. When you create, you know.

We all love to do what we do well. If children can do well, they'll

love to go to school. If they do well playing basketball, they'll like to play

basketball. If they do well remembering things for tests, then they'll love

doing it. It's the same thing with anything else you might be trying to

memorize. Turn anything into a picture and put both pictures together
using action. After a few seconds, the information will be committed
to memory. I'm sure you can think of a lot more examples.

Creating Additional Peg Lists

You might have wanted to ask one question when we were creating
pictures for our multiplication examples. How do we picture 5 times
6 equals 30? Or 7 times 8 equals 56? We have pegs for 5 and 6,
and 7 and 8, but what about higher numbers? We've only gone as
far as 20 on our House and Tree lists, and 10 on our Body List.
172 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

There are two primary ways to expand the lists that you have.
You can expand each list by simply adding more items. Since the
House List is the most powerful (you created it; they are your items),
you can use that as your primary peg list. Add more rooms and
more objects in each room, and you will have a very long and
reliable peg list.

The second way to get additional "peg space" is to create entire

new lists. For example, an office list is a very useful peg list. There
are a lot of things in your office that you see and touch every day,
so you are very familiar with them. In creating the list, think of
different ways you use these objects.

For example, I've created what I call a Reach List from the
items in my office. The list consists of things can reach while I

sitting at my desk. From where sit, can pick up a staple gun,

I I

which is my first Reach peg. My paper clip holder is my second peg,

my pen and pad my third. Then comes my blotter, my telephone, my
desk lamp, my in-box, and so on down the line. Once you put your
mind to it, you will be amazed at how many pegs you can create.
And let me remind you again, you know these items already. All
you need to do is remember the sequence.

Remembering a Series of Numbers

Remembering a string of numbers is another talent you can develop
with a Mega Memory. For my example, I'll use a license plate num-
ber, though this would work well for telephone numbers, lock com-
binations, account numbers, even those ridiculously long credit card
numbers. We'll be discussing the longer numbers in Part II: "Ad-
vanced Mega Memory," where you'll learn other, even simpler and
more useful techniques for committing numbers to memory.
Let's consider license plate number A71416D. How do you
remember that? You simply turn each item into a picture and put
the pictures together in a ludicrous, nonsensical story.
Picture the following in your mind's eye: You're holding an apple

in your hand. Take that apple and throw it at some very big dice on
the floor. Make sure you hit the dice. When you hit them, the dice
 D

Numbers and Mega Memory 173

break open, and inside is a whole bunch of diamond rings. You walk
over, pick up the diamond rings and say, "Wow, this is great! Look
at all these diamond rings! But I'm really What would really
hungry. I

love are some candy bars." You go to a store, give the clerk diamond
rings, he gives you a whole bunch of candy bars, and you're happy.
You're walking out of the store eating the candy bars, when a dog
jumps on you and begins eating the candy bars, too.

You just committed to memory that license plate number by using

the pegs on your Tree List. We start with mnemonic, picturing an apple
for A. You throw the apple at what? The dice; that's what number in

your Tree List? 7. When the dice crack open, what's in them? Dia-
mond rings. Ring is number 14 on the Tree List. When you take the
rings into the store, what do you buy? Candy? What number is candy
on the Tree List? Number 16. And when you walk out of the store,

who jumps on you? A dog; that's another mnemonic, dog for D.

apple-dice— rings-candy-dog equals A-7-14— 16—

The above equation is your story, and your story is your num-
ber. With a trained memory it takes about thirty seconds to create

these pictures and commit them to memory. Obviously, you won't

be at that level immediately. To begin training yourself to use this

technique, take a telephone number you would like to remember.
Or a checking or savings account number. Sit down and spend a

few minutes creating a story from it. Break the numbers into smaller
chunks, just as you break words into syllables. Then, put it out of
your mind, your conscious mind, and do something else. The next
day see if you can remember the number without looking it up. It

will have been committed to memory.

Chapter 16 — Review
Learning the Multiplication Table
i. Turn each number into a picture using one of your peg lists.

2. Chain the pictures together by creating a story.

174 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

3. If you need larger numbers, create additional pegs or entirely

new peg lists.

Remembering License Plate Numbers

1. Convert each item of the license plate into mental pictures.
2. Chain the pictures together into a ludicrous Statue of
Liberty-type story.

Chapter 16 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

Memorize the following license plate numbers using the methods

we learned in this chapter.

1. A11H13D
2. 18194C
3. B4U28RT

Exercise 2
Go to your office or school and create a new peg list of ten items
for yourself.
Part II

Advanced
Mega Memory
 17 Advanced Mega Memory:
Review and Introduction

Welcome to Advanced Mega Memory! At this point in

their Mega Memory training, many people come to me and say
something like, "You know, Kevin, I'm glad I stuck this out. I can't

believe how much I've already my memory. And I can't

improved
believe that I thought having a bad memory was something I could
never change. Thanks a lot!" As we start on our Advanced Mega
Memory techniques, I hope you feel the same way.
Advanced Mega Memory builds upon the foundation laid in the

first part of the book to provide you with a graduate-level course in

recall systems. We'll quickly review the basic skills you learned in Part

I, then begin learning techniques that will enable you to remember

things you never thought possible. By pushing the boundaries of what
your memory can do, Advanced Mega Memory enters the realm of

enhanced mental capability. You will be dramatically increasing your

powers of calculation and your ability to recall complex bits of informa-
tion. Besides strengthening your memory, you will also be developing

important new tools that improve many aspects of your life.

You will be able to think more quickly, more creatively. De-stress.

Sleep better. You will be able to break bad habits you couldn't conquer

177
178 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

previously. I lost forty-eight pounds by using these techniques. In a

later chapter, I'll share with you exactly how you can "re-link" the
memories in your mind, allowing unconscious programs to help you
break habits and change other unwanted patterns of behavior.

The Ground Rules

Just as in Part I, I want to quickly review the ground rules so that
you get the most out of Part II.

i. Proceed through the chapters in order. The material in this

section, just as in the first, is carefully arranged to help you
learn the Mega Memory techniques. You will compromise
yourself if you jump ahead.

2. Go through each chapter without interruptions. Lock the doors

if you have to, turn on the answering machine, and don't
take a break while you are in the middle of a chapter unless
I specifically tell you to. If you are learning the program
with a partner, or with two or three others, that's fine, as

long as you all concentrate on what you are doing.

3. You do have to ta\e breads between chapters. I don't want you

to overdo it, either. If you want to do more than one chapter
a day, that's great, but be sure you take a five- to fifteen-

minute break between each chapter.

4. Maximum study time of Advanced Mega Memory should be
about three hours per day. Don't do any more. As with so
many other things in life, I've found that breaking down
the course into smaller bits is the best way to achieve results.

I'm very emphatic about not overdoing. I've seen what

happens to people in full-day seminars. Perhaps you've attended
one. You invest a few hundred dollars. You also invest time

and energy to get there. At first, you're eager to get going, full

of energy and drive, as you absorb all the new information

that is being thrown at you. But sooner or later, usually right

after lunch, fatigue sets in. Number one, your body is busy
digesting your meal. And number two, you can assimilate only
 Advanced Mega Memory: Review and Introduction 179

so much information at one time. Follow the same rule they

tell you to follow at the gym: Don't overstrain your muscles
by putting a week's work into the first hour. Gradual improve-

ment — assimilation — that's how you see results.

5. Do the worl{ on a daily basis. As I said above, to make sure

you reap the benefits of the advanced course, gradual but

steady progress is the best way to go.

My main concern is that you try not to take a day off

between chapters. Once you start, you can do as many each day
as you want up to the three-hour limit, but do at least one.

I'm emphasizing this because it's even more important here

than in the first section. We're going to be plunging into some
techniques in the first five chapters that really need to be done

in a concentrated fashion. That's going to establish a solid

foundation for the remaining material. Do this course properly.
6. Be sure to say things out loud when I tell you to. As you will

see, it's even more important here than in Part I.

7. Watch your food intake before you start your lessons. You can
go back and review the material in Chapter 8 if you like.

The rules are the same here: Don't eat a heavy meal before
a lesson, watch your sugar and white-flour intake, and of
course no alcohol. And try to stay away from coffee.

You want to be as fresh and alert as you possibly can be,

so watch your stress level as well. Remember, you re having fun
and wording the program at the pace that suits you best. So relax,

and don't worry about anyone else. Competition, getting a good

grade, and Mega Memory do not go with one another.

Your Teachability Index

I also want to say a few more words about your teachability index,
which we discussed in the first chapter. Remember, it consists of
two components:

1. willingness to learn
2. willingness to accept change
180 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Obviously, since you've completed Part I, and you are continu-

ing with the advanced section, we'll take it for granted that your
willingness to learn is high. But that's the easy part. Please keep a

watch on your willingness to accept change — that's really where it's

at. If you thought we began to think differently in the first part of

the book, wait until we get started here. We're really going to be
stretching our minds.
And just as in learning how to type or ride a bicycle or
drive that manual transmission for the first time, Advanced Mega
Memory may not feel comfortable at first. As a matter of fact, I

can guarantee right now the next few chapters are going to be
rather uncomfortable. Be forewarned: In the beginning, the exer-
cises you'll be doing may seem tedious, strenuous, and difficult. I

want to encourage you, however, about the results. Not only will

you have the tremendous recall ability if you continue with the
program, but your mental functioning will be greatly advanced
as well.

Willingness to accept change is the key here. Is it high enough

to accept the challenge and benefits that Advanced Mega Memory
offers you? Keep asking yourself that question throughout Part II.

And keep saying yes, not letting yourself get discouraged if at first

something doesn't work well. If you stay with it, your investment
will pay off tremendously.

Review of Part I

I want to emphasize again that you must have full knowledge of

the first section of the book before you go on to Part II. In the next
few paragraphs, we will review what we learned in Part I, so you'll

have a good checklist for yourself. If you feel at all rusty or have
any doubts about anything in Part —and you
I shouldn't at this
point, unless you didn't do the work —go over whatever you feel

unsure of. If you don't want to do that, give the book to someone
else, because you can't go any further. You will not get any of the
benefits from this section, because you won't understand the concepts
underlying the exercises and techniques.
 Advanced Mega Memory: Review and Introduction 181

The first thing we learned Mega Memory was the Tree

in

List and basic word association. Basic word association is used by

many memory training programs, and is defined as taking a piece
of information you already know, a piece of information you don't
know (i.e., something you are trying to remember), and putting
both things together in a logical fashion. An example of basic
association is using the mnemonic HOMES to remember the five
Great Lakes. However, you rarely use basic association in real-

life situations because mnemonics only work in certain cases, and

you don't have the time to sit around and create mnemonics for

everything, anyway. However, by learning a little about basic as-

sociation, you used it tocommit twenty items to memory, "tree"

through "cigarettes." Those twenty items became a peg list, your
Tree List, places in your mind to store information. More im-
portant, the exercises that you did in order to learn that list began
to stimulate the brain's neurotransmitters, and set you on the
road to releasing the powerful photographic memory — the instant
recall memory — that you have right now.
The second thing we learned was chaining or linking. The
definition of chaining is creating a vivid picture of one thing, creat-
ing a vivid picture of something else, and putting both vivid pictures
together in your mind in an exaggerated, nonsensical way. That
technique is the basis of all memory development because of one
fundamental principle: We think in pictures. The important point
here —and I will continue to emphasize it throughout the advanced
section — is making sure your picture is vivid.

What is a vivid picture? It is a picture in your mind's eye that

you see in color and in great detail. It's as crystal clear and specific

as you can make it. You can smell smells, hear sounds, feel feelings,
and experience things as though they are really happening. That's
what we mean by vivid in Mega Memory.
We played Concentration to learn how to create pictures of
abstract terms, concepts, and names. Breaking down the terms into
syllables and creating sound-alike pictures for the syllables allowed

us to start pegging. We learned how important action is in peg-

ging — active action. The action has to be strong, clear, and as dy-
182 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

namic and animated as you can make it. We established two more
peg lists for ourselves, the ten pegs of our Body List, and the twenty
pegs of our House List.

Putting all our techniques together, we learned what we need

to do in remembering just about anything. We call them the three
basic steps of remembering:

i. place to put the information, which is a peg

2. the information itself turned into a mental picture

3. mental glue to hold the picture in place, which is action

By applying these three basic steps, we began practicing for

situations that occur in our daily lives. We saw how Mega Memory
helps us to become better readers, and to absorb more information
in classes and lectures without taking notes. We began applying
our Mega Memory techniques to vocabulary words, spelling, and
remembering numbers, learning to trust our memories in the
process.

In the we also learned about the underlying

first section,

foundation of Mega Memory. This foundation is built on fi\e

mental steps your mind performs when it processes information.
The stages are: think, emote, look/search, create, know. Those
stages are at work whether you are putting in, that is filing away,
new information, or retrieving old information. The Mega Mem-
ory techniques help get us beyond that first stage, the think stage,

which is limited to our conscious mind at work, which is so much

less powerful than the deeper thought processes of the uncon-
scious. The exercises and techniques in Mega Memory involve the
unconscious mind, so that when we recall information we do it

very quickly and efficiently.

Finally, in the first section we learned how important physical
factors are in maintaining a good memory. We discussed nutrition,
stress, and certain diseases that can affect memory in bewildering,

insidious ways.

At this point, if there are any exercises and techniques men-

tioned in this brief review you aren't completely comfortable
 Advanced Mega Memory: Review and Introduction 183

with — the Statue of Liberty story, the Body List, the House List,

pegging, turning abstracts into pictures, using active action —

go back and review them before you continue. As I said earlier,

if you don't, there's no use in going ahead with Part II. There
is one exception to this request, however. It concerns the Tree
List. We're going to be using it less in Advanced Mega Memory.
The Body List and the House List will be your two most powerful
lists and you should know those like, well, like the back of
your hand.

Chapter 17 — Review
Review of Part I

The Body List — 10 pegs

i. toes

2. knees
3. muscle
4. rear

5. love handles
6. shoulder
7. collar

8. face

9. point
10. ceiling

The Tree List —20 pegs

1. tree

2. light switch

3. stool

4. car

5. glove
6. gun
7. dice
8. skate

9. cat
184 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

10. bowling ball

ii. goalpost
12. eggs
13. witch
14. ring

15. paycheck
16. candy
17. magazine
18. voting booth
19. golf club
20. cigarettes

The House List — 20 pegs

1. Choose any four rooms in sequential order.

2. In each room, pick any five pieces of furniture in sequen-

tial order.

The Statue of Liberty Story

Statue of Liberty torch book big fat man electric power drill

bar of soap purple pennies padlock house trailer black

limousine John Travolta black Stetson hat black vest black boots
Cathy Lee Crosby pink polka-dot bikini letter to her agent
a big Saint Bernard fur coat diamond collar ham bone mountain
lion palm tree Statue of Liberty

Word Association

Linking together in logical fashion something you are trying to re-

member and something you know already.

Chaining
Creating a vivid mental picture for something you are trying to
remember, creating another picture for something else you are trying
to remember, and putting both pictures together using illogical, exag-
gerated action.

Pegging
Taking a vivid mental picture of a preestablished peg, creating a

picture for something you are trying to remember, and linking (peg-
 Advanced Mega Memory: Review and Introduction 185

ging) the second picture to the first using illogical, exaggerated

action.

Chapter 17 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

Review all three of your peg lists to make sure you know them
without hesitation and in both directions. If you're learning Mega
Memory with a partner, have your partner call out a number or a

word, and you call out its corresponding item. If you're doing this

alone, cover up one side of the lists above, then the other side, and
make sure you can call out the corresponding items immediately.

Exercise 2
Make sure you are clear on the differences among word association,

chaining, and pegging. If not, go back to the particular chapters on

each and review the material and the exercises.
 18 Body List Phonetics

The first thing we're going to work with in Advanced

Mega Memory is the Body List. The Body List is composed of ten

items, or pegs: toes, knees, muscle, rear, love handles, shoulders,

collar, face, point, and ceiling. When we learned the Body List, I

mentioned that there was a reason for the name we gave each peg.
For example, toes had to be called toes, not foot. Muscle wasn't
thigh, it was muscle. Rear wasn't bottom or butt, it was rear. In a

moment you'll see the reason for this.

Beforewe do anything, though, I'd like you to review the Body

List to make sure you have it down pat. I'm going to ask you to
stand up and repeat the Body List out loud while performing the
actions associated with each peg, the pointing, tapping, and so forth.

For example, number 1 is toes. Wiggle your toes and repeat out
loud, "Number 1, toes." Then go on to the next peg, making sure
you have the sequence correct.

Stand up, and do the exercise now. "Number 1, toes." Wiggle

your toes. "Number 2, knees." And pat your knees. "Number 3,
muscle." Pat your thigh muscle. "Number 4, rear." Pat your rear.
"Number 5, love handles." Grab your love handles. "Number 6,

186
 Body List Phonetics 187

shoulders." Tap your shoulders. "Number 7, collar." Touch your

collar with your hand. "Number 8, face." Touch your face. "Number
9, point." Point with your finger to your point (i.e., the top of your

head), and tap it. "Number 10, ceiling." Point to the ceiling.
Remain standing and do it twice more.^
You're going to close the book in a moment and do it again
to make sure it is second nature to you. If you have a partner, take
turns checking each other until your recall of this list is instanta-

neous. If you are alone, make sure you know the sequence before

you start the exercise. It's very important that you speak out loud
and touch the pegs as instructed. Close the book and do the review
drill now.f
Okay. There's why we have ten pegs on our
a specific reason

Body List and why we call them what we do. It has to do with
phonetics, which is the study of the sounds that make up our speech.
We are going to establish our own phonetic alphabet, using ten basic
phonetic sounds of the English language. Once you have committed
these ten sounds to memory, we will establish a number for each one.

Why are we doing this? Just as phonetics, or sounds, are the

basis of our language, the phonetic alphabet we develop will be the
foundation of a powerful and complete Mega Memory. Think of it
as an alphabet for your language of memory, the uses of which are
as limitless as the alphabet you use now.
It is crucial that the phonetic exercises be done out loud. I will

say this over and over. As you are learning the phonetic sounds, you
will say each sound several times when you encounter it. If you
remember, when I began telling you to repeat things out loud in
Part I, I said that doing so would engage the memory in additional

ways. I told you that one of those ways had to do with what is

called neuromuscular memory. When you say something out loud,

you not only think it, you get the vocal chords involved as well.

That forces the neurotransmitters of the brain to fire away in yet

another pattern, creating yet another memory pathway. For example,

instead of just thinking, "Number 1, toes," your vocal chords have
to say it. That further helps to make "Number 1, toes" part of

your memory.
188 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

There's another reason for saying things out loud. Have you
ever heard your voice on an audiocassette and said, "That's not me.
I don't sound like that"? Well, for better or worse, that's exactly
how you sound. You may think that you hear yourself talk every
day and that you recognize your own voice. However, when you
hear your voice on a cassette player, 100 percent of the sound arrives
at your eardrum from the air. When you hear yourself speak, only
50 percent of the sound arriving at your brain has come through
your ear; the other 50 percent is coming from your vocal chords,
which makes its way back through connecting tissues to your brain.
You sound different to yourself than you do to other people.

This difference has an impact on your memory. When you

speak out loud, the sound passing through your vocal chords and
bone hits more connecting fibers in the brain than it would if you
were merely hearing the sound (that is, the sound was all coming
to your brain through the eardrum). This, too, creates an additional
memory pathway for whatever it is you were saying. In other words,
it is yet another way to ingrain the information in your memory.
Speaking out loud is vitally important to success and has a major
influence on how well you pick up the Mega Memory techniques.

The Phonetic Alphabet

The first phonetic sound is the "t" sound, or "ta." Say "Ta." (Vowels
don't count in our phonetic alphabet. Our phonetic alphabet is made
up of consonants only. We're only adding the "a" sound to make
pronunciation easier.) Say it again. "Ta, ta, ta." Notice that your
tongue goes to the roof of your mouth when you say the "t" sound.
"Ta." Now say the "d" sound. "Da, da, da." Notice where your
tongue is —almost in the same exact position against the roof of your
mouth as when you said the "t" sound.

Repeat both the "t" and "d" sounds out loud, "ta, da, ta, da."

They are considered the same phonetic sound. Now, what's the first

peg on your Body List? Toes. And what's the first phonetic sound?
"Ta" (and "da"). "Ta" equals "toes." "Ta" — toes. So our first pho-
 Body List Phonetics 189

ik tic sound is "ta." Can you sec why I said the naming of pegs on
the Body List was done very purposefully? I was preparing you to

learn the phonetic alphabet.

Let's go to the second peg on your Body List. Your knees. Knees.

You may already know what our phonetic sound will be: the "n"

sound. "Na." Now repeat, "Na, na, na. Number 2 is na — knees."

The third peg on your Body List is muscle, and our third pho-
netic is the "m" sound, or "ma." Repeat, "Ma, ma, ma. Number 3 is

ma — muscle."
Our forth Body List peg is the rear, and our fourth phonetic is

the "r" sound, or "ra." Repeat, "Ra, ra, ra. Number 4 is ra — rear."

Number 5 is love handles. The fifth phonetic is the "1" sound,

or "la." Repeat, "La, Number 5 is la love handles."

la, la. —
Number 6 is shoulders. The sixth phonetic is the "sh" sound, or
"sha." Repeat "Sha, sha, sha. Number 6 is sha shoulders." Just like —
the first phonetic, "sha" has a relative phonetic. In fact, it has two
related sounds, "ch" and the hard "j" (pronounced "dzh"), or "cha,"
and "ja." You can feel the similarity of the sounds when you say

them out loud. "Sha," "cha," and "ja." Your tongue is slightly

curved, and just its tip is touching the roof of your mouth toward
the front. Repeat all three phonetics again. "Sha, sha, sha. Cha, cha,
cha. Ja, ja, ja."

Let's review one more time by saying it all out loud. "Sha, sha,
sha; two other phonetic sounds are related to it, cha, cha, cha and ja,

ja, ja. Number 6 is sha, cha, ja — shoulders."

Our seventh Body List peg is the collar. Our seventh phonetic
is hard "c" sound, or "ca." Repeat, "Ca, ca, ca." It has a related
phonetic as well, the "g" sound, or "ga." Repeat, "Ga, ga, ga. Ca, ca,

ca, ga, ga, ga. Number 7 is ca, ga — collar."

Out eighth Body List peg is the face. Our eighth phonetic is the
"f" sound, "fa." Repeat, "Fa, fa, fa." It, too, has a related phonetic,
the "v" sound, or "va." Repeat, "Va, va, va." "Fa, fa, fa, va, va, va.

Number 8 is fa, va face." —

Number 9 is our point. The ninth phonetic, the "p" sound, or
"pa," also has a relative, the "b" sound or "ba." Repeat, "Pa, pa, pa.
190 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Ba, ba, ba," and feel the similarity when you say them. Your lips

close lightly and you let out a breath of air as you open them to

make the sound. "Number 9 is pa, ba — point."

Number 10 is the ceiling. It is associated with the "s" sound,

or "sa." "Sa, sa, sa." Its related sound is "z," or "za." Repeat, "Sa,

sa, sa. Za, za, za." Here is a little twist: Number 10 on the Body
List is in our phonetic alphabet, not number 10. Say it out loud.
"Zero is sa, za — ceiling."

You have just learned the complete set of phonetic sounds in

Mega Memory's phonetic world. And we have established a number
to go with each of them.
Here is the complete list once more:

'

I. "ta" (and "da") 6. sha (and cha, yd )

'
2. na 7- ca (and ga )

3- ma 8.
'

"fa" (and "va")

'

4- "ra" 9- "pa" (and "ba")

5. "la" 10. sa (and za )

Now what I'd like you to do is practice recalling the phonetic

sound that corresponds to each number. The way to do this is simply

to think of the appropriate body peg. For example, if you ask your-
self what is the phonetic sound for number 4? What's the fourth
peg? Your rear. What's the phonetic sound? "Ra."
What's the phonetic sound for number 9? The ninth peg is

what? Your point. And what's the phonetic sound? "Pa." Does it

have another related phonetic? Yes, "ba." So number 9 is "pa"

and "ba."
What's the phonetic sound for number 6? What's your sixth

peg? Your shoulders, which gives you "sha." Does it have another
related phonetic? Yes, two of them. "Cha" and "ja." Those are the
three phonetics that go with number 6.
What's the phonetic sound for number 0? Remember, in our

phonetic alphabet is 10 on our Body List. What's your tenth peg?

The ceiling, and its corresponding sound is what? "Sa," as well as
"za." So number is "sa" and "za."
 Body List Phonetics 191

Your goal now is to drill this relationship between the phonetics

and the numbers. You want to have instant recall; that is, you want
to be able to say a number and instantaneously recall the sound. To
do this drill, ask yourself out loud what the phonetic sound is for

a particular number. For example: "What's the phonetic sound for

4?" The first thing you do is think of the fourth peg on your Body
List, which is your rear. What's the phonetic sound? "Ra."
As you do this drill, be deliberate and slow at first. Accuracy
ismore important than speed. The speed will come, believe me.
Think of a steam locomotive, which needs time to get up to full
throttle. That's you at this point, as far as the phonetic alphabet
is concerned. If you have a partner, take turns calling out a
number while the other person responds with the phonetic. But
whether you're doing this with someone else or not, say every-

thing out loud. Do the drill for five or ten minutes, or however
long is necessary to get the sounds and their corresponding
numbers right. And for now, don't be concerned with the sounds
that are related to the ten basic ones. Just concentrate on the
ten basics.

Once your feel comfortable with accuracy, pick up the pace.

Ultimately, you should be able to do two sounds in about a second:
"Two, na. One, ta." That gives you an idea of the pace needed in

order to go on with the rest of the book. As I've been saying, though,
don't overdo the speed. Walk before you run. Now close the book
and do the exercise.

How are you doing? If you are having trouble reaching the
two-per-second mark, that's normal. Just keep at it.

Drill once more, and if you are feeling comfortable with both
your accuracy and speed, add the additional sounds. To make sure
you incorporate the related sounds, let's review them once more:
Number 1 is either "ta" or "da." Number 6 is either "ja," "sha," or

"cha." Number 7 is "ca" or "ga." Number 8 is "fa" or "va." Number

9 is "pa" or "ba." Zero is the "s" and the "z" sound, "sa" or "za."
If you do add the related sounds to your drill, don't call out all the
sounds that belong to a particular number. Do one sound per num-
192 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

ber. For example, if you ask yourself, "What's the phonetic sound
for number 7?" call out either "ca" or "ga," but not both. You can
choose number 7 again and call out "ga" later. Close the book again
and do that now.4
You need to be able to recall in both directions. Repeat the
drill, this time calling out the phonetic sound and asking yourself
what number goes with it. Just stick with the basic ten sounds, and
remember to do this all out loud, whether you are drilling with
someone else or alone. Close the book and do it now.4
Now I want you to drill back and forth, using both the basic
and related sounds. Call out a number, and instantly come back
with a corresponding phonetic sound. Call out a different phonetic
sound, and instantly come back with the number. I want you to

drill this for a good five or ten minutes, so that the relationships
between the numbers and phonetics really become ingrained in

your memory.
Remember, only one sound per number and vice versa. An
example of ten choices might be as follows: "Ta, one. Two, na.
Da, one. Six, sha. Six, ja. Cha, six. Nine, pa. Ba, nine. Ga, seven.
Three, ma."
Your goal for this drill? Any run containing ten choices as in
the paragraph above should be done in five seconds, or two per
second. Since there are a total of seventeen sounds, the whole set
should easily be done in ten seconds —with time to spare!

Are you ready? Accuracy and speed are important. Close the
book and do this drill now.4
Let's do it one more time, to make sure you're both accurate
and fast. You can't go further in the book unless you can do two
combinations per second, or ten in five seconds. Do a drill of ten

sets now.4
Before you go to the next lesson, take a five- to ten-minute
break. Then review the phonetics and the numbers again in your
head. The importance of having these committed to memory and
available for instantaneous recall is vital for the rest of the book.
If you're still struggling, stop, relax. For a laugh, not a drill,

imagine yourself touching all the pegs at this speed! Now try the
 Body List Phonetics 193

drills again, or feci free to go back and reread the entire chapter

from the beginning. Once you feel comfortable with this exercise,

go on to the next chapter.

Chapter 18 — Review
The Body List Phonetics

i. — da
toes ta,

2. knee — na
3. muscle — ma
4. —
rear ra

5. love handles — la

6. shoulders — sha, cha, ja

7. collar — ga
ca,

8. face — va
fa,

9. point — ba
pa,

10. ceiling — sa, za

Chapter 18 — Required Mental Exercise

Exercise
Make a copy of the Body List Phonetics chart on the previous page.
Cut this chart up. After mixing up the pieces, reconstruct the chart
from memory as quickly as possible. Time yourself. Continue prac-
ticing until you can reconstruct the chart in just a few seconds.
 19 Picture Words 1-25

Now that we have assigned phonetic sounds to numbers,

what good does that do usP You will find that much of Advanced
Mega Memory is focused on numbers, because numbers give us a
host of opportunities in which to apply our memory techniques.
However, to take advantage of this, we must have what I call num-
bered pictures committed to memory. Those numbered pictures will
serve as our Advanced Mega Memory vocabulary.
Numbers through 9 now have phonetic sounds attached to them.
Because — —
we think and remember in pictures, phonetic sounds don't
do us much good, but pictures, or more accurately picture words, do.
Using our new phonetic alphabet and the numbers 1 through 100,

we're going to create picture words that represent these numbers.

Creating a Picture Word Vocabulary

Before we start creating our vocabulary, one basic instruction: Be
sure to say things out loud when I tell you to.

Now consider the word "tail." Say it out loud and determine
its phonetic sounds in order. Remember, you are only concerned

194
 Picture Words 1-25 195

with consonants, not vowel sounds. The first is "ta," corresponding

to numher 1. Say it out loud. "Ta." The next phonetic in "tail" is

"la" for the "1" sound, corresponding to number 5. Say it out loud.

"La." Thus, in the word "tail" we have two phonetic sounds and
two numbers, and 5. So "tail" is number 15.
1

We'll do another one. Consider "nun." Say the word out loud.

"Nun." Say the first phonetic out loud. "Na." What's the next pho-
netic in "nun"? "Na," as well. Repeat it out loud. "Na." "Na" is

number 2, so "nun" is number 22. Simple.

Do the same thing for the following three words. Say the words
and sounds out loud, and assign numbers for the words. Do it in

your head, without writing anything down. Complete the exercise

before reading on:^

toad
dish
net

You should have the following results:

for "toad": "ta" and "da," which is 1 and 1, or 11

for "dish": "da" and "sha," which is 1 and 6, or 16
for "net": "na" and "ta," which is 2 and 1, or 21

Now let's do this exercise in reverse. What is a picture word

for number 17? First you need to come up with the phonetics for
numbers 1 and 7. The phonetic for number 1 is either the "t" sound,
"ta," or the "d" sound, "da." The phonetics for 7 are "ca" or "ga."
You can choose one for each number. But whatever you choose, the
picture word you create from these two phonetics has to have only
these two phonetic sounds in this same order. For number 17, I

choose "ta" and "ca." And for "ta" and "ca," selected the word
"tack." "Tack
— "ta" and "ca." Our picture word
I

for number 17 is

"tack." Follow?

As you can see, there can be many picture words for the same
number. Other picture words for number 17 are "tic," referring to
196 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

the parasite, or "tick," referring to the noise a clock makes. For the
purposes of this book, I've already chosen the picture words for
numbers 1 through 100. I want you to use these so that your learning
of Advanced Mega Memory is as uncomplicated as possible. Ulti-
mately, however, the purpose of this exercise is for you to be able

to establish your own picture words for each number from 1

through 100.

A note of caution: During the exercises in this and the next

few chapters, you're going to be mainly in the think stage, getting
those neurotransmitters in the brain to fire away, consciously devel-
oping patterns of memory. It's another way of saying you'll be work-
ing hard. But if you approach this full of energy and vitality, and
with complete commitment to the exercise, you will have established
an extremely valuable knowledge bank. The return on your invest-
ment of energy will be a thousandfold.

There are a few guidelines I'd like to set down before we begin
our exercises for turning numbers into picture words in earnest. The
first guideline: We will eliminate all "h" and "w" sounds. If we

were lucky enough to have attended a grammar school that taught

phonetics, you would know that there are other phonetic sounds

besides the seventeen we are using in Mega Memory. We will be

working with only the sounds we've already gone over in the previ-

ous chapter.
Therefore, if in one of these exercises I ask you to consider the
word "hail," for example, (you should have said it out loud by
now — "hail"), what would you give me as the phonetic sounds? Not
"ha," and not "a" because that's a vowel. These don't exist in our
phonetic universe. It's the "1" sound, "la." "La" is number 5 on our
phonetic alphabet list, so the picture word "hail" would be only one
number, 5. You would "w" sound the same way,
treat the so that

"whale," for example, would give us number 5 also.

The second guideline is: When we are considering a picture
word of more than three syllables, use only the first three phonetics.
If we have a long word with four, fiwc, or six phonetic sounds, we're

going to work with only the first three to keep life simpler. That
will give us more latitude in choosing picture words, too. When
 Picture Words 1-25 197

we get into bigger numbers, you'll see how this guideline becomes
an advantage.

Creating Picture Words 1-25

Now, using our phonetic sounds, we are going to do an exercise estab-

lishing our first twenty-five picture words. The picture words will be

committed to memory, recallable instantaneously. Remember, you are

building a vocabulary, a mental tool needed to do other types of applica-

tions for which numbers will be required. When I give you the phonetic

sound, repeat it out loud. Then go to the next line, where I give you

the picture word we are establishing for that number. Make sure you
create a vivid picture of that word, and then continue reading the line,

saying the number, phonetic sound, and picture word out loud.

Let's start the exercise now.

Number 1 is what phonetic sound? I am choosing "ta." (If you

were creating the list, you could also choose "da," but remember,
we are using my choices for now.) Say it out loud. "Ta."
The picture word Iam establishing from that phonetic is "tie."

Vividly picture a tie. And repeat out loud, "One, ta, tie."
Number 2 is what phonetic sound? "Na." Repeat, "Na."
The picture word is "Noah." You can picture an old man with
a bear or an ark. Repeat, "Two, na, Noah."

Let's review. Give me the phonetic and picture word for num-
ber 1. "Ta, tie." What's number 2? "Na, Noah." (Did you say every-
thing in quotes out loud?)

Number 3 is what phonetic sound? "Ma." Repeat, "Ma."

Picture a lawn mower, but the word is going to be "mow."
Repeat, "Three, ma, mow."

Number 4 is what phonetic sound? "Ra." Are you saying "ra"

out loud? Remember, I'm sitting next to you, and I want to hear it

loud and clear! "Ra!"

The picture word is "row." Repeat, "Four, ra, row."
198 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

Let's review. The first phonetic sound is "ta"; the word is "tie."

Repeat, "One, ta, tie," three times.

The second phonetic sound is "na"; the word is "Noah." Re-
peat, "Two, na, Noah," three times.

The third phonetic sound is "ma"; the word is "mow." Repeat,

"Three, ma, mow," three times.
The fourth phonetic sound is "ra"; the word is "row." Repeat,
"Four, ra, row," three times.

Let's continue. From now on, I will only occasionally remind

you to say things out loud, when I think a reminder is needed. Do
it on your own whenever you see anything in quotes.

Number 5 is what phonetic sound? "La."

The picture word is "law." "Five, la, law." By the way,
what's a good picture for "law"? A policeman, the scales of jus-
tice, a badge — remember, something concrete because "law" is

an abstract.

For number 6 we will choose the phonetic "ja." "Ja." (I could

have also chosen "sha" or "cha.")
Our picture word is "Joy," as in the dishwashing liquid. Yes,
we can use proper names for our picture words. Repeat, "Six,
ja, Joy."

For number 7 we choose "ca." "Ca."

Our picture word is "key." "Seven, ca, key."

Let's go back and review. Remember, say it out loud.

"One, ta, tie." Repeat, "One, ta, tie."

"Two, na, Noah." Repeat, "Two, na, Noah."

"Three, ma, mow." Repeat, "Three, ma, mow."
"Four, ra, row." Repeat, "Four, ra, row."
"Five, la, law." Repeat, "Five, la, law."
"Six, ja, Joy." Repeat. "Six, ja, Joy."
"Seven, ca, key." Repeat, "Seven, ca, key."

For number 8 we choose "fa." "Fa."

The picture word is "fee." You can^ picture "fee" as money on
a counter or dollar bills exchanging hands. "Eight, fa, fee."
 Picture Words 1-25 199

For number 9 we choose "pa." "Pa."

The picture word is "pie." "Nine, pa, pie."

Number 10 is what phonetic sound?

Number 10 is our first double-digit number. So we have to

choose a phonetic for number 1, "ta," or "da," and a phonetic for

number 0, "sa" or "za." Keep in mind that the phonetics have to go
in order to match the order of the numbers.

I am choosing "ta," for number 1 and "sa" for number 0. Repeat

"ta" and "sa." We are establishing the picture word "toes" from
these phonetics. So for number 10 picture toes and repeat, "Ten, ta,

sa, toes."

Number 11 consists of what phonetic sounds? Again, 11 is two

numbers, 1 and 1. I have chosen "ta" for the first number 1 and
"da" for the second number 1. Repeat, "Ta, da."
The picture word we are creating from these two phonetics,
"ta" and "da," is "toad." Picture a toad for number 11 and repeat,

"Eleven, ta, da, toad."

Let's review. Repeat after me. "Six, ja, Joy. Six, ja, Joy."

"Seven, ca, key. Seven, ca, key."

"Eight, fa, fee. Eight, fa, fee."

"Nine, pa, pie. Nine, pa pie."

"Ten, ta sa, toes. Ten, ta sa, toes." Repeat once more, "Ten,
ta, sa, toes."

"Eleven, ta da, toad. Eleven, ta, da, toad." Repeat once more,
"Eleven, ta, da, toad."

In a moment, I'll ask you to close the book and review all

eleven numbers. Say each number out loud, say its corresponding
phonetic or phonetics, and then say the picture word, visualizing
it in your mind clearly. Then repeat all three items — number,
phonetic, word — quickly. It would be helpful to have a partner
for this exercise, but you can do it on your own, Take about
too.
five or ten minutes for the drill. Close the book and do them
now.^
Let's continue.
200 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

For number 12 we choose the phonetics "ta" and "na." "Ta,

na." Our picture word is "tin." Vividly picture a tin can and repeat,
"Twelve, ta, na, tin."

Number 13 will be "da" and "ma." "Da, ma." Our picture

word is "dam." Repeat, "Thirteen, da, ma, dam."

Number 14 is "ta" and "ra." "Ta, ra." Our picture word is

"tire." Repeat, "Fourteen, ta, ra, tire."

To review what we're doing, can you me why we chose

tell

"tire"? number in
What's the first 14? Number 1. And what are
the phonetics for number ? "Ta" 1 or "da." What's the next pho-
netic? "Ra" for number 4. "Tire" is our picture word. (Another
acceptable word might be "dire," though I chose "tire" because it's

easier to picture.)

Number 15 is "ta" and "la." "Ta, la." Our picture word is

"tail." Repeat, "Fifteen, ta, la, tail."

Let's review:

"Twelve, ta, na." What's the picture word? "Tin." Say it again.

"Twelve, ta, na, tin."

"Thirteen, da, ma, dam." Picture a dam. Say it again, making

sure you are saying it out loud. "Thirteen, da, ma, dam."
"Fourteen, ta, ra, tire." "Fourteen, ta, ra, tire." "Fourteen, ta,

ra, tire."

"Fifteen, ta, la, tail." "Fifteen, ta, la, tail." Picture a wagging
tail vividly in your mind.

Number 16 is "da," and "sha." "Da, sha." Our picture word

is "dish." Repeat, "Sixteen, da, sha, dish."

Number 17 is "ta," and "ca." "Ta, ca." Our picture word is

"tack." Repeat, "Seventeen, ta, ca, tack."

In a moment, you will close the book again and drill numbers
1 through 17. Do exactly the same thing as you did in the previous

drill, either with a partner or alone. Say the number out loud, say
the phonetic, and then say the picture word, visualizing it in your
mind clearly. Then repeat all three quickly. When you're finished,
 Picture Words 1-25 201

there should be no hesitation or doubt. And you should not be

writing anything down. Close the book and review numbers 1

through 17 for about hve to ten minutes, now>

Time to continue.

Number 18 is "ta" and "va." "Ta, va." Our picture word is

"TV." Repeat, "Eighteen, ta, va, TV."

Number 19 is "ta" and pa." "Ta, pa." Our picture word is

"tape." Repeat, "Nineteen, ta, pa, tape."

Number 20 is "na" and "sa." "Na, sa." Our picture word is

"nose." Repeat, "Twenty, na, sa, nose."

Number 21 is "na" and "ta." "Na, ta." Our picture word is

"net." Repeat, "Twenty-one, na, ta, net."

Number 22 is "na" and "na." "Na, na." Our picture word is

"nun." Repeat, "Twenty-two, na, na, nun."

Number 23 is "na" and "ma." "Na, ma." Our picture word is

"enema." Repeat, "Twenty-three, na, ma, enema."

Number 24 is "na" and "ra." "Na, ra." Our picture word is

"Nero." Picture a slightly overweight man in a Roman toga playing

the fiddle. Repeat, "Twenty-four, na, ra, Nero."

Number 25 is "na" and "la." "Na, la." Our picture word is

"nail." Repeat, "Twenty-five, na, la, nail."

Now close the book and drill all the picture words, 1 through
25, exactly as you did before. Say the number out loud, say
the phonetic, and then say the picture word, visualizing it in

your mind clearly. Close the book and drill numbers 1 through
25 now.4

Picture Words 1-25: Reverse Drill

Now we're going to reverse the drill. I'm going to call out a word
and you're going to repeat the number out loud. If you slide a
202 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

straight edge down the page, you won't see the number until you
have given me your answer. An explanation for the answer will
follow.

For example: "Dish." What number is "dish"? To come up

with the number, first ask yourself what the first phonetic is. It's

"da," which gives you number 1. What's the second phonetic? "Sha,"
which gives you number 6. So "dish" is 16.
Ready? Let's do the exercise now.

What is the number for pie?

9. The only phonetic is "pa," so pie is 9.

nun
22. "Nun" has two "na" phonetics: 2 and 2 is 22.

nail

25. "Na" is 2, "la" is 5. Nail is 25.

tire

14. "Ta" is 1, "ra" is 4. Tire is 14.

toad
11. "Ta" is 1, "da" is 1. Toad is 11.

law
5. "La" is 5. That's the only phonetic, so law is 5.

key
7. "Ca" is 7. There's no other phonetic, so key is 7.

TV
18. "Ta" is 1, "va" is 8. TV is 18.

nose
20. "Na" is 2, "sa" is 0. Nose is 20.

net
21. "Na" is 2, "ta" is 1. Net is 21.

enema
23. "Na" is 2, "ma" is 3. Enema is 23.
 Picture Words 1-25 203

Joy
6. "Ja" is 6. That's the only phonetic, so "Joy" is 6.

tie

1. "Ta" is 1. That's the only phonetic, so tie is 1.

mow
3. "Ma" is 3. There's no other phonetic, so mow is 3.

toes

10. "Ta" is 1, "sa" is 0. Toes is 10.

tape
19. "Ta" is 1, "pa" is 9. Tape is 19.

In a moment you will close the book, and I will ask you to

write numbers 1 through 25 in a column on a piece of paper. Then

next to those numbers you will write first the phonetic sounds that

correspond to the number, and second, the picture word we've cre-
ated for that number. Leave some space between the columns. Close

the book and do that now.^

Check your list to see how many you got. If you missed any,
don't worry; just make sure your written list is correct. Once you've
done that, review it until you feel very sure of it. Then practice first

covering one side, then the other, so that the number instantly gives

you the word and the word instantly gives you the number. Close
the book and do that now.^

Picture Words 1-25: Test

Now I'm going to give you a test on the twenty-five words. I'm going
to give you numbers and you're instantly going to call out the corres-

ponding picture word. A partner can read the numbers out loud, while
you call out the picture word. If you're working alone, slide a straight-
edge down the page. Since you know the list accurately by now, you
should work toward speed. Try to do one "set" (a number and its

corresponding picture word) per second. And remember, OUT LOUD.

Ready? Let's take the test now.
204 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

8?

fee

19?

tape

14?

tire

25?
nail

21?
net

II?

toad

7?

key

13?

dam

18?

TV
22?
nun

15?

tail

16?

dish

17?

tack

4?

row

9?

pie
 Picture Words 1-25 205

How did you do? If you got stuck on some of the items, you're
not alone. On number 16, for example, you may think of both
the "ta" and "da" phonetics for number 1, which may cause you
to hesitate or go blank. If that happens, just keep drilling the
numbers, phonetic sounds, and picture words. As before, say the
number out loud, say the phonetic, and then say the picture word,
visualizing it in your mind clearly. You can use your written list

as a guide.

If you did well on the last test, you are ready for the next one!

The same rules apply as in the previous test. I'm going to give you
a number and you're instantly going to call out the picture word.
Keep working toward speed, with a goal of doing one set per second.
This is the last test before you go on to the next lesson.

Ready? Here's the second test.

I?

tie

V.

Noah

3?

mow
4?
row

5?

law

6?

Joy

11

key

8?

fee

9?

pie
206 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory7

10?

toes

II?

toad

12?

can

13?

dam

14?

tire

15?

tail

16?

dish

17?

tack

18?

TV
19?

tape

20?
nose

21?
net

22?
nun

23?
enema

24?
Nero
 Picture Words 1-25 207

25?
nail

If you're up to speed, congratulations! If you're still having trou-

ble, just keep doing the drills in this chapter until the picture words
come quickly to you. The more you do this, the faster you will
become. Just stay with it. You have to be accurate and at top speed

before you continue to the next lesson.

What you have commit sounds
started to do in this chapter is

and pictures to memory. Hearing sounds, and then turning them

into pictures is the way your unconscious processes informa-
tion. By learning to commit information to memory this way,

you are giving your unconscious the software it needs to process

what you want to commit to memory and give it back to you as

quickly and efficiently as possible. In other words, you are creat-

ing an immense filing cabinet, and one that you can access at

top speed.

Chapter 19 —Review
Establishing phonetic-based picture words for numbers:

1. Eliminate all vowels.

2. Eliminate "h's" and "w's."
3. Use only the first three phonetics for any word.

4. Picture each word as vividly as possible.

Picture Words 1-25

1. tie

2. Noah
3. mow
4. row
5. law
6. Joy
7. key
8. fee
208 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

9- P ie
10. toes

ii. toad
12. tin

13. dam
14. tire

15. tail

16. dish

17. tack
18. TV
19. tape
20. nose
21. net
22. nun
23. enema
24. Nero
25. nail

Chapter 19 — Required Mental Exercise

Exercise
Go down this column as fast as you can, and call out the correspond-
ing number or picture word. It is vitally important that you say
these words out loud. You will not remember them as quickly or

as completely if they are not said aloud.

14

2
pie

TV
nail

23
6
dish

tie
 Picture Words 1-25 209

nun
8
17

nose
key
net
3

24
toad
tin

dam
19

14

tail

law
toes
20 Picture Words 26-50

As usual, before we go on with this lesson, I want you to

test yourself on the previous lesson. You have to be certain that you
are at the proper speed, which means instantaneous recall of the
numbers and the picture words in our phonetic alphabet. The best

way to do this is with a partner calling out the numbers, while

you call out the corresponding picture words. Otherwise, slide a
straightedge down the page.
You should complete this list in about fifteen seconds, with com-
plete accuracy and no hesitation on any item. Having this list down
pat is vitally important for your continued success with this chapter.

Ready? Take the test now.

19?

tape

22?
nun

6?

Joy

210
 Picture Words 26-50 211

17?

tack

25?
nail

12?

pin

14?

tire

16?

dish

15?

tail

5?

law

9?

tie

II?

toad

21?
net

18?

TV
23?
enema

Okay. We're now going to continue assigning picture words to

numbers 26 through 50. In this chapter, though, I'm going to teach

it to you in reverse. I'm going to give you the picture word first,

and you're going to identify the phonetic sounds and then decide
what number they represent. Again, the best way to do this is to

have a partner read the words, while you respond with the numbers.
212 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

Otherwise, use that straightedge. If your partner is studying the

Mega Memory program also, take turns calling out words and find-
ing the appropriate numbers.
Don't forget to create vivid pictures of the words. After I give
you the word, say it out loud. Then, as indicated by the second line
in each item, identify and repeat the phonetic sounds out loud, and
call out the number they represent. This list is not in any particu-
lar order.

Ready? Here we go.

Rice? Say it out loud. "Rice, rice, rice."

Out loud. "Ra. Sa. Ra is 4. Sa is 0. Rice is 40."

Maid? "Maid, maid, maid."

"Ma. Da. Ma is 3. Da is 1. Maid is 31."

Roof? "Roof, roof, roof."

"Ra. Fa. Ra is 4. Fa is 8. Roof is 48."

Neck? "Neck, neck, neck."

"Na. Ca. Na is 2. Ca is 7. Neck is 27."

Moose? "Moose, moose, moose."

"Ma. Sa. Ma is 3. Sa is 0. Moose is 30."

Mail? "Mail, mail, mail."

"Ma. La. Ma is 3. La is 5. Mail is 35."

Mug? "Mug, mug, mug."

"Ma. Ga. Ma is 3. Ga is 7. Mug is i7r

Rat? "Rat, rat, rat."

"Ra. Ta. Ra is 4. Ta is 1. Rat is 41."

Hinge? "Hinge, hinge, hinge."

The "h" doesn't exist in our phonetic universe, as we pointed
out in the previous chapter. The next phonetic sound is "na." And
then "ja." "Na is 2. Ja is 6. Hinge is 26."

Knife? "Knife, knife, knife."

"Na. Fa. Na is 2. Fa is 8. Knife is 28."
 Picture Words 26-50 213

Knob? "Knob, knob, knob."

"Na. Ba. Na is 2. Ba is 9. Knob is 29."

Man? "Man, man, man."

"Ma. Na. Ma is 3. Na is 2. Man is 32."

Mime? "Mime, mime, mime."

"Ma. Ma. Ma is 3. The second ma is 3 as well. Mime is 33."

Match? "Match, match, match."

"Ma. Cha. Ma is 3. Cha is 6. Match is 36."

Movie? "Movie, movie, movie."

"Ma. Va." Now, how are you going to picture a movie? You
may want to picture a movie reel, or a movie projector, a theater,
or a director with his bullhorn, sitting in his director's chair. Keep
it as concrete at you can.
Let's continue with "movie." "Ma is 3. Va is 8. Movie is 38."

Mop? "Mop, mop, mop."

"Ma. Pa. Ma is 3. Pa is 9. Mop is 39."

Rhino? "Rhino, rhino, rhino."

"Ra. Na. Ra is 4. Na is 2. Rhino is 42."

Ram? "Ram, ram, ram."

"Ra. Ma. Ra is 4. Ma is 3. Ram is 43."

Rare? "Rare, rare, rare."

"Ra. Ra. Ra is 4, both times. Rare is 44."

Rail? "Rail, rail, rail."

"Ra. La. Ra is 4. La is 5. Rail is 45."

Roach? "Roach, roach, roach."

"Ra. Cha. Ra is 4. Cha is 6. Roach is 46."

Rake? "Rake, rake, rake."

"Ra. Ca. Ra is 4. Ca is 7. Rake is 47."

Lassie? "Lassie, Lassie, Lassie."

"La. Sa. La is 5. Sa is 0. Lassie is 50."
214 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Ruby? "Ruby, ruby, ruby."

"Ra. Ba. Ra is 4. Ba is 9. Ruby is 49."

Mare. "Mare, mare, mare."

"Ma. Ra. Ma is 3. Ra is 4. Mare is 34."

Now I'm going to give you the numbers first, and you're going
to come up with the picture word. After you see the number (or

hear it, if you're doing this with a partner), repeat it out loud. Then
identify the two phonetic sounds, say them out loud, and say the
picture word. Don't forget to create a vivid image for your word
and then repeat everything. If you're having trouble remembering
the phonetics or the word, they're on the next line, which will give

you the sequence in order. Make sure you read the second line out
loud before you go to the next number.
Ready? Here we go.

26? Say it out loud. "Twenty-six." Now call out the phonetics
and the word.
For 26 you should come up with "na, ja, hinge." Picture a
hinge and repeat, "Twenty-six, na, ja, hinge." Do the following
items in this exercise the same way.

27? "Twenty-seven."
"Na, ca, neck. Twenty-seven, na, ca, neck."

28? "Twenty-eight."
"Na, fa, knife. Twenty-eight, na, fa, knife."

29? "Twenty-nine."
"Na, ba, knob. Twenty-nine, na, ba, knob."

30? "Thirty."
"Ma, sa, moose. Thirty, ma, sa, moose."

31? "Thirty-one."
"Ma, da, maid. Thirty-one, ma, da, maid."

32? "Thirty-two."
"Ma, na, man. Thirty-two, ma, na, man."
 Picture Words 26-50 215

B? "Thirty-three."
"Ma, ma, mime. Thirty-three, ma, ma, mime."

34? "Thirty-four."
"Ma, ra, mare. Thirty-four, ma, ra, mare."

35? "Thirty-five."
"Ma, la, mail. Thirty-five, ma, la, mail."

36? "Thirty-six."
"Ma, cha, match. Thirty-six, ma, cha, match."

37? "Thirty-seven."
"Ma, ga, mug. Thirty-seven, ma, ga, mug."

38? "Thirty-eight."
"Ma, va, movie. Thirty-eight, ma, va, movie."

39? "Thirty-nine."
"Ma, pa, mop. Thirty-nine, ma, pa, mop."

In a moment you will close the book and write down in order
numbers 26 through 39 on a piece of paper. Then next to those
numbers, write down the corresponding phonetic sounds followed
by the picture word. Leave some space between the columns. Close
the book and do that now.#
Check your list and see how many you got. If you forgot a
few that's okay; fill them in now. If your answers didn't match
mine, you may have created a picture other than the one I chose
for a particular number. For example, take number 31. Many people
choose the word "mat," since 3 is "ma" and 1 can be "ta." Mat is

a good picture. I chose "maid" only because I think it's a picture

with which we can do more, and you'll see why later. Neither
picture is wrong, but for now, as I've said, let's use my picture
words. If any of your picture words are different from those in the
list above, cross them out and use the given words. As you become
more proficient with Mega Memory, however, let me reemphasize
that you should use what works best for you.

Now take your corrected written list of numbers 26 through

216 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

39. Cover one side and then the other, drilling it until the number
instantly gives you the picture word and the picture word instantly

gives you the number. Close the book and do that now.4
Let's continue with numbers 40 through 50. Remember, after

you see the number, repeat it out loud. Then identify the two pho-
netic sounds, which will give you the picture word. Don't forget
to create a vivid picture of your word and to repeat everything
out loud.

40? "Forty."
"Ra, sa, rice. Forty, ra, sa, rice."

41? "Forty-one."
"Ra, ta, rat. Forty-one, ra, ta, rat."

42? "Forty-two."
"Ra, na, rhino. Forty-two, ra, na, rhino."

43? "Forty-three."
"Ra, ma, ram. Forty-three, ra, ma, ram."

44? "Forty-four."
"Ra, ra, rare." Now how are you going to picture rare? Maybe
a rare gem or maybe a rare antique. A lot of people use a rare
steak. All of these objects work well, as long as they remind you of
something rare. Now repeat, "Forty-four, ra, ra, rare."

45? "Forty-five."
"Ra, la, rail. Forty-five, ra, la, rail."

46? "Forty-six."
"Ra, cha, roach. Forty-six, ra, cha, roach."

47? "Forty-seven."
"Ra, ca, rake. Forty-seven, ra, ca, rake."

48? "Forty-eight."
"Ra, fa, roof. Forty-eight, ra, fa, roof."

49? "Forty-nine."
"Ra, ba, ruby. Forty-nine, ra, ba, ruby."
 Picture Words 26-50 217

50? "Fifty."
"La, sa, Lassie. Fifty, la, sa, Lassie."

Do the same thing now with numbers 40 through 50 that you

did with Numbers 26 through 39. Number 40 through 50 down the
left side of a piece of paper and next to those numbers write down
the corresponding phonetic sounds followed by the picture word.
Close the book and do that now.4
Now check your list. If you missed some, don't worry, but
correct them on your sheet. And as before, use the words I gave you,
even though words that you thought of might be just as legitimate.
As you did before, go to your list and drill numbers 40 through
50 in both directions, so that the number instantly gives you the
word, and the word instantly gives you the number. Say everything
out loud, and create clear, vivid pictures for your words. Close the
book and do the drill now.4
We're now going to do a little speed drill on numbers 26
through 50. I'll give the number and you'll give me —out loud — the
phonetic sounds and the word. If you're alone, use a straightedge;
if you're doing this with a partner, have your partner call out the
number while you call out the phonetics and the word. Your goal
is to do one set in about two seconds.
Ready? Start the drill now.

27?
"Na, ca, neck."

29?
"Na, ba, knob."

32?
"Ma, na, man."

34?
"Ma, ra, mare."

37?
"Ma, ga, mug."
218 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

44?
"Ra, ra, rare."

48?
"Ra, fa, roof."

40?
Ra, sa, rice.

50?
"La, sa, Lassie."

26?
"Na, ja, hinge."

28?
"Na, fa, knife."

30?
"Ma, sa, moose."

31?
"Ma, da, maid."

38?
"Ma, va, movie."

49?
"Ra, ba, ruby."

All right. That drill should have taken thirty seconds or less. Now
close the book and go back to your written lists. Drill yourself for the next

five to ten minutes with numbers 26 through 50. Cover up the left side of
your list and make sure you come up with the picture words instantly.

Then cover up the right side and make sure the numbers come to

you. If you aren't up to speed, keep drilling. If you are, review the
numbers once and then go on to the next drill. Do this now.4
Now I'm going to give you words and you will say the numbers
out loud. Use a straightedge or have your partner call out the word
while you call out the number. Again*, it's important that you're up
to speed. This should go a little faster than the last drill because
 Picture Words 26-50 219

there is less to say. You should try to do one set in about a second.
Since there are nineteen sets of items, this should take you about
twenty seconds total.

Ready? Begin.

Mop?
39

Rat?

41

Ram?
43

Rake?
47

Man?
32

Knob?
29

Lassie?

50

Ruby?
49

Roach?
46

Rail?

45

Rhino?
42

Rice?

40

Match?
36
220 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Mail?

35

Mime?
33

Maid?
31

Moose?
30

Neck?
11

Knife?

28

If you are not up to speed yet, close the book and continue to

review, simply by saying out loud, in sequence, the number, the

phonetic sounds, and the picture words.
If you are finding this process difficult, you're not alone. Getting the
picture words and their corresponding numbers into your knowledge
bank is the most difficult part of our Mega Memory program. It is the

type of memory work that we ultimately want to be rid of. However, just

like any athlete, you have to go through some tedious and repetitive exer-

cises to get your muscles conditioned so that they perform at peak capacity.
And just like any football or baseball player, once you're in the game, and
your conditioning is supporting your every move, any distaste you have
for these exercises will fade to nothing. In fact, that conditioning will be-

come a source of pride. So take heart! The same principle applies here,

except that the muscle you are conditioning is your brain.

Before you take the final test in this chapter, go back to your
written lists and make sure you know the numbers and picture
words instantaneously. Close the book and do that now.^
In this final test, I'm going to give a number and you're in-

stantly going to call out the picture word. Make sure you're at speed,
about one combination per second, before you go on.
Ready. Take the test now.
 Picture Words 26-50 221

42?
rhino

45?
rail

32?
man

28?
knife

38?
movie

39?
mop
34?
mare

33?
mime

50?
Lassie

49?
ruby

48?
roof

47?
rake

46?
roach

45?
rail

44?
rare
222 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

40?
rice

41?
rat

30?
moose

32?
man

26?
hinge

27?
neck

If you remember all fifty picture words and are doing the
exercises up to speed, congratulations! You are making tremendous
progress. If you're still unsure of the words, or your speed is a

problem, do not go on to the next lesson. Continue to drill and

review the numbers, the phonetic sounds, and the picture words, by
reciting each in sequence. You can do this drill while you're driving
your car, while you're taking a shower, or in just about any place
where you can talk out loud and not be considered a public nuisance!

And don't be concerned. Many of my seminar participants have

trouble absorbing all the picture words. If you keep drilling, I prom-
ise you the words will come.

Chapter 20 — Review
Picture Words 26-50

26. hinge

27. neck
28. knife

29. knob
 Picture Words 26-50 223

30. moose
31. maid
32. man
33. mime
34. mare
35. mail

36. match
37. mug
38. movie
39. mop
40. rice

41. rat

42. rhino

43. ram
44. rare

45. rail

46. roach

47. rake

48. roof

49. ruby

50. Lassie

Chapter 20 —Required Mental Exercise

Exercise
Go down this column as fast as you can, and call out the correspond-
ing number or picture word. Remember to say the words out loud.

44
36
neck
ruby
mop
26
224 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 7

50
mare
ram
knob
41

30
movie
rail

man
47
28
roof
maid
mug
33
40
mail

roach
rhino
21 Picture Words 51-75

Before we continue establishing picture words for our

next group of numbers, let's review the numbers and picture words
from the last chapter. In the drill that follows, I'm going to give
you a number and you're going to say the picture word out loud.
Your speed goal is one set of items per second.
Ready? Let's begin.

47?
rake

32?
man

27?
neck

41?
rat

37?
mug

225
226 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 7

39?
mop
31?
maid

42?
rhino

48?
roof

26?
hinge

You should have worked through that list in about ten seconds.
If you hesitated or forgot any, go back and review drills in Chapter
20. At this point you should have instant recall of numbers 1 through
50, their corresponding phonetics, and their picture word.
Now we're going to establish picture words for numbers 51 to
75. First I will give you the number. You will repeat it out loud,
and then go to the following line, reading it out loud. The line will

give you the two phonetics I chose and the picture word that I chose
using those two phonetics. Make sure you create a vivid, crystal clear

image of the picture word in your mind's eye.

Let's establish picture words 51 through 60 now.

51? Say it out loud. "Fifty-one." Now go to the next line,

reading it out loud.
"La, da, lid. Fifty-one, la, da, lid."

52? "Fifty-two."
"La, na, lion. Fifty-two, la na, lion."

53? "Fifty-three."
"La, ma, lamb. Fifty-three, la, ma, lamb."

54? "Fifty-four."
"La, ra, lure." Picture a lure, like a fishing lure. "Fifty-four,

la, ra, lure."

 Picture Words 51-75 227

55? "Fifty-five."
"La, la, lily. Fifty-five, la, la, lily."

56? "Fifty-six."
"La, sha, leash. Fifty-six, la, sha, leash.'

57? "Fifty-seven."
"La, ca, lock. Fifty-seven, la, ca, lock."

58? "Fifty-eight."
"La, fa, leaf. Fifty-eight, la, fa, leaf."

59? "Fifty-nine."
"La, pa, leap. Fifty-nine, la, pa, leap."

60? "Sixty."
"Cha, sa, cheese. Sixty, cha, sa, cheese."

All right. Now I'm going to give you a picture word, and
you're going to call out the phonetics and the number. Use the
straightedge if you're alone, or have a partner read the word to you,

while you call out the phonetics and the appropriate number.
Ready?

Lid?
"La, da, 51."

Lion ?
"La, na, 52."

Lamb?
"La, ma, 53."

Lure?
"La, ra, 54."

Lily?
"La, la, 55."

Leash ?
"La, sha, 56."
228 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Lock?
"La, ca, 57."

Leaf?
"La, fa, 58."

Leap?
"La, pa, 59."

Cheese?
"Cha, sa, 60."

In a moment you will close the book and do some more

drilling. You will repeat each number, in order 51 through 60.
Then you will repeat the phonetics and the picture word that go
with each one. Say everything out loud, and don't forget to create

vivid pictures of the words when you recite them. If you have a

partner, take turns prompting each other. Close the book and do
that now.#
How did you do? Were you able to get all ten? If you forgot
any, review our list up above and do the drill once more.
Let's continue establishing picture words for numbers 61

through 69. I'll give you the number and you call out the phonetics
and the word. And don't forget those vivid pictures!

61? "Sixty-one." Now go to the next line and read it out loud.
"Cha, ta, cheetah. Sixty-one, cha, ta, cheetah."

62? "Sixty-two."
"Cha, na, chain. Sixty-two, cha, na, chain."

63? "Sixty-three."
"Ja, ma, gym. Sixty-three, ja, ma, gym."

64? "Sixty-four."
"Sha, ra, shower. Sixty-four, sha, ra, shower."

65? "Sixty-five."
"Sha, la, shell. Sixty-five, sha, la, shell."
 Picture Words 51-75 229

66? "Sixty-six."

"Ja, ja, judge. Sixty-six, ja, ja, judge."

67? "Sixty-seven."
"Sha, ca, sheik. Sixty-seven, sha, ca, sheik."

68? "Sixty-eight."
"Sha, va, shave. Sixty-eight, sha, va, shave."

69? "Sixty-nine."

"Ja, pa, jeep. Sixty-nine, ja, pa, jeep."

All right, let's review. I'm going to give you the words, and
you're going to call out the phonetics and the numbers, and then
repeat everything. Use your straightedge, or have a partner read to

you —and keep creating those vivid pictures!

Cheetah?
"Cha, ta, 61. Cheetah, cha, ta, 61."

Chain?
"Cha, na, 62. Chain, cha, na, 62."

Gym?
"Ja, ma, 63. Gym, ja, ma, 63."

Shower?
"Sha, ra, 64. Shower, sha, ra, 64."

Shell?

"Sha, la, 65. Shell, sha, la, 65."

Judge?
"Ja, ja, 66. Judge, ja, ja, 66"

Sheik?
"Sha, ca, 67. Sheik, sha, ca, 67."

Shave?
"Sha, va, 68. Shave, sha, va, 68."
230 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Jeep?
"Ja, pa, 69. Jeep, ja, pa, 69."

In a moment you'll close the book and recite what you just

learned. Repeat numbers 61 through 69, out loud in order, and then,
just as you did in the previous recitation, repeat the phonetics and
the picture word that go with each one. Close the book and do

that now.4
Now let's establish picture words for numbers 70 through 75.

I'll give you the number, you repeat it, along with its phonetics.
Then go to the line below and read it out loud, creating vivid
pictures of each word.

70? "Seventy."
"Ca, sa, case. Seventy, ca, sa, case."

71? "Seventy-one."
"Ca, ta, cat. Seventy-one, ca, ta, cat."

72? "Seventy-two."
"Ca, na, coin. Seventy-two, ca, na, coin."

73? "Seventy-three."
"Ca, ma, comb. Seventy-three, ca, ma, comb."

74? "Seventy-four."
"Ca, ra, car. Seventy-four, ca, ra, car."

75? "Seventy-five."
"Ca, la, coal. Seventy-five, ca, la, coal."

Let's review. I give you the picture words, and you call out the
phonetics and the number, and then repeat everything.

Case ?
"Ca, sa, 70. Case, ca, sa, 70."

Cat?
"Ca, ta, 71. Cat, ca, ta, 71."
 Picture Words 51-75 231

Coin?
"Ca, na, 72. Coin, ca, na, 72."

Comb?
"Ca, ma, 73. Comb, ca, ma, 75."

Car?
"Ca, ra, 74. Car, ca, ra, 74."

Coal?
"Ca, la, 75. Coal, ca, la, 75."

Coin?
"Ca, na, 72. Coin, ca, na, 72."

Case?
"Ca, sa, 70. Case, ca, sa, 70."

Coal?
"Ca, la, 75. Coal, ca, la, 75."

Comb?
"Ca, ma, 73. Comb, ca, ma, 73."

Car?
"Ca, ra, 74. Car, ca, ra, 74."

Cat?
"Ca, ta, 71. Cat, ca, ta, 71."

All right. In a moment, you'll close the book and review all

of the picture words we've established in this chapter, 51-75.

Create a written list as you've done in previous chapters, number-
ing 51 through 75 down the left side of a piece of paper. Next
to each number, write down the phonetic and the picture word.
Then cover up each side and test yourself. Close the book and
do this exercise now.4
Now we will drill with speed in mind. If you're working with
someone, have your partner call out the number while you call out
the phonetics and the word. If you're alone, call out all three items

in sequence — the number, the phonetics, and the picture word. Keep
232 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

increasing your speed until there's no hesitation between items. Take

five, ten, or twenty minutes, however long it takes to have everything
down pat. Close the book and do it now.^
It's test time. I'm going to give you numbers, you're going to
call out the corresponding phonetic sound and picture word. Your
pace must be rapid-fire quick, your goal being about one set of items
every two seconds. And, of course, you must be accurate. If you're
still unsure of some of the combinations, do the drill above, then
come back here. Use the straightedge, or, preferably, have a partner
call out the numbers to you.
Ready? Begin.

52?
"La, na, lion."

66?
"Ja, ja, judge."

61?
"Cha, ta, cheetah."

60?
"Cha, sa, cheese."

58?
"La, fa, leaf."

57?
"La, ca, lock."

55?
"La, la, lily."

74?
"Ca, ra, car."

70?
Ca, sa, case.

67?
"Sha, ca, sheik."
 Picture Words 51-75 233

65 P
"Sha, la, shell."

62 P
"Cha, na, chain."

If you weren't at speed, continue to drill numbers 51 through

75. If you are up to speed, drill yourself in the opposite way, that
is, by calling out the word and then coming up with the phonetics
and the number. It's important that the number instantly gives you
the word, and the word instantly gives you the number. Close the
book and do the review drill now.4
Okay. I'm now going to test you again, this time by giving you
the picture word, while you call out the corresponding number. This
is a test to make sure that you have access to the information at the
proper speed.
Ready P One set per second.

Cat?
71

Coal?
75

Lily?

55

Cheetah?
61

Leap?
59

Leaf?

58

Lock?
57

Lure?
54
234 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Shave?
68

Jeep?
69

Shell?

65

Coin?
11

Leap?
59

Cheese?
60

If you're accurate and at speed, congratulations. You have estab-

lished seventy-five picture words for seventy-five numbers so far

almost to our goal of one hundred. Remember, to keep yourself

from getting rusty, make it a habit to review these words and num-
bers wherever you are. Just call out a number at random, from 1

to 75, and then call out its phonetics and its picture word.

Chapter 21 — Review
Picture Words 51-75

51. lid

52. lion

53. lamb
54. lure

55. lily

56. leash

57. lock

58. leaf

59. leap
 Picture Words 51-75 235

60. cheese

61. cheetah

62. chain

63. gym
64. shower
65. shell

66. judge

67. sheik

68. shave

69. jeep

70. case

71. cat

72. coin

73. comb
74. car

75. coal

Chapter 21 — Required Mental Exercise

Exercise
Go down this column as fast as you can, and call out the correspond-
ing number or picture word. Remember to say the words out loud.

73
64
judge
lamb
car

56
69
chain

case
lure

61
236 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 7

51

coin
gym
lily

75
67
shave
leaf

cat

60
52
shell

leap

lock
22 Picture Words 76- 1 00

We've established seventy-five picture words for seventy-

five numbers so far. Before we continue with numbers 76 through
100, let's do a quick drill reviewing all our picture words. I'm going
to call out a number and you're going to say the picture word out
loud. Your response should be instantaneous.
Let's review:

39?
mop
14?

tire

50?
Lassie

66?
judge

5?
law

237
238 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory 7

75?
coa

56?
leash

20?
nose

42?
rhino

29?
knob

Now let's continue with numbers 76 through 100. As before, I

will give you the number, and I want you to repeat the number
and then read the next line out loud. Make sure you say everything
out loud, and that you create vivid pictures of the picture words.
Let's begin.

76? "Seventy-six."
"Ca, ja, cage. Seventy-six, ca, ja, cage."

77? "Seventy-seven."
"Ca, ca, cake. Seventy-seven, ca, ca, cake."

78? "Seventy-eight."
"Ca, fa, coffee. Seventy-eight, ca, fa, coffee."

79? "Seventy-nine."
"Ca, pa, cap. Seventy-nine, ca, pa, cap."

80? "Eighty."
"Va, sa, vase. Eighty, va, sa, vase."

81? "Eighty-one."
"Fa, ta, fat. Eighty-one, fa, ta, fat."

82? "Eighty-two."
"Fa, na, fan. Eighty-two, fa, na, fan."
 Picture Words 76-100 239

83? "Eighty-three."
"Fa, ma, foam. Eighty-three, fa, ma, foam."

84? "Eighty-four."
"Fa, ra, fry. Eighty-four, fa, ra, fry."

85? "Eighty-five."
"Fa, la, file. Eighty-five, fa, la, file."

moment, you will close the book and do an oral drill.

In a
For numbers 76 through 85, call out the number, the phonetic
sounds, and the picture word. You are doing it all from mem-
ory —don't write anything down. If you have a partner, rehearse

together. Speed isn't a factor yet; just make sure numbers 76

through 85 have been committed to memory. Close the book and
do the exercise now>
Let's continue establishing picture words.

86? "Eighty-six."
"Fa, sha, fish. Eighty-six, fa, sha, fish."

87? "Eighty-seven."
"Fa, ga, hg. Eighty-seven, fa, ga, fig."

88? "Eighty-eight."
"Fa, fa, fife. Eighty-eight, fa, fa, fife."

89? "Eighty-nine."
"Va, pa, VP." I'm using the abbreviation VP for vice president,

so you may picture the current Vice President if you'd like. Other-
wise, any object that you associate with the current, or any other,
Vice President is fine. "Eighty-nine, va, pa, VP."

90? "Ninety."
"Ba, sa, bus. Ninety, ba, sa, bus."

Now do an oral review of numbers 76 through 90. Say the

numbers, the phonetic sounds, and the picture words, making sure
you're speaking out loud and picturing each word. If you're doing
240 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

this with someone else, take turns calling out the numbers. Close
the book and do it now.4
Let's continue with numbers 91 through 100.

91? "Ninety-one."
"Ba, ta, boat. Ninety-one, ba, ta, boat."

92? "Ninety-two."
"Ba, na, bone. Ninety-two, ba, na, bone."

93? "Ninety-three."
"Pa, ma, palm. Ninety-three, pa, ma, palm."

94? "Ninety-four."
"Ba, ra, beer. Ninety-four, ba, ra, beer."

95? "Ninety-five."
"Ba, la, ball. Ninety-five, ba, la, ball."

96? "Ninety-six."
"Pa, cha, peach. Ninety-six, pa, cha, peach."

97? "Ninety-seven."
"Pa, ga, pig. Ninety-seven, pa, ga, pig.''

98? "Ninety-eight."
"Ba, va, beehive." Notice that there are only two phonetics in
this word. Although it's a long word, the "h" doesn't exist in our
phonetic universe, so we are left with the "ba" and "v" sounds, "ba"
and "va." "Ninety-eight, ba, va, beehive."

99? "Ninety-nine."
"Pa, pa, pipe. Ninety-nine, pa, pa, pipe."

100? "One hundred."

"Da, sa, sa, daisies. One hundred, da, sa, sa, daisies." This is

our only three-digit word.

Now do an oral review of numbers 91 through 100. Say the

numbers, the phonetic sounds, and the picture words, making sure
 Picture Words 76-100 241

you speak out loud and vividly picture each word. Close the book
and do it now.4
Let's go back and review. I'm going to give you some of the
picture words we've just established. You will see the word in your
mind's eye, call out the phonetics, and come up with the number.
Use a straightedge to cover the second line if you're alone; if you're
doing this with someone, have your partner call out the word while
you call out the phonetics and the corresponding number.
Let's begin.

Cake?
Ca, ca, //.

Fat?
"Fa, ta, 81."

Foam?
"Fa, ma, 83."

File?

"Fa, la, 85."

Fife?
"Fa, fa, 88."

Boat?
"Ba, ta, 91."

Palm?
"Pa, ma, 93."

Ball?

"Ba, la, 95."

Pig?
"Pa, ga, 97."

Pipe?
"Pa, pa, 99."

Cage?
"Ca, ja, 76."
242 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Cap?
"Ca, pa, 79."

Coffee?
"Ca, fa, 78."

Fan?
"Fa, na, 82."

Fry?
"Fa, ra, 84."

Now do a written review of numbers 76 through 100. Number

76 through 100 down the left side of a piece of paper, and next to
each number write the phonetics and our corresponding picture
word. Then cover up the right side, making sure you are able to
come up with the right phonetic and picture word for each number;
and then cover up the left, making sure you know the correct num-
ber for each phonetic and picture word. Try to get to the point
where you can recall each item without hesitation. Close the book
and do it now.4
Okay. Here's the first test in this chapter. I will give you the
number and you will call out the phonetics and the picture word.
Speed is important. As previously, try to get up to doing one set

per second. If your accuracy is a problem, keep doing the oral drill

above before you take this test.

Ready? Let's begin.

76?
Ca, ja, cage.

77?
"Ca, ca, cake."

78?
"Ca, fa, coffee."

79?
Ca, pa, cap.
 Picture Words 76-100 243

80?
"Va, sa, vase."

81?
"Fa, ta, fat."

82?
"Fa, na, fan."

83?
"Fa, ma, foam."

84?
"Fa, ra, fry."

85?
"Fa, la, file."

86?
"Fa, sha, fish."

87?
"Fa, ga, fig."

88?
"Fa, fa, fife."

89?
"Va, pa, VP."

90?
"Ba, sa, bus."

91?
"Ba, ta, boat."

92?
"Ba, na, bone."

93?
"Pa, ma, palm."

94?
"Ba, ra, beer."
244 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

95?
"Ba, la, ball."

96?
"Pa, cha, peach."

97?
Pa, ga, pig.

98?
"Ba, va, beehive."

99?
ra, pa, pipe.

100?
"Da, sa, sa, daisies."

Now I'd like you to work on your speed. It is most help-

ful to have a partner, but you can do it alone as well. Have your
partner call out the number while you call out the phonetics
and the picture words. If you're alone, call out all three items
in sequence. Your speed goal is one set per second. Remember to

do everything out loud. Close the book and do the exercises

now.4
If you're up to speed, congratulations! You have now commit-
ted to memory a picture word vocabulary for the numbers 1 through
100. In your unconscious, there is no more 22. Twenty-two is the
sound "na-na," and it's a picture of a nun.

Before you start reading the next chapter, please go to the

review section. There are different conversion exercises to do. Make
sure you can do them up to speed. I can't overemphasize the impor-
tance of having the numbers and picture words come easily and
immediately to you. You should, by this point, have them committed
to memory.
You may know that when you completed "Mega Memory,"
Part I, you had achieved a level of recall ability that few people
have in this country. Now, you're not only in the top 5 percent,
but, in the top quarter of 1 percent! And we've only just begun
 Picture Words 76-100 245

with the basics of "Advanced Mega Memory." I want to con-

gratulate you personally for achieving this level of memory ex-
cellence by learning the numbers, the phonetic alphabet, and
picture words. I want you to know I'm proud that you've stayed
on course, working through what was the hardest part of the Mega
Memory program. And most of all, I hope you're looking for-

ward to all of the benefits that this enhanced memory will reap
for you.

Chapter 22 — Review
Picture Words 76-100
76. cage
11. cake
78. coffee

79. cap
80. vase
81. fat

82. fan
83. foam
84. fry

85. file

86. fish

87. fig

88. fife

89. VP
90. bus
91. boat
92. bone
93. palm
94. beer
95. ball

96. peach
97. pig
98. beehive
246 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

99. pipe
100. daisies

Chapter 22 — Required Mental Exercise

Exercise
Go down this column as fast as you can, and call out the correspond-
ing number or picture word. Remember to say the words out loud.

85
93
fan

beer

P'g
100
76
79
file

VP
94
98
77
beehive
daisies

cap
82
92
fig

fife

peach
cake
80
90
palm
23 Polishing Your Name
Recognition

It's time to take a break from the phonetic alphabet and

our hundred picture words. Let them percolate in your unconscious
for a while. You've committed them to memory, and they will be

there for you in the later chapters of Part II of this book.

In this chapter, we're going to return to one of my favorite

subjects, remembering names. In Part I of this book, you learned

the basic technique of remembering a name. It consisted of three
steps: (1) You pick a see peg, which is the first thing you notice
about a person. (2) After hearing it, you turn someone's name into
a picture by breaking down the name into syllables, and imagining
sound-alike pictures for the syllables. (3) Using exaggerated action,

you put the sound-alike pictures on the see peg.

While these three steps are your basics, there are other things

you can do to reinforce the pegging process described in the para-

graph above. These are tips I want to pass on, things I have learned
in my years of traveling and constantly meeting people. They are
things you, too, can do with very little practice; all you need is an
awareness of the different options you have in different situations.

247
248 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

The Four Rules for Meeting People

Here are four rules I would like you to follow whenever you are
meeting people for the first time. If you follow them, they will help

your name recall even more.

i. When shaking hands or otherwise greeting someone, always

introduce yourself first.

2. When the person gives you his or her name, repeat it.

3. Ask questions and talk about a person's name.

4. Show a genuine interest in, and a concern for, the people
you meet.

Let's review them.

Rule 1. When shading hands or otherwise greeting someone, always

introduce yourself first. It is very important when meeting someone
to say hello and give them your name. That shows an openness on
your part, a willingness to share something important about yourself.
And make it your full name. You can only expect the other person
to provide as much information as you have offered.
Generally —and this happens about nine times out of ten
when you give someone your name, the other person will feel obliged

to give you his or her name in return. Because you've shown an

openness, the other person is willing to do the same. What happens
to your conversation from that point on depends on many factors,
but at least you've both broken the ice in a very subtle, yet real way.
Sometimes, however, the person will not respond to your greet-
ing. Quite frankly, I'm still taken aback when that happens. It's not
like I'm walking up to them and saying, "Hey, give me fifty dollars."

When people hold back, I usually suspect that it's because they're
either shy or cautious, or need further prompting for whatever rea-
son. My advice in situations like that is not to take it personally.
Firmly but gently press on, and feel free to ask someone's name
directly at this point. "And your name is . . .
?" Or, if you have
exchanged a few words without the person revealing their name,
you can say, "I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name." When prompted
that directly, people will usually respond.
 Polishing Your Name Recognition 249

Rule 2. When the person gives you his or her name, repeat it.

When you hear someone's name, make a point of repeating it. If

the person gave you their full name —and they should, if you gave
them your full name — repeat both names. "Hi, I'm Kevin Trudeau."
"Hi, my name is Matt Gurke." "Matt Gurke, nice to meet you."
As we discussed in Part I, saying the name out loud reinforces
it in your memory. A name, like any other word, is really nothing
more than a conglomeration of sounds. The repetition of those
sounds has a conditioning effect. Your vocal chords become involved
in the process. When you repeat a name, your vocal cords get into

the habit of pronouncing that conglomeration of sounds. Your neu-

romuscular memory is activated, as those neurotransmitters in the

brain fire away, creating yet another memory pattern. I've been
asking you to say things out loud throughout the Mega Memory
program. It was especially important in learning the phonetics and

picture words in order to reinforce that link between sound and

picture. It's also important with things you hear infrequently, foreign
languages, foreign names, or abstract concepts that you're trying to
remember. Getting your vocal chords to reproduce the sounds helps
ingrain them into your memory.
If you don't hear someone's name clearly the first time, don't

be afraid to ask that it be repeated. When we don't hear someone's

name, our tendency is to gloss over it because we are concentrating
on other things that the person is saying. But keep in mind, in the

long run the name is the single most important piece of information
you can remember about anyone. And how can you remember some-
thing you don't know in the first place?

This problem is even greater with foreign names. You may

hear the name clearly enough, but because it is so unfamiliar to you,
you don't process the information quickly enough and the name
doesn't stick. When that happens, you can not only ask for the name
to be repeated, but you can specifically ask how to pronounce it.

For example, on one of my business trips I met a man from India

named Pardy Shaveik. He said his name very clearly when we were
first introducing each other, and I heard it. But the unfamiliarity
left some doubt in my mind. So I asked him, "Could you please
250 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

repeat it?" And he said it again, "Pardy Shaveik." I repeated it out

loud; then I asked, "Am I pronouncing your name correctly? I've

never come across it before." I slowed down the entire process of

our introduction to make sure I got his name right. In my experi-

ence, people are only too happy to oblige you in situations like that

because you are showing interest in something that's very important

to them. And they've learned from experience that very few people
take the trouble to do it.

Rule 3. As\ questions and tal\ about a person s name. Asking

someone about their name is a great way not only to reinforce the
name in memory, but to show your interest in the person. In the

above example, I asked Mr. Shaveik about the origin of the name,
about the part of India he came from, and a whole host of other
questions. It not only gave me a great opportunity to repeat his
full name a number of times, it was also a segue into other topics

of conversation.
When talking about someone's name, there are always some
basic questions you can resort to. How do you spell the name? What
ethnic background is the name? Does it have any literal translations,

another meaning? Has it been shortened from a longer name? What

was your maiden name? Is it a common name in a particular part

of the country? When asking these questions, you're only really

limited by your imagination and the time you have.
Here's a typical conversation you might have with someone.
You've just been introduced to someone with a rather complex name,
such as Harry Wysnoski. Ask him how to pronounce it. Repeat the
name and say, "That's an interesting name. What background is

that? Is it Polish?" Mr. Wysnoski responds, "Yes, it is." At this

point you could either do a quick pegging exercise

—"wiz-nose-ski"
are the three syllables I'd use for my sound-alike pictures for his
last name — or you could try to ask a few more questions. You might
ask, "Does the name mean anything special in Polish?" or "Was it
ever anything different?" and you have further topics to discuss.
Some people wonder whether asking such questions offends
anybody. Of course not — remember, you are discussing someone's
 Polishing Your Name Recognition 251

favorite subject, themselves. In all my travels, I have yet to come

across someone who didn't like talking about his name.
Very simple names present a different challenge. For example,
if you meet someone named Bill Smith, your range of questions is

more limited. If you ask Bill Smith how to spell his name, he's

going to think you've got one short oar. At most, you might say,
"Smith. Is that with an i or a y?"
You can comment on the fact that the name is easy to remem-
ber, pronouncing it again. That works especially well if your own
name is longer or more difficult. And of course, you can resort to
our pegging technique. In the case of Bill Smith, I've established

pictures for both names that I use over and over: dollar bills for the
first name and a blacksmith bent over an anvil for Smith, which,
needless to say, I come across often.

Throughout your conversation, use the name as many times as

possible. For example, ask questions of the people with their name.
"Are you from the area, Bill?" "Bill, it was nice to see you." "Bill,
do you want to get a table over here?" "What type of work do you
do, Bill?" "Do you have any children, Bill?" Don't go overboard on
this, obviously; but if you do it, even a few times, it will sink in

very quickly.
Rule 4. Show a genuine interest in, and a concern for, the people

you meet. I've already discussed how important this is in Part I of

the book. I want to share one marvelous story here that shows the
effect it has on people. The story involves Dale Carnegie, regarded
at the turn of the century as the greatest conversationalist in

America. He was the author of the still-popular book How to Win

Friends and Influence People. As someone who was sure to make any
party a smash hit, Carnegie received many invitations to social events
attended by dignitaries and socialites, although he declined most of
them. On one particular occasion, he did accept an invitation.

The hostess was thrilled. Her party was packed with people in

anticipation of meeting Mr. Carnegie. When he came in and was

introduced, the hostess rushed to greet him. The conversation went
something like this:
252 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

"Mr. Carnegie, it's such a pleasure to have you here. I've heard
you're the world's greatest conversationalist!"
Mr. Carnegie nodded, taking it all in stride. "Well, thank you.
I appreciate that comment."
"I understand that you travel around the world teaching semi-
nars and lecturing on how to be a great conversationalist."

"Yes, I do."
"You must have wonderful stories to tell us about your travel
adventures."
"Yes," Mr. Carnegie replied. "I have many interesting stories

to share. But let me ask you a question. Someone told me that you
went on a safari to Africa recently. Is that true?"

The hostess nodded. "Well, actually, it was over two and a half

years ago, now, but yes I did."

"You know, of all the places I've traveled, I've never been to
Africa," Mr. Carnegie told her. "What's it really like?"

And she began to tell them.

As she talked about her safari, the great conversationalist
smiled, nodded, and asked a few questions. They parted ways and
did not speak for the rest of the evening. The next day, The New
Yor\ Times ran an article about this party in its Society column, and
the hostess was quoted: "I had the opportunity last night to meet
Dale Carnegie, reputed to be the world's greatest conversationalist.

We talked for over forty-five minutes, and my guests and I agree

he is the world's greatest conversationalist!"
What did Carnegie do for forty-five minutes? He listened. He
showed genuine interest, and he talked about her favorite subject,

herself. It always works.

Other Aids in Remembering Names

The question often arises, "Kevin, what happens if I go over to a
group and the host introduces me to four or five people at one time?
What do I do then?"
There are two answers to the question. When you're proficient at
using Mega Memory techniques, you will pick see pegs and come up with
 Polishing Your Name Recognition 253

sound-alike pictures almost instantly. Let's say your host starts rattling off
names: "This is Bill Johnson, this is Mary Smith, Harry Jaber . .
." As
soon as you hear the first name, you already have a picture in your
mind, because you have established a picture vocabulary. You can put
the picture of the first name on the see peg in about two seconds.

Sometimes, you can also peg the last name; other times you can't.

Your second option is to try to control the entire situation, so

that it doesn't become too overwhelming. When I approach a group

and the host says, "Let me introduce you to everybody," I say, "No,
that's okay, I'll meet them one at a time." That usually gives me
more time to orient myself.

What if the host just rushes up and starts introducing people

to you? I have a trick for that situation as well. Let's say I'm first

introduced to Mr. Bill Johnson. When I shake Mr. Johnson's hand,

I try to turn my back to everyone else and I do not let go of Mr.
Johnson's hand. I say, "Bill Johnson? Nice to meet you, Bill." I then
try to say something else to give me those precious few extra seconds
to lock myself into this person, as I call it. That gives me time to
take in the person, and anything else I observe.
Many times I'll be sly. Even though I heard the name perfectly,

I'll say, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. What was your name
again?" "Bill Johnson." "Oh, Bill Johnson. Thank you." If you ask
someone to repeat their name immediately on hearing it, it's differ-

ent from asking, "I'm sorry, what was your name again?" a few
minutes later. In this situation, you're telling the person you didn't
hear the name clearly in the first place. When you ask them to

repeat it a few minutes later, you tell them you've forgotten it. It

makes a world of difference.

Don't be afraid to ask people for their business cards when the
situation calls for it. Yes, it's a crutch, not a memory technique, but
it's a good thing to have in case you forget the name.

Preloading

Another technique at your disposal is called preloading. It simply

means familiarizing yourself with names before you actually greet
254 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

people at any function, business meeting, or other social situation.

At a social event or conference, spend a few minutes going over the
register or guest list before walking into the room where the event

is taking place. Cast your eye over any table holding place cards or
name tags.
You can also preload in offices. Check the bulletin board. Look
at desks for business cards. Notice sales charts on walls where the
people's names The reception area might contain the office
are listed.
mailboxes with everyone's name listed. In some offices, they have
pictures on the walls with the person's name under them. That's a

wonderful luxury. If I have a scheduled appointment, I can take the

name and say it to myself softly a few times before I actually meet
the person, and I can turn the name into a picture. When I greet
the person, I pick a see peg, and when they tell me their name, I'm
already prepared. Watch for opportunities to preload during business
calls and social functions —when you keep your eyes open, the op-
portunities will be there.

You can sometimes even preload at parties and meetings even

if there's no list or register to scan. Just ask someone else, the host
for example, what someone's name is. You can turn the name into

a picture and pick a see peg in advance, so when you walk over
and shake the person's hand, most of your work is already done.
Two other little tips. The first is, take a few minutes to hide
if you feel you've reached the limit of your meet-and-greet quota.
If I don't want to meet too many people too quickly, I'll run to the

bathroom or to the coffeepot. I'll even make believe I'm busy reading
a pamphlet or other material. What I'm really doing, of course, is

thinking about the people that I've just met, going over their names,
their see pegs, or any other information that I find valuable or
interesting. And I will say the name softly to myself in order to
build memory in my vocal cords and get acclimated to pronouncing
someone's name.
The second tip: If you're going to a group event, such as a

convention or meeting of some sort, you can often call ahead and
get a list of attenders. I find that helps me tremendously. Then on
the flight over, I have the names to work with, perhaps spending a
 —

Polishing Your Name Recognition 255

half hour doing this. Since I have a picture vocabulary for almost
every first name, it usually only takes me that long to go over a list

of about fifty or a hundred, or even more, people. Last names are

harder, of course, but I still try to play with them, pronouncing the
name how I think it's pronounced, breaking it down, and turning it

into pictures. And I don't put pressure on myself to make everything

perfectly correct. As I've already said, if it's not fun, you'll never do
it. So I stay relaxed, and make a game of it, as I've been stressing
for you to do throughout the book. If I have a friend or colleague

along, I get them involved, and we can have a great time doing
it together.

All that remains when you arrive is to pick out see pegs. When
someone tells you their name, just put the picture on the see peg
it literally takes seconds. Preloading is very effective when you're
going to meet fifty, one hundred, or two hundred people. Very,
very effective.
And let's not forget how important your greeting is. When you
shake someone's hand, really shake it — don't be a dead fish. Touch
the person lightly on the shoulder or upper arm with your other
hand. Look them in the eye. This effort on your part will pay off
later because it shows other people that you're interested enough to

want to remember them. Never underestimate the power of remem-

bering who people are. It's the kind of honest flattery that no one
is immune to.

Chapter 23 — Review
Reminder from —Committing Names to Memory
Part I

i. Pick a see peg for the person whose name you want to

remember.
2. Turn the name into syllables, and the syllables into pictures.

3. Peg the pictures to the see peg.

The Four Rules for Meeting People

1. When shaking hands or otherwise greeting someone, always
introduce yourself first.
256 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

2. When the person gives you his or her name, repeat it.

3. Ask questions and talk about a person's name.

4. Show a genuine interest in, and a concern for, the people

you meet.

Preloading
Familiarizing yourself with names before you actually greet the peo-
ple at any function, business meeting, or other social situation.

Chapter 23 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

To review what we learned in Part I, practice pegging the names

of five people you meet today. Also integrate the tips discussed in
this chapter.

Exercise 2
The next time you go to any function or conference, try to make
yourself aware of how many different ways you can preload the
names.
24 Remembering Longer
Numbers

In this lesson, you will see all your hard work with pho-
netics and picture words pay off!

Before we go on, I want you to spend ten minutes reviewing

numbers 1 through 100 as rapidly as you can. Close the book, call

out a number, and then call out the phonetics and picture word we
established for the number. For example: "Seventy-eight, ca, fa, cof-

fee," or "Fifty-eight, la, fa, leaf." Number, sound, word, in that

order. Picture the word vividly and don't forget to say everything
out loud. Do the exercise now.4

Converting Longer Numbers into Picture Words

Now that the hundred numbers are fresh in your mind, I want to

tell you something that you probably won't be surprised to hear. The
same system that we used to create picture words for the numbers 1

through 100 can be used for any size number. If something is big
or long or complicated, you can remember it easily by breaking it

down into smaller sections. This is a common thread running

through the Mega Memory program. It's what we did with names

257
258 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

by breaking them down into syllables, and what we can do with

numbers by breaking them down into phonetics and picture words.
Consider the number 142, for example. Let's convert it into a

picture by using our phonetic alphabet. What are the three phonetics

you're looking for here? "Ta" or "da" for 1; "ra" for 4; "na" for 2.

Repeat the phonetics out loud. "Ta-ra-na" or "da-ra-na." "Ta-ra-na.

Da-ra-na." "T-r-n." "D-r-n." What vowel sounds can you add to
create words here? How about "train" or "drain"? Do you see how
easy this is? Let's do a few examples together to make sure you

understand how it works. As you work on the example, be sure to

repeat the quoted material out loud and picture each word as vividly

as you can.
Number 347: Our first phonetic is "ma" for 3. The phonetic
for 4 is "ra." For 7, it's either "ca" or "ga." So we have "ma," "ra,"
and "ca" or "ga." "Ma-ra-ca" or "ma-ra-ga." I can't think of some-
thing with the "m," "r," and "g" sounds, but for "ma-ra-ca" I choose
"mark," as in a check mark or a scratch on furniture or a car. So
"mark" equals 347.

Number 491: 4 is "ra," 9 is "pa" or "ba," and 1 is "ta" or

"da." "Ra-pa-ta." "Ra-pa-da." "Ra-ba-ta." "Ra-pa-da." Repeat these

combinations for a few seconds and what do you come up with? I

come up with "rabbit," for the "r," "b" and "t" sounds. The number
491 can be represented by a fluffy white rabbit.
Number 915: 9 is "pa" or "ba," 1 is "ta" or "da," and 5 is "la."

"Pa-ta-la." "Pa-da-la." "Ba-ta-la." "Ba-da-la." Repeat them and see

what picture words come to you. How about "paddle" for the "p,"
"d," and "1" sounds? Or "battle" for the "b," "d," and "1" sounds?
"Paddle" or "battle" can represent 915. For me, "paddle" is a little

better because it's more concrete, easier to picture than "battle."

Now what do you do if the number is longer, having four,
hve, six, or more digits? What did I say earlier? You break it down
into smaller sections. Let's take the number 7783. For 7783, I have
a picture of a cake with foam all over it. Why? If you worked the
earlier chapters of "Advanced Mega Memory" properly, you should
know. I broke 7783 into 77 and 83. What's our picture word for

77? Cake. For 83? Foam. Break the number into smaller pieces
 Remembering Longer Numbers 259

however many pieces you need —and use your picture words for
those smaller pieces.
work on another four-digit number: 3063. Close the hook
Let's

and figure out how you would turn 3063 into picture words
It's easy —
how about a moose pressing barbells? How did I
arrive at that picture? I would break it into 30, for which our picture
word is "moose." For 63, our picture word is "gym." When I think
of a gym, I think of barbells. So a moose pressing barbells would
give me 3063.
For a longer number, you would link many pictures together,
using the same chaining and pegging techniques we learned in Part
I of the book.

Telephone Numbers
Things would be easier if you didn't have to look up phone numbers
all the time, wouldn't they? Just practice turning whatever phone
numbers you want to remember into picture words, then put them
together, and shortly you'll start remembering the numbers instantly.

With a phone number, by the way, you usually want to remem-

ber a person's name with it. Let's work on an example together.
You want to remember Bill Smith's phone number, which is 472-
2252. How do you commit it to memory using our Mega Memory
techniques?
What you do is peg the phone number to Bill Smith. What is

our first rule in remembering anything? We need to establish a peg,

a place to put the information. We know Bill Smith, so we can peg

the phone number right on him, that is, a vivid picture of him,
since we think in pictures. We need to turn the number into pictures,
too. That's step two. Then using action, step three, we will be able

to peg the number to Bill.

So let's peg 472-2252 to Bill. I'll first break the number down
into smaller sections. For 472, I'm going to use the word "raccoon."
The number 4 gives me the phonetic "ra," 7 gives me the phonetic
"ca," and 2 gives me the phonetic "na." So for 472, I can use a
picture of a raccoon.
260 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

We
already
Then I'll break the
know the picture
last

for 22
four
is
numbers
"na-na"
—"nun."twoAnd we know
into sections.

the picture for 52 is "la-na"

— "lion." Now taking five minutes, we
can commit Bill's phone number to memory. Close the book and
try to do this yourself, and then I'll explain how I did it.+
Were you able to come up with vivid pictures full of action?

I pictured Bill Smith with raccoons all around him. He keeps pick-
ing them up and throws them at a nun, with whom he is playing
catch. Then a lion comes and stands behind the nun. He roars so

loudly he makes the nun nervous, so she starts throwing the raccoons
back to Bill faster and faster. Faster and faster, as the lion roars
louder and louder. That's it.

Run that little scene in your mind two, three, four, or five times.

The next time you think, "What's Bill Smith's phone number?" that
scene involving raccoons, the nun, and the lion will instantly pop
up in your mind. You can decipher that in a matter of seconds, to
be 4-7-2-2-2-5-2.
Now here's the exciting part of the system: By creating pictures

and linking them together with action, you lock whatever informa-
tion you are trying to remember into your memory. When you try

to recall the information, you remember the pictures for the first

two or three times. Then, you begin to recall the information with-

out going through that interim step of remembering the pictures. In

Bill Smith's case, his number would come to your instantly. The
pictures would stay in your unconscious. When you think of Bill,

you will know his telephone number. All the groundwork you have
done before starts paying off.

Here's another telephone number, 648-7910. For 648, we can

use the picture word "sheriff." "Sh-ra-fa" is 6-4-8. The number 7910
could be "Cupids." "Ca-pa-da-sa" gives us 7-9-1-0. So picture in
your mind a sheriff shooting at a bunch of Cupids fluttering around
him, and peg that picture to whatever person or organization has
that number. The next time you ask yourself, "What was that phone
number?" the sheriff shooting the Cupids will come to you. You'll
decode "sheriff into "sha-ra-fa" and "Cupids" into "ca-pa-da-sa,"
648 and 7910, and you'll have your phone number.
 Remembering Longer Numbers 261

When you become skilled at it, you can even use this pegging
technique with longer numbers such as bank accounts and credit
cards.

Let's say you want to remember your American Express card

number, for example, which is fifteen digits. First picture your
American Express card, huge and larger than life. It will be your
peg. Then break the number down into smaller chunks and turn

each chunk into a picture. Chain those pictures together. In your

mind's eye, attach it to the credit card using exaggerated, nonsensical

action. The number is now committed to memory.

The next time you ask yourself, "What's my card number?" a

huge American Express card will pop into your mind, along with
whatever pictures you pegged to it. Just as we did with "raccoon,"
"nun," and "lion," you'll be able to decode the pictures in a matter
of seconds.

Converting Picture Words Back to Numbers

In order to be fluid with these techniques, you need to be able to
convert back and forth instantly. We've practiced converting num-
bers into pictures, now I want us to practice converting words back
into numbers.
For example, let's take the word "casino." What number is

"casino"? Say it out loud a few times: "Casino, casino, ca-si-no."

"Casino" gives us the "c," "s," and "n" sounds, "ca-sa-na." "Ca" is

7, "sa" is 0, and "na" is 2. "Casino" is the number 702. (If by any

chance you forget what numbers go with each phonetic, just go back
to your Body List. In this case, "ca" is "collar," which is our seventh
peg. "Sa" is "ceiling," our last peg, which is zero. "Na," is "knees,"
which is our second peg. All of which gives us the same result, 702.)

Isn't it interesting that 702 is the area code for the state of Nevada?
And isn't that a great way to remember the area code for Las Vegas,
Reno, and the rest of the state? Simply think of a casino. For area
codes for the rest of the country, use the pegging technique for remem-
bering telephone numbers or credit cards. To do that, in your mind's
eye, create a picture of an object that reminds you of a part of the
262 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

country. That picture will be your peg. Then take the area code, turn

it into a picture word, and peg the two pictures together.

Let's take a few more words and turn them back into numbers.
"Rainbow." Say it out loud: "Rainbow, rainbow, ra-na-ba." "Ra" is

4, "na" is 2, and "ba" is 9. So "rainbow," "ra-na-ba," is 429.

"Mint." Say it out loud: "Mint, mint, ma-na-ta." "Ma," is 3,

"na" is 2, and "ta" is 1. "Mint" is 321.

Now that we know how to convert pictures and words into

numbers and numbers we have an easy way to recall

into pictures,

any number. To remember any number a price, a code, an ac- —

count — take a few seconds to turn it into pictures and either peg
those pictures to something else or chain them together. The next
time you need to remember that number —when you ask yourself,

"What is the price/code/account number?" — these pictures will pop

into your mind. It will then take you a few more seconds to decipher

them, and you'll have your answer.

Knowing the Day of the Week, for Any Date

Now I'm going to teach you something that's a lot of fun. You are
going to be able to figure out the day of week for any date in

history, past and future! You'll do this by using a mathematical

formula. When you commit the formula to memory, you'll be able

to tell on what day of the week you, a friend, or a loved one was
born. You'll know on what day of the week a historical event took
place. You'll know on what day of the week your parents or your
Aunt Matilda and Uncle Mortimer were married. It's a fun little

skill to have, a neat little parlor trick for parties, outings, and get-
together when you're searching for an interesting way to entertain

your friends or pass the time.

The mathematical formula has eleven steps, so please pay close
attention to my explanation. In summary, it is as follows:

i. Convert the month into its numerical equivalent.

2. For the day of the month, subtract the multiple of 7 that
is closest to it.
 Remembering Longer Numbers 263

3. Save the remainder.

4. Turn the first two numhers of the year (the centuries) into

their numerical equivalent.

5. Subtract the multiple of 7 that is closest to the last two
digits of the year.
6. Save the remainder.
7. Divide the last two numbers of the year by 4.

8. Discard the remainder.

9. Add lines 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7.

10. Subtract the multiple of 7 closest to the answer to line 9.

11. Convert the remainder to its daily equivalent.

To make this mathematical formula work, what you essentially

do is assign numbers to the four items that form a date: the month,
the day, the century, and the last two digits of the year. For March
13, 1891, which will be our example, you will assign a number to

March; a number to the day, which in this example is 13; a number

to the century, which is the 1800s; and then a number to the year,

which is 91.

Months. Your first step is to commit to memory the numbers

you assign to each of these items. We start with the month. I'm
going to give you the numbers, and then help you commit them to
memory by using a combination of our Mega Memory techniques.
There are duplicate numbers, so please don't be thrown off by that.

January is 2. For January, picture a brand-new baby in your

mind. It's a baby born on New Year's Eve, wearing a party hat,
and it has two huge buck teeth. January's number is 2, for the
buck teeth.

February is 5. The first thing that comes to mind about Febru-

ary is winter and Valentine's Day. Picture giving your valentine one
brand-new glove. Glove number 5 on our Tree List, which should
is

make it easier to remember that February's number is 5.

March is 4. The first thing I associate with March is Saint
Patrick's Day, and the first thing I associate with Saint Patrick's
Day is a four-leaf clover. So picture a giant four-leaf clover to better
remember that the number for March is 4.
264 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

April is 0. I think of showers when I think of April, but in

this case, instead of rain it's showering Cheerios. Picture big, crunchy
Cheerios coming down from the sky to better remember that April's

number is 0.

May is 2. We're going to picture a maypole in your mind's eye.

Imagine two lovers running around the maypole, laughing and try-

ing to catch each other. That will help you to remember that the

number for May is 2.

June is 5. I think of weddings when I think of June. And when

I think of weddings I think of two people in love, dancing up a
storm in their wedding regalia, holding each other by their love
handles. Picturing a couple holding on to their love handles at a
wedding should help remind you that the number for June is 5 (just

as it was for February).

July is 0. I want you to picture a giant firecracker, so that you

will think of the Fourth of July. Now in your mind's eye, take some
Hula Hoops and throw them over this huge firecracker. Hoop after

hoop is being thrown onto the firecracker to help you remember

that the number for July is 0.

August is 3. I think of summer when I think of August. Picture

yourself sitting on a stool in the backyard, trying to hose yourself
down. Make sure the stool is vivid; stool number 3 on our Tree
is

List, which will remind you that the number for August is 3.
September is 6. I think of kids going back to school in Septem-
ber. And I think of the joy on their parents' faces as they look
forward to some peace and quiet once their kids are out of the
house. Make sure you vividly see the joy on the parents' faces. Joy
is our sixth picture word, which should help you remember that the
number for September is 6.

October is 1. I associate Halloween with October, and I associate

a jack-o'-lantern with Halloween. Picture a glowing jack-o'-lantern,

which has only one tooth in its gaping mouth. That should help
you remember that the number for October is 1.

November is 4. Most of us think of Thanksgiving when we

think of November. Picture a big, juicy turkey running down the
highway as you chase it in your car. The turkey's fast and you're
 Remembering Longer Numbers 265

fast because you really want him for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Picture yourself in that car going after the turkey. Since "car" is

number 4 on our Tree List, that should help you remember that
the number for November is 4.
December is 6. December is Christmas. Imagine your happiness
and sense of expectation standing in the living room, waiting for

Santa Claus to come down the chimney. And when he does, he

opens his bag and starts throwing out big bottles of Joy to everyone.

This will help you remember that the number for December is 6.

Now I'd like you to review the twelve images. Each month is

listed below; on the line underneath is its number and the image
we created for it. So review; simply read through the list and vividly

picture the image.

January?
January is 2, because you think of a January baby with two
huge buck teeth.

February?
February is 5, because you think of giving a glove to your
Valentine.

March?
March is 4, because you think of a four-leaf clover and Saint
Patrick's Day.

April?
April is 0, because you imagine it raining Cheerios.

May?
May is 2, because you think of two people running around
a maypole.

June?
June is 5, because you think of a newly married couple holding
on to each other's love handles.

July?
July is 0, because you think of a giant firecracker on the Fourth of
July, and you're throwing Hula Hoops over this firecracker.
266 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

August?
August is 3, because you picture yourself sitting on a stool,

wearing a swimsuit, and hosing yourself down to keep

cool.

September?
September is 6, because you think of the joy on parents' faces
when they send the kids off to school.

October?
October is 1, because you think of a giant jack-o'-lantern with
one tooth in its gaping, glowing mouth.

November?
November is 4, because you think of yourself driving a car as
fast as you can, trying to run down a big juicy turkey

for dinner.

December?
December is 6, because you think of Santa Claus coming down
the chimney, handing out big bottles of Joy.

Now I want you to close the book and test yourself on these
associations. Use a straightedge or have a partner call out the month,
while you call out the number and picture the image we've created
vividly. Keep going over this list until you have instant recall of the
months and their numbers. Close the book and do it now.#

Day of the month. To derive the number for the day of the month,
we subtract the closest multiple of 7 from that number. Using our
example of March 13, 1891, we subtract 7 from 13 and get 6. So
the number assigned to the thirteenth day of the month is 13. If the
date is a number less than 7, use that number from which to subtract

7. In this case, your remainder, step 3, will be zero, since we don't

use negative numbers in this formula.

Centuries. Assigning numbers to centuries follows another easy for-

mula. There are only four numbers, 6, 4, 2, and 0, and they are
assigned in sequence every four centuries. We start with the 1600s.
 Remembering Longer Numbers 267

Because it ends in the number 6, it's easy to remember, and I don't

think we need to create a picture for it.

The 1700s is number 4. To create pictures, let's use our Tree

List. Number 17 on our Tree List is "magazine," and 4 is a "car,"

so I picture myself in a car reading a magazine. Don't forget,

you can create a picture using any technique you want; we could
also use our list of phonetics to turn numbers 17 and 4 into

pictures.

The 1800s is 2. My picture here is of a voting booth, and in

the voting booth I picture a giant light switch, which I'm flicking

on and off. I used the Tree List again. "Voting booth" is number
18, and "light switch" is number 2.

The 1900s is 0. I picture in my mind the nineteenth hole, and

I take my golf clubs and score a 0. That's impossible (though I come
close!), but remember, a nonsensical picture is always good. It will

help you remember that the number for the 1900s is 0.

To review the list above, in your mind's eye, link the number
with the century, using my pictures or ones that you created. Link
the 1600s with 6. Link the 1700s with 4. Link the 1800s with 2.

And link the 1900s with 0. Close the book and do it now.4
As I mentioned, the numbers assigned to centuries repeat every

four years. So for any date beginning in the year 2000, the number
6 is assigned again. For the 2100s, we assign 4, and so on. Going
back in time before the 1600s, you do the reverse. The 1500s is

number 0. The 1400s The 1300s is 4. The 1200s is

is 2. 6 again, and
so on. Get the picture? Take a few minutes to review this concept.

The most important centuries are the last four, the 1600s, 1700s,

1800s, and 1900s. If you remember that their numbers are 6, 4, 2,

and 0, everything else will fall into place. Close the book and review
these numbers now.^

Last two digits of the year. In our example of March 13, 1891, we have
assigned a 2 for the 1800s. Now we have to assign numbers for the
actual years, steps 5 through 8. To do this, we'll be converting
numbers into other numbers, something that we haven't yet done.
Let's continue with 91.
268 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

For step 5, we have to find the closest multiple of 7 to our

number (91) without going over, and subtract it from the number.
In the case of 91, the closest multiple is 91 because 7 times 13 is 91.

Subtracting 91 from 91 gives us 0. You will be using the in a

minute, which is step 6.

In step 7, we have to account for leap years. Divide the last

two digits by 4 and discard any remainder, step 8. Number 91

divided by 4 is 22, with a remainder of 3. So our two numbers for

91 are and 22.

Now on to steps 9 through 11, to finish up our formula.

For step 9, we have to add the month, the day, the cen-
tury, and our two numbers for the last two digits of the year.

Let's do it for March 13, 1891. The numbers we found for each
of the 5 steps are as follows: March is 4; the thirteenth day is 6;
the 1800s is 2; for 91 we got and 22. Add 4, 6, 2, and 22 and
you get 34.

Step 10: Subtract the closest multiple of 7 from 34. The closest

multiple is 28; 34 minus 28 is 6. Our final step, 11, is to convert the

number to the day of the week.

Days of the week. Converting days of the week to numbers is very

easy. We start with 1 for Sunday, and continue in sequence, ending
with 7 for Saturday.
So for our final step, 11, we have to convert 6 to the day of
the week. And that's Friday. You now know that March 13, 1891,
was a Friday.

To make sure you understand the formula, I want you to use

it to tellme what day of week December 7, 1941, fell on. I will

then give you the answer. You can keep the book open for reference.
Do it now.4
All right. December is what number? (Santa is handing out
bottles of Joy.) number 6. It's

The day of the month is 7. To come up with our assigned

number, we subtract the closest multiple of 7, which is of course 7.

Our assigned number is 0.

 Remembering Longer Numbers 269

The number we assign to the 1900s is also 0.

Now the last two digits of the year, 41: What's the nearest
multiple of 7? It's 35. Subtracting 35 from 41 we get 6. That's our
first number for the year. To calculate the second, we divide the

year by 4 and discard the remainder. The number 41 divided by 4

is 10, which is our second number.
Now add the month (6 for December), the day (0 for the

seventh), the number assigned to the century (0 for the 1900s), and
the two numbers assigned to the last two digits of the year (6 and
10). Adding up 6, 0, 0, 6, and 10, we get 22. Subtract the multiple

of 7 closest to this sum. In this case it's 21, so 22 minus 21 is 1.

Converting our number to the day of the week, we get Sunday.

And if you haven't figured it out by now, December 7, 1941, was

the date of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Anyone in the
United States who was alive then remembers it was on a Sunday
morning.
You may be wondering what you do if the last two digits of
the year add up to a number less than 7, as in October 1, 1906. In

cases like that, as with days of the month that are less than 7,

subtracting 7 would give you a negative number for a remainder.

So you would use a zero.

To see how this would work, let's use the formula with
October 1, 1906.
For the number of the month, step 1, we get 1 (we visualized
the jack-o'-lantern with one tooth). The day is 1 (step 2), and the
remainder after we subtract 7 is (step 3), since we don't use nega-
tive numbers. For the 1900s (step 4), we assign a 0. The last two
digits of the year are 06 (step 5), and subtracting 7 from 6 leaves us
with a remainder of again (step 6), because we don't use negative
numbers. Dividing 06 by 4, we get 1 (step 7), with a remainder of
2 (step 8).

Now we add steps 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7, or 1, 0, 0, 0, and 1. Our

sum is 2. Since the sum is less than 7, we can't subtract any multiple
of 7 (step 10) or we would end up with a negative number again.
So we convert this 2 directly into the day of the week, which is

a Monday.
270 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Chapter 24 — Review
Converting Longer Numbers into Pictures
1. Break any long number into smaller sections.

2. Choose picture words for each section.

3. Chain the pictures together.

Committing Telephone Numbers to Memory

1. Create a vivid picture of the person whose phone number

you want to remember. That is your peg.

2. Break the telephone number into smaller sections and create
pictures for each section.

3. Put the pictures together and peg them to your picture of

the person.

Knowing the Day of Week, for Any Date

1. Convert the month into its numerical equivalent.
2. For the day of the month, subtract the multiple of 7 that
is closest to it.

3. Save the remainder.

4. Turn the first two numbers of the year (the centuries) into

their numerical equivalent.

5. Subtract the multiple of 7 that is closest to the last two
digits of the year.

6. Save the remainder.

7. Divide the last two numbers of the year by 4.

8. Discard the remainder.

9. Add lines 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7.

10. Subtract the multiple of 7 closest to the answer to step 9.

11. Convert the remainder to its daily equivalent.

Months
January 2 July
February 5 August 3
March 4 September* 6
 Remembering Longer Numbers 271

April October 1

May 2 November 4

June 5 December 6

Days of the Month

Numerical equivalent: Subtract multiple of 7 closest to the day,

without going over. If the date is 1 through 7, use that number.

Centuries
1600s 6
1700s 4

1800s 2

1900s

Daily Equivalents

Sunday 1

Monday 2

Tuesday 3

Wednesday 4

Thursday 5

Friday 6
Saturday 7

Chapter 24 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

Next to each number, write the phonetic sounds corresponding to

each number, and think of a picture word.

173
314
339
116
818
919
596
272 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

720
500
261
287
494
672
946
789

1061
7458
8199
3276
5523
6600

244-3922
713-7281
$21,932
$512,215
561-0098
922-9063
$8,607
$333,499

Exercise 2
Provide the corresponding three-digit number for the list of words
given.

terror

margin
castle

loudly
passionate
bombs
topic

wrist
 —

Remembering Longer Numbers 273

9. panic
10. laughter
11. fashion
12. enlarge

13. vacuum
14. fallacy

15. caffeine

16. ravioli

17. manage
18. chopper
19. native
20. dazzle

(Answers: terror — 144; margin — 346; castle —

705; loudly— 515;
passionate — 962; bombs — 930: —
topic 197; wrist — 401; panic — 927;
laughter — 581; fashion — 862; enlarge — 256; vacuum — 873; fallacy

850; caffeine — 782; ravioli — 485; manage — 326; chopper — 694; na-
tive— 218; dazzle— 105)
25 Remembering Playing
Cards

I held a workshop in Las Vegas once, with several thou-

sand people in the auditorium. I said to the crowd, "This isMega
Memory class. How many people are interested in learning how to
remember playing cards?" All hands shot up. "That's great," I said,

excited, "but once you learn this, please don't use it as an unfair
advantage against your friends to make money." A guy in the back
of the room yelled out, "Why not?"
How you use your skills is up to you, but I guarantee that once
you have become proficient with the techniques taught in this chap-
ter, you're going to have a big advantage over your fellow card
players. Those techniques are particularly suited for any game for
which it's important to remember what cards were played by whom,
and when, such as bridge. Such a game will change from one of
pure luck to a game of skill, i.e., memory, and you will have a
distinct edge.

As we've been saying throughout the book, to remember any-

thing, you need three things: (1) a place to put the information,
which is a peg; (2) the information turned to a vivid picture; and
(3) the mental glue to hold it in place, which is action. We've already

274
 Remembering Playing Cards 275

had a lot of practice with steps one and three, creating pegs and
putting pictures together using action. Those steps will work the

same way with playing cards. The only new aspect of this process

as far as playing cards are concerned, is step two, converting the

playing cards into pictures. We'll spend the bulk of this chapter
learning how to do that — using our picture words and the Body
List. Then I'll give you some examples of how you can use this skill

when you're actually playing.

Have a pack of cards handy for some of the exercises in this

chapter.

Establishing Pictures for Playing Cards

We're going to establish a picture vocabulary for all fifty-two playing

cards. It's not going to be that difficult. As a matter of fact, in the

next few minutes, you're going to have a picture for every single
playing card committed to memory, because you're already halfway
there, having created picture words for the numbers 1 through 100.

Now we're going to assign a number for every playing card. Once
we do that, our work is done, because we already have pictures for
all the numbers.
There's a simple way to do this. Playing cards have four basic
suits: spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts. We will assign certain key
numbers to each of the four suits.

Spades. Imagine that you have a small shovel — a "spade" — in your

hands. In your mind's eye, take that spade and chop your toes off
with it! "Ouch!" Now, what number is "toes" on our picture word
list? number 10: "ta," which is 1, and "sa," which is 0, so "toes"
It's

is number 10. We're going to start the process of establishing pictures

by assigning the number 10 to spades.

Diamonds. Let's continue with diamonds. Picture a big moose in your

mind. And all over that moose are hundreds of diamonds. He's
draped in diamonds, shimmering and glistening in the light. Every-
thing about this moose is sparkling, his ears, his toes, his back, and
276 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

his antlers — brilliant diamonds are hanging everywhere. See that in

your mind's eye as vividly as you can. Now what number is "moose"
on our picture word list? Number 30? So the key number for dia-

monds is 30.

Clubs. Picture Lassie in your mind's eye, everybody's favorite collie.

Now picture a club, a big fat club, the kind that we think of cave-
men using. In your mind's eye, imagine taking the club and swing-
ing it at Lassie, while she bravely barks back, "Arf, arf, arf!"

avoiding your blows as you continue to swing that club. "Lassie" is

number 50 on our picture word list, so the suit of clubs will be

assigned the number 50.

Hearts. Now picture in your mind a vase, a white porcelain vase in

front of a sunlit window. The vase is encrusted with ruby-red hearts.
The hearts are of all shapes, brilliantly reflecting the sunlight. Vase
is number 80 on our picture word list, so the suit of hearts is assigned

the number 80.

Let's review the four key numbers above by answering the
following question. What number goes with spades? A picture of a

spade cutting off your toes should pop into your mind. The number
is 10. What number goes with diamonds? There's the diamond
moose, which is number 30. What number goes with clubs? You're
trying to beat Lassie with the club, and Lassie is number 50. How
about hearts? They're on a beautiful white vase, reflecting sunlight.
Vase is number 80.

Make sure you have these four key numbers firmly in your
mind. Review them, by covering up one side of the list below, and
then the other, to make sure that when you call out the suit you
get the right number, and when you call out a number, you get the
right suit. Do it now.4

Spades 10

Diamonds 30
Clubs 50
Hearts 80
 Remembering Playing Cards 277

Now, how do we establish a number for each card within the

suit? There are thirteen cards in every suit; we simply assign a

number to each card, 1 through 13, and add it to the key number
we've established for the suit.

In Mega Memory, we start with the ace, then continue with 2,

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king. The jack is 11; the queen,

12; and the king, 13.

Spades. The suit of spades is number 10. To establish a number for

the ace of spades, which is 1, add it to 10, which equals 11. So the
ace of spades will be number 11. The 2 of spades is 12, because 10
plus 2 is 12. The 3 of spades is 13, the 4 of spades is 14, and so on.

The jack of spades is 21 (add 11 to 10), the queen is 22 (add 12 to

10), and the king is 23 (add 13 to 10). We now have a number for
each of the spades.
Let's recap by doing a review drill. Give me the numbers associ-

ated with the cards, calling the numbers out loud. Use a straightedge
to cover up the answers or do this with a partner.

What is the number for the 7 of spades?

17

What is the number for the 10 of spades?

20

What's the number for the ace of spades?

11

What's the number for the jack of spades?

21

What's the number for the king of spades?

23

What's the number for the queen of spades?

22

What's the number for the jack of spades?

21
278 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

What's the number for the 2 of spades?

12

What's the number for the ace of spades?

11

What's the number for the 8 of spades?

18

What's the number for the 9 of spades?

19

What's the number for the 5 of spades?

15

How quickly were you able to come up with the answers?

In the drill below, I want you to work on speed, i.e., in-
stant recall. Cover one side of the list, then the other. When
you call out one item, its corresponding number or card should
pop mind immediately. You must have it cold in both
into your
directions. I want you to drill for fiwt to ten minutes, either

alone or with a partner, so you have instant recall from number

to card and card to number. Say everything out loud. Do the
drill now.4

7 of spades 17
10 of spades 20
jack of spades 21
king of spades 23
queen of spades 22
2 of spades 12
ace of spades II

8 of spades 18
9 of spades 19
5 of spades 15
6 of spades 16
3 of spades 13
4 of spades 14
 Remembering Playing Cards 279

We're going to drill once more, mixing it all up, to make sure

we're at speed before we go on to the next suit. I'm going to give

you a number or a card, and you're going to instantly say its oppo-
site. Use a straightedge or do it with a partner. Remember, say it

out loud, and it must be done in a rapid-fire manner.

Ready? Let's begin.

19?

9 of spades

23?
king of spades

20?
10 of spades

11?

ace of spades

5 of spades?
15

8 of spades?
18

king of spades?
23

jack of spades?
21

10 olf spades?
20

7 of spades?
17

11?

ace c )f spades

16?

6 of spades
280 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

22?
queen of spades

21?
jack of spades

12?
2 of spades

ace of spades?
11

Were you up to speed? Go back to your two-column list above

and drill all the spades for five to ten minutes more to make sure
it's firmly ingrained in your memory.

Diamonds. Let's continue with diamonds. What is the key number

for diamonds? The diamonds were draped all over a moose, number
30. Our key number for diamonds is 30.

Drill the two columns below until both numbers and cards are

instantly recallable in both directions. Say the name of the card on

the left, instantly calling out the number; or say the number, then
call out the name of the card. Do this back and forth for about five

or ten mintues before continuing.^

7 of diamonds 37
10 of diamonds 40
jack of diamonds 41
king of diamonds 43
queen of diamonds 42
2 of diamonds 32
ace of diamonds 31
8 of diamonds 38
9 of diamonds 39
5 of diamonds 35
6 of diamonds 36
3 of diamonds 33
4 of diamonds 34
 Remembering Playing Cards 281

I'm going to drill you one more time to make sure you're at

speed before we go to clubs. I'm going to give you a number or a

card, and you're going to instantly call out loud the opposite. As
before, use a straightedge or do it with a partner. Rapid-fire,

please —and out loud.

Ready? Begin.

31?
ace of diamonds

36?
6 of diamonds

40?
10 of diamonds

queen of diamonds?
42

king of diamonds?
43

jack of diamonds?
41

3 of diamonds?
33

5 of diamonds?
35

9 of diamonds?
39

10 of diamonds?
40

jack of diamonds?
41

queen of diamonds?
42
282 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

king of diamonds?
43

jack of diamonds?
41

queen of diamonds?
42

king of diamonds?
43

Now I want you to take your pack of cards. Pick out the diamonds
and the spades, and shuffle them well. Holding the deck in your hand
facedown, flip each card over one at a time. As soon as you see what the
card is, instantly call out its corresponding number. Do that as fast as you
can. After you go through the stack, reshuffle and do it again. Repeat

this for about ten to fifteen minutes — I want your recall to be absolutely
instantaneous. Close the book, and do the exercise now.4

Clubs. Now we're going to continue with the clubs. What were you
doing with the club? Trying to beat up on Lassie, who is number
50? So our key number for clubs is 50.

As you did with diamonds, drill the two columns below in both
directions. Say the name of the card on the left, instantly calling out the

number; or say the number, then call out the name of the card. Do this

back and forth for about five or ten minutes before continuing.^

7 of clubs 57
10 of clubs 60
jack of clubs 61
king of clubs 63
queen of clubs 62
2 of clubs 52
ace of clubs 51
8 of clubs 58
9 of clubs 59
5 of clubs 55
 Remembering Playing Cards 283

6 of clubs 56
3 of clubs 53
4 of clubs 54

Now let's do our first test to make sure we're up to speed.

After I give you the number or the card, instantly call out its

opposite. Use a straightedge or do it with a partner. Rapid-fire

and out loud.
Ready? Begin.

51?
ace of clubs

55?
5 of clubs

59?
9 of clubs

60?
10 of clubs

63?
king of clubs

12?

Aha! It's the 2 of spades.

5 of clubs?
55

63?
king of clubs

60?
10 of clubs

58?
8 of clubs

36?
6 of diamonds
284 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

19?

9 of spades

Go back to your double-column list and drill clubs for five to

ten minutes. Make sure you know the number and the card in either
direction. Do it now.^

Hearts. Now on to hearts. What's your picture of hearts? They're

all over that beautiful vase, which gives you number 80 as our
key number.
Drill the two columns below as you've been doing. Say the
name of the card on the left, instantly calling out the number; then
call out the number, giving its corresponding card. Do this back and
forth for about five or ten minutes before continuing.^

7 of hearts 87
10 of hearts 90
jack of hearts 91
king of hearts 93
queen of hearts 92
2 of hearts 82
ace of hearts 81
8 of hearts 88
9 of hearts 89
5 of hearts 85
6 of hearts 86
3 of hearts 83
4 of hearts 84

Now let's do our drill to make sure we're at speed. I'm going
to give you a number or a card and you give me its opposite.
Remember, speed is important, and do it out loud.
Ready? Begin.

89?
9 of hearts
 Remembering Playing Cards 285

83?
3 of hearts

93?
king of hearts

81?
ace o f hearts

90?
10 of hearts

88?
8 of hearts

84?
4 of hearts

How about the 3 of hearts?

83

jack of hearts?
91

queen of hearts?
92

king of hearts?
93

Now take five or ten minutes to review the double-column list of

hearts above, to make sure the numbers are fully ingrained in your

memory.^
Let's take your pack of cards again, and do the same thing
with the clubs and hearts that we did with the spades and diamonds.
Shuffle the clubs and hearts, hold the deck facedown, and flip over
the cards, calling out their corresponding number as rapidly as you
can. Spend the next fifteen minutes with these two suits. It's a great
way to review. Close the book and do that now>
Now repeat the exercise with the entire deck of cards. Shuffle
it well and spend fifteen to twenty minutes flipping the cards over
and calling out their numbers. Do it now.#
286 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

If you are an avid card player, I would recommend that you

practice this exercise off and on for the next few days. The more
you rehearse, the faster your memory will work, and the better
you'll be at remembering what you need to remember when you
are actually playing.
For the last exercise in this lesson, we will do a further variation

on the drill with the deck of cards. We have practiced calling out
the number when we flip over the card and seeing its face. Now,
since we have mastered that, I want you to practice calling out the

picture word for the number represented by each card. For example,
you flip a card over and see that it's the 4 of hearts. What is the
picture word for the 4 of hearts?

Let's figure it out. The number for the 4 of hearts is 84 (80

plus 4). And what's the picture word that we learned for number
84 a few chapters ago? A picture of a frying pan should have popped
into your mind. So the picture word for the 4 of hearts is "fry."

Let's do one more. What's the picture word for the ace of diamonds?
The ace of diamonds number 31
is (30 plus 1). And what's the
picture that pops into your mind for 31 — a picture of a maid. "Maid"
is the answer.
So now I want you to start flipping those cards over. When you see

each card, think of the number, but call out the picture word that the

number represents. You are using the phonetic alphabet you've already
learned, and seeing each picture clearly in your mind's eye.
Close the book and start flipping now.4

Techniques for Playing

You have now committed to memory the numbers and pictures for all
fifty-two playing cards. Now, if you see someone play a 4 of hearts,

for example, you'll know it's 84, which is the picture of a frying pan.

That will be a great advantage when you are actually playing.

How do you use these pictures? There are two basic ways: The
first is in knowing what person played what card when a group of

you are playing.

 a

Remembering Playing Cards 287

Let's assume you are playing a game with three other people,

bridge, for example. In bridge, it's very important to try to follow what

cards have been played by what person. Keep in mind our three steps

in remembering any piece of information, and that you now have

pictures for every card. To use those pictures you'll need what? —
place to peg them on. You can use any of your peg lists for that

purpose. When a person throws away a card or wins a particular card,

simply create a picture of that card, and put it on a peg.

The House List works best for me in card games. Assign one
room to each player, so that everyone has a room. We've established
five pegs in each room, so player A, for example, has room 1, your
living room, with its sofa, stereo, bookcase, lounge chair, and televi-
sion. Player 2 might have your dining room, with its own five pegs.

Of course, you can make these peg lists as long as you want, de-
pending on your level of proficiency with Mega Memory.
When you want to remember a particular card a player throws
away, take the picture of that card and put it on the first peg in

the first room. If player A threw away the 4 of hearts for example,
you would peg the frying pan to the sofa, perhaps imagining a
delicious little sofa cooking in a huge frying pan. You could do this

for however many cards you wanted to. It's like having a filing

cabinet right there above each player's head. You can look anytime
you want to, and remember what cards have been played by whom.
Your great advantage, of course, is that you're the only one who
has access to this information.
Your Mega Memory techniques can also come in handy where
someone is going to test you by calling out cards or flipping them over,
and you need to remember the exact order. When a card is flipped
over, you know the picture for it. Use the same pegging
will instantly

technique you used above. You might prefer your other lists, the Body
List or the Tree List, for this purpose. That's fine. The important thing

is just putting the next card called out or flipped over onto a peg.
Some people prefer chaining when playing cards. They take
the picture of each card played and create a ludicrous story with it.

It's just like our Statue of Liberty story, getting crazier and crazier
288 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

as it goes along. But by reviewing it in their mind, these players

can remember the exact order in which the cards were played or
given out.
Even if you have no memory
special interest in cards, the exer-
cises in this chapter are excellent for improving your memory skills

in general and speed in particular, fust get a deck of cards and

spend the time to establish the numbers and pictures for all fifty-

two cards. And once you have them, they'll be yours to use as
you wish.

Chapter 25 — Review
Numerical Equivalents for Playing Cards

Spades 10
ace of spades 11

2 of spades 12

3 of spades 13

4 of spades 14

5 of spades 15

6 of spades 16
7 of spades 17
8 of spades 18

9 of spades 19

10 of spades 20
jack of spades 21
queen of spades 22
king of spades 23

Diamonds 30
ace of diamonds 31
2 of diamonds 32
3 of diamonds B
4 of diamonds 34
5 of diamonds 35
6 of diamonds 36
 Remembering Playing Cards 289

7 of diamonds i7
8 of diamonds 38
9 of diamonds 39
10 of diamonds 40
jack of diamonds 41

queen of diamonds 42
king of diamonds 43

Clubs 50
ace of clubs 51

2 of clubs 52
3 of clubs 53
4 of clubs 54
5 of clubs 55
6 of clubs 56
7 of clubs 57
8 of clubs 58
9 of clubs 59
10 of clubs 60
jack of clubs 61

queen of clubs 62
king of clubs 63

Hearts 80
ace of hearts 81

2 of hearts 82
3 of hearts 83
4 of hearts 84
5 of hearts 85
6 of hearts 86
7 of hearts 87
8 of hearts 88
9 of hearts 89
10 of hearts 90
jack of hearts 91

queen of hearts 92
king of hearts 93
290 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Chapter 25 — Required Mental Exercise

Exercise
Write two responses for each card: the number corresponding to the

card and the picture word corresponding to each number.

Number Picti

i. 7 of clubs
2. jack of spades

3- 2 of spades

4- 3 of clubs

5- queen of clubs
6. 10 of hearts

7- ace of diamonds
8. 10 of diamonds
9- 6 of hearts
10. 5 of diamonds
ii. king of diamonds
12. 9 of clubs
J 3- king of hearts
14. 4 of spades

*5- 8 of hearts

Answers
1. 7 of clubs 57 lock
2. jack of spades 21 net
3- 2 of spades 12 tin

4- 3 of clubs 53 lamb
5- queen of clubs 62 chain
6. 10 of hearts 90 bus
7- ace of diamonds 31 maid
8. 10 of diamonds 40 rice

9- 6 of hearts 86 fish

10. 5 of diamonds 35 mail

1 1. king of diamonds 43 ram
 Remembering Playing Cards 291

2. 9 of clubs 59 leap

3. king of hearts 93 palm

4. 4 of spades 14 tire

5. 8 of hearts 88 fife
26 Day-to-day Reminders:
From Birthdays to
Presidents

In this chapter, Iam going to give you more examples of

how you can apply the Mega Memory techniques to everyday prob-
lems and tasks, like remembering birthdays and anniversaries, know-
ing where you parked the car, and not forgetting specific chores you
set yourself at bedtime for the following day. Many involve numbers
and the picture words you learned in the beginning of Part II. Using
these techniques will make your life easier and a little more orderly,

and you won't be dependent on paper and pencil.

Always keep in mind that Mega Memory is a process of filing

information in a particular way for retrieval at a later date. Once

you begin applying these techniques to release the photographic
memory you already have, the techniques become second nature to

you. Your unconscious gets into the habit of operating this way, and
the techniques are applied without your making a conscious decision
to use them. It all happens automatically, somewhat like breathing.

And keep this in mind, too. The examples I will give you in

this chapter should be regarded as starters, jumping-off points to

292
 Day-to-day Reminders: From Birthdays to Presidents 293

help you create your own techniques for situations that particularly
apply to you. Other memory specialists are very detailed and specific
on how to apply each and every technique. That's vastly different
from the theory I've developed at the American Memory Institute,

which is to give you as much free rein as possible. Yes, as you've

seen, there are certainly specific rules to follow, but I also hope
you've heard me say enough times Mega Memory is tailored to
that

your needs in particular. You proceed at your own pace. Use what
works best for you. This has to do with the five stages of thought
that I discussed in Part I: think, emote, look/search, create, know.
These are the five stages your mind goes through when processing
information, either for the first time or when recalling it later. And
it's this process you will be working with as you file away informa-
tion in the following exercises and techniques.
I also stressed that when you create something, you know it.

Mega Memory allows, in fact, it begs for, the individual to be cre-

ative. I've been telling you that once you have mastered the tech-
niques, it's not so much a question of right and wrong, as one of
"good, better, best." Something might work for me, but something
else may work better for you. As long as you understand the basics

of each technique, feel free to use it however you want to. I hope
you read this chapter with that principle very much in mind. Ulti-
mately, Mega Memory is what you make it.
You now have absorbed about 90 percent of the Mega Memory
system. If you've done the work, you've exercised your mind, and
your recall ability is good. You've been stretching your imagination,
too. At this point, it's simply a matter of wanting to remember,
staying within the parameters you've learned, and taking the simple
steps required to plug information properly into new situations.

We're now putting the icing on the cake.

Remembering Birthdays and Anniversaries

Remembering someone's birthday or an anniversary is almost as
important as remembering their name. We all like to be remem-
bered, especially by the people we love. I think that's why the ritual
294 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

of celebrating birthdays and anniversaries is so universally followed.

Our birthdays and anniversaries are one of those small but very
important things that make us who we are. When others remember
these dates, they tell us they care.
To remember birthdays, we use our old three-step rule of re-
membering anything: a place to put the information, which is the

peg; the information turned into a picture; and action putting the
picture to the peg. A birthday falls under the same parameters. Your
biggest question will probably be, how do you turn a birthday into
pictures? To find your answer, think of it in this way: A birthday
is a series of numbers. What you have to do is turn the numbers
into pictures, which you have been practicing in the last few chap-
ters. Once you've done that, the rest will be very easy.
Let's say your wife's birthday is November 20. How do you
remember November is the eleventh month, and we know
it? Well,
the picture word for number 11 is what? "Ta-da" "toad." What
—
about number 20? Number 2 is "na," and is "sa." "Na-sa"

"nose." November 20 is "nose" and "toad." In your mind's eye, I

want you to see your wife opening a birthday present, and when
she opens it, a giant toad jumps out right onto her and starts kissing

her, really smooching, right on her nose. It kisses her so hard, her

nose turns red. Picture that in your mind's eye, as clearly as you can.
Why do we include the birthday present? It's our peg, our
reference point. You'll know "toad" and "nose," numbers 11 and
20, are associated with your wife's birthday. And when you ask
yourself what her birthday is, that picture will flash into your mind,
and you'll be able to decode it in a few seconds. Your reference
point can be anything associated with that date. You also might have
used a birthday cake, for example, having the toad jump out of it.

We can apply the same technique to remembering anniversaries

or any other important date. Just think of an obvious thing associated
with that date, something already in your knowledge bank, and
make it your reference point. For a wedding anniversary, you can
choose a wedding ring, a wedding gown, the couple walking down
an aisle, any picture that reminds you of a wedding anniversary.
And don't forget to include the person or persons in your picture.
 Day-to-day Reminders: From Birthdays to Presidents 295

That will tell you whose birth or anniversary or any other date you
are remembering.
Let's say you were trying to remember June 19, the wedding
anniversary of your Aunt Martha and Uncle George. June is the
sixth month, and the picture word for number 6 is Joy. (Remember,

I asked you to picture the dishwashing liquid.) Our picture word

for number 19 is "tape." So in your mind's eye, picture Aunt Martha
and Uncle George kissing each other right after the ceremony. Sud-
denly, Martha produces a big, yellow bottle of Joy and whacks
George over the head with it. To stop her, he takes out a big roll

of Scotch tape and starts taping her up.

Later when you think, "When's Aunt Martha and Uncle
George's anniversary?" in your mind's eye you'll see them at the
altar, Martha whacking George with Joy and George taping her up
with Scotch tape. The wedding regalia will be your peg, while the

Joy and the tape will be your dates, which you will be able to decode
as being June 19.

If you want to include the year, just use the techniques we

learned in Chapter 24, on numbers. Let's say George and Martha
were married in 1960. Break 1960 into two sections. We have num-
ber 19 again — more tape! —and "cheese," which was our picture
word for number 60. Just continue the scene, adding more tape and
cheese. Perhaps coming to Martha's defense, the maid of honor takes
a big piece of cheese, and starts hitting George with it. Coming to

George's defense, the best man takes out an even bigger roll of
Scotch tape, and starts taping both Martha and the maid of honor
together.

Run the entire scene through your mind a couple of times:

George and Martha kissing, Martha hitting George with Joy, George
taping up Martha, the maid of honor hitting George with cheese,
the best man taping up both Martha and the maid of honor. Can
you see how you can have fun building on this as far as you want
to go? The next time you ask yourself when is George and Martha's
anniversary, this scene will pop into your mind. And as I've said

before, eventually, just the dates will come to you, as the pictures

remain in your unconscious.

296 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

Remembering Hobbies and Other Personal Data

Other personal information falls under the same parameters as birthdays

and anniversaries, except that there are no numbers involved. Let's

assume, for example, that a colleague, or someone you've just met at

a party, told you they enjoy operating a hand radio as a hobby. You
want to make a quick mental note to remember this information.

I would first create a detailed picture of the radio itself, or

anything that represents the radio to me: the antenna, the box, the
microphone, the earphone. I might then think of the person sitting

on a park bench or at home, as she listens to the radio. But that's

too logical. I need to add nonsensical action. I could exaggerate the

size and color of the radio; I could give it a magnetic field of some
kind, which causes it to push away from my friend, while she has

to struggle to hold on to it. Or perhaps her whole house is a hand

radio, and I see her walking from room to room, listening to the

sound.
The information will be locked in after a few seconds. Later
in the party or that week, or weeks and even months down the
road, when I see this woman I'll have a general idea of what her
hobby is. I can use it to start a conversation, bringing up what I

know is one of her favorite topics.

The same thing can be done for someone's job, where someone
likes to go on vacation, what someone likes to eat, virtually any
piece of information you want to remember about a person. Simply
turn that information into a picture, and using action, put both
pictures together in a ludicrous, nonsensical way. Those few seconds
of work will pay great dividends later.

And remember, you now commit to memory any piece of

can
information that has numbers in it. You know how to convert num-
bers into pictures by using our phonetic alphabet and our hundred
picture words. And you can convert pictures back into numbers,
too. Because you worked so hard drilling them in the beginning of
this section, numbers, phonetics, and picture words are all now at

your mental fingertips, instantly recallable, in whatever way you

need them.
 Day-to-day Reminders: From Birthdays to Presidents 297

Where's My Car?
You parked your car in a big garage downtown, enjoyed a wonder-
ful dinner with old friends laughing and telling stories till all hours
of the night. You return to the garage, ready to drive home, and
suddenly you realize you've forgotten where you parked your car.

I don't think there's anyone who hasn't been in that situation.

Like everything else, the key to remembering where you parked the

car, is in filing away the information when you park it. Use any of
your peg lists for that purpose.

Let's say you parked the car in level 5. What's number 5 on

the Tree List? Glove. As you walk away from the car, in your
mind's eye picture a big, black glove sliding over the car for protec-
tion. When you're back and ask yourself where the car is, that

picture will pop into your mind. You'll know "glove" is number 5

on the Tree List, and you'll have your level.

You can remember more complex information. Let's say the

car is in 5D. I'd cover the car with the glove and add a mnemonic:
a whole bunch of barking dogs. When I come back, and the picture
of the glove covering the car with the barking dogs inside pops into
my mind, I know I'm at 5D.
Once your mind is thoroughly trained, this is all so easy. You'll
be creating pictures and putting them together almost automatically,
wherever you are. Not only does it take just a few seconds, you
don't have to rely on pen and paper.

Mental Reminders

How many times have you tried to remind yourself to ask someone
a particular question when you see them next, or to do a particular
task, and when the time comes to carry out the action, you forget
to do it? Your Mega Memory can come in handy in these situations

as well.

Let's say you tell yourself, "You know, the next time I see my
friend John I want to ask him how his mother is doing, because I

heard she was in the hospital." To remind yourself to do it, in your

298 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

mind's eye simply create a picture of John and a picture of something

that reminds you of the hospital, perhaps a hospital bed or a masked
surgeon. Then put the two pictures together in a nonsensical way,

perhaps the surgeon operating on John's stomach while John gives

him instructions or argues with him. You've just gone through your
three steps: picking a peg (John), creating pictures, and putting
them together.

The next time you see John, what will pop into your mind?
That picture, and it will remind you of what you wanted to ask

John. This might happen immediately, or after you've exchanged a

few words. "Yes, John, I'm doing great. Oh, by the way how's your
mom? I heard she was in the hospital."
You can use this technique any time you either want to say

something to someone or ask a question. Perhaps I want to see a

particular movie, and I know that Mary sees a lot of movies. The
next time I see her, I want to remind myself to ask her about it.

In your mind's eye, picture lots of celluloid unwinding from a huge

reel and wrapping around Mary. Or perhaps Mary is zooming
through the air, holding a movie camera and filming everything she
sees. And the next time you see Mary, one of these pictures will
pop into your mind as you are talking to her. And you'll say to

yourself, "Oh, I remember. I wanted to ask her about such and such
a movie."
Another thing we tend to forget is the great idea we have
before going to bed or the task we set ourselves for the next day.
A good way to remember this piece of information is to use whatever
objects are around you —maybe it's a book, a pen, something on the
bed stand — take it from its normal place, and put it where you will

have to see it in the morning. Just throw a book, let's say, on the
floor in the middle of the room, and in your mind's eye, peg the
information you want to remember to it. Use action and create a
ludicrous scene; that's all you have to do.

The first thing you're going to see in the morning is this book
lying in the middle of the room. As you pick it up you'll think,
"Oh, yeah. I had to do such and such," or, "I had a great idea for
my next book."
 Day-to-day Reminders: From Birthdays to Presidents 299

That is a very effective technique that can be used in a lot of

situations, such as your den or office. In Fart I, I talked about

creating a Reach List in your office, as an additional peg list. You

can take any item from this Reach List and make an even stronger
peg out of it by moving it to a place it does not belong. For example,
my office at the American Memory Institute is a hectic place, with
people walking in asking questions, people saying things to each
other loudly so that they can be heard over the din, phones ringing.
I'm often on the phone myself. Many times, when I'm in the middle
of a conversation, I'll remember something I have to do before I

leave the office. I'll just take something off my desk, throw it by
the door, and peg it. Twenty minutes later, as I'm rushing out to
an appointment, I look down, I see what's on the floor, and I re-

member what I pegged to it. I know exactly what I have to do

before I leave. And it's easier and quicker than jotting down a note.

Presidents, State Capitals, and Other Lists

You can also use Mega Memory techniques to help remember lists

of Presidents, state capitals, or any other information that used to

be taught by rote. I think the Mega Memory techniques are a quicker
and more interesting way to learn these things. And because they're
so much fun, they're much better motivators.

Let's say, for example, you are trying to memorize the list of
our Presidents. One way to do it is to sit there and read through
the list, and do it over and over again, until some of it penetrates
your memory. Using Mega Memory, you break the information
down into smaller pieces, and then chain it together or peg it to

something you already know.

You are trying to remember the twenty-first President, Chester
Arthur, and the fact that he was inaugurated in 1881. Here's how
I would remember all the information. The smaller pieces I have to

picture are: 21, Chester Arthur, and 1881. Number 21 can be turned
into phonetics, "na" and "ta," which give me the picture word "net."
I picture in my mind a big butterfly net. In this net is a treasure

chest. I picture myself opening the treasure chest, and seeing beauti-
300 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

ful paintings. I take one of those pieces of great art, and notice that

it's not really art but a TV. I smash the TV over the head of a big
fat man. That's it. If I run this scene in my mind a couple of times,

I will have committed our twenty-first President, Chester Arthur,

to memory. Now let's decode the picture. "Net" is our picture word
for number The two mnemonics, "chest" and "art," give me
21.

"Chester" and "Arthur." The TV gives me number 18, and the fat
man, "fa-ta," gives me number 8 and number 1, 1881.
If I were teaching school, for example, I'd use this method to

have the kids learn all our Presidents. Not only is the information

important to know, by doing it in this way, which makes them

more motivated, we would be providing more of a sense of accom-
plishment and self-esteem.
Learning states and their capitals, another list now done by
repetition, can be memorized by using Mega Memory in the same
way as the list of Presidents. Consider Arkansas, whose capital is

Little Rock. Break it down into smaller pieces: "Ark-can-sas" and

"Little Rock." Because it's an abstract term, we need to convert

Arkansas into sound-alike syllables. The first syllable is "ark." Pic-

ture a big boat, like Noah's ark. The next syllable is "kan." How
about a picture of a
— "can"? And "saw"
tin can for the last syllable.

"Little Rock" is an automatic — picture a little rock. So I want you

to picture yourself stepping onto a little rock, seeing an ark on one
side and a tin can on the other. You then produce a huge saw,
trying to decide which object to saw in half. You have your pictures:

"a little rock, ark-can-saw." Little Rock, Arkansas.

If you wanted to remember the state capitals in alphabetical
order, you would use a peg list, like your House List for example,
and put all the pictures you created on consecutive pegs. Or peg
them to the first fifty picture words we created for our numbers. I

guarantee you'll have more fun doing it than if you used simple
repetition.

Any information, no matter how advanced, can be committed

to memory as long as you use the same basic principles. Break the
information into smaller chunks, turn each chunk into a picture,
and then put everything together by chaining or pegging.
 Day-to-day Reminders: From Birthdays to Presidents 301

The chemical elements of the periodic table are a good example

of this. Let's say you are trying to remember the basic facts about

carbon. Its atomic number is 6. Its atomic weight is 12.01. How do

we commit this information to memory so that it's there for us

later? Very simple. First of all, break the information into smaller
chunks. You want to remember carbon, number 6, and number
12.01, and create pictures for them.
How do you picture carbon? Some people picture a piece of

charcoal, which they know is carbon. I prefer to picture a pencil,

because of the lead inside, which is carbon. If that doesn't work for

you, you can break "carbon" into syllables, "car" and "bon." For
the first syllable you can picture a car; for the second, "bon," "bun"
is close enough. Picture buns all over a car. Or better yet, cars all

over a bun, which is more nonsensical. For the rest of the example,

though, I'm going to use a pencil because that's how I picture carbon.
Now you have to create pictures for the numbers. If you use
the Tree List, number 6 is a gun. If you use our picture words, it's

Joy, the dishwashing liquid. Let's use Joy. In your minds eye, picture
a giant pencil. Think of it as a giant javelin, and hurl it into a big

bottle of Joy. The pencil pierces the bottle and Joy soap leaks out.

Walk over to the bottle, hoping to pull the pencil out of the bottle.
But because of all the soap, you slip and slide, and you think, "Oh,
this is no good," and you walk away and put on a tin suit to protect

yourself. Run this scene in your mind a few times, and you will have
committed carbon and its atomic number and weight to memory.
Let's decode the pictures. We've already discussed carbon. We
know Joy number 6 on our picture words list. And the tin suit?
is

"Tin" "ta," number 1, and "na," number 2. "Suit" is "sa," number

is

0, and "ta," number 1, which gives us 12.01.

You can also easily remember the elements by using mne-
monics, that is, using letters that are associated with each element.
For example, silver is "Ag." How do you remember that silver
is "Ag"? Picture in your mind a giant, shiny silver spoon. Picture

yourself sitting by a river shining this silver spoon. Picture an

alligator coming by, trying to eat the silver spoon. Take the silver
spoon and try to pull it away from the alligator. All of a sudden,
302 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

comes out of nowhere and bites you on the rear end.

a goat
"Owww!" That's it. You've committed the symbol Ag and silver
to memory. "Alligator" gave you "a," "goat" gave you "g." "Ag."
It took approximately eight seconds, and it can be done with
every single element. Simply turn it into a picture, review it three,

four, or five times when you first create the pictures, and you
have it committed to memory.
I hope I've given you enough examples in this chapter to show
how you can use these techniques for just about any situation you
are in. They're quick, they're fun, and they're very useful, coming
in handy often. Whatever the situation, though, the concept is always
the same. Break the information down into smaller chunks. Then
create vivid pictures of each chunk, and put everything together
using as much action as you can.

Chapter 26 — Review
Remembering Birthdays and Anniversaries
i. Pick a peg (such as a present for a birthday, a ring for
an anniversary).
2. Change the month to a number and visualize the corres-

ponding picture word.

3. Turn the day of the month into a picture word.

4. Peg the pictures to the peg you have chosen.

5. Include the person in your pictures.
6. If you want to include the year, break the year down into

smaller sections, create picture words for it, and include

those pictures in your scene.

Remembering Hobbies, Jobs, and Other Personal Information

1. Create a picture of an object representing someone's
hobby.
2. Create a picture of the person whose hobby it is.

3. Put the two pictures together using nonsensical, exagger-

ated action.
 .

Day-to-day Reminders: From Birthdays to Presidents 303

Remembering Where You Parked the Car

i. Notice whatever section or level you've parked your car in.

2. Create picture words for each letter and number.

3. Put the pictures together, including your car in the scene.

Mental Reminders
1 Create a picture of an object for any task you want to accomplish.
2. If the task includes another person, picture the person.
3. Put the two pictures together in a nonsensical way.

Using a Reach List

1. Take an object close to you, take it from its normal place,

and put it somewhere else.

2. Peg the information you want to remember to this object,

using nonsensical, exaggerated action.

Remembering Presidents, State Capitals, Other Lists

1. Break whatever information you are trying to remember

into smaller sections.

2. Create pictures for each section.

3. Chain the pictures together or peg them to something you
already know.

Chapter 26 — Required Mental Exercise

Exercise
Describe out loud, whether to a partner or yourself, the vivid pic-
tures you would use to remember the following information:

Birthdays
August 28
December 4

Anniversaries
June 12
October 19
304 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Presidents
Thomas Jefferson, third President

Harry Truman, thirty-third President

States and Their Capitals

Cheyenne, Wyoming
Columbia, South Carolina
27 Using Acronyms and
Remembering Written
Passages

In the very beginning of the book, we spent some time

discussing mnemonics, which is the favored way of teaching memory
exercises by most experts. I told you that while mnemonics do have
their place in helping us remember things, like the mnemonic
HOMES for remembering the five Great Lakes, their use was lim-
ited, especially when compared with what you can do with a

Mega Memory.
Now that you've completed most of the Mega Memory program
and can appreciate its strengths, I'd like to spend a little more time
discussing some of the uses of mnemonics. When you apply them in

combination with Mega Memory techniques, you're not only adding

another workout technique to your mental calisthenics, you're also
increasing that ever-expanding bag of tricks you have for recalling
information. We already did some of this in the last chapter.

Let's review the technique by going back to our discussion of

the HOMES acronym. You take the word "homes," which you al-

ready know, and link each of the Great Lakes to one of the letters.

To put it another way, we use the first letter name of each

of the
lake to create a word we already know. The letters H-O-M-E-S

305
306 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

work like a peg because they're a place on which you put information
you are trying to remember. But with acronyms, you aren't pegging.

Pegging requires the use of vivid pictures and lots of nonsensical,

exaggerated action. With acronyms, you are linking the information
together logically, without necessarily using pictures.
After all you've learned in this book, I hope you can see why
this kind of linking of information is so much less effective than

using pictures and action. When we use pictures and action to com-
mit things to memory, we are doing it the same way the mind
works, with pictures. When you create a picture of something, it

tends to stay in your memory longer and more clearly. And it comes
back to you immediately. Also, you've seen how we can remember
even more complex information by breaking it down into smaller

pieces and turning it into pictures. Acronyms don't tap into this
deeper, more immediate power of your unconscious; they merely
scratch the surface. They're easy to use, but they also tend to be
more superficial —you can forget them more easily.

For this very reason, they are useful in certain situations, espe-

cially when you are going to use the information repeatedly over a

short period of time. Repetition is the alternative way of ingraining

information into your memory. When you combine repetition with
an acronym, which pulls all the information together, you have an
effective memory technique at your disposal. That's why it's popular
in schools. You start a new geography lesson, say on the Great

Lakes, which you will be discussing for the next week or so. If you
give the students an acronym as a memory aid, you are helping
them manage all that information in a more understandable way.

Using Acronyms

I call the technique of using acronyms "initialing," since it covers a

broader range of options. When you are initialing, you take the first

letter of the words that you are trying to remember, and create
another word from them, like HOMES. Initialing also works very
wellwhen you can take the information you want to commit to

memory and turn it into a phrase or complete sentence. The initial

 Using Acronyms and Remembering Written Passages 307

letters of each word in that sentence will serve as your acronym,

while the sentence itself can he used as a point of reference pulling
all the information together.
For example, consider, "Kings play chess on fine green silk,"

which many of us learned in school. This sentence is used to remem-

ber the classification system used in biology. What are the first letters

in this sentence?: KPCOFGS. In biology, the order of classifying

any living thing is as follows: first the kingdom it belongs to; then
the phylum; then the class; then order; then/amily; then genus; and
finally species. KPCOFGS — Kings play chess on fine green silk. The
sentence is easy to remember because it makes sense. Then, by look-
ing at the first letter of every word, we can more easily remember
the biological classification system. This sentence helps pull all the
information together, providing a great reference point.
commonly used to remember notation in music as
Initialing is

well. How are we normally told to remember the names of the notes

of the treble staff (G clef)? The spaces are noted F, A, C, and E,

from which you can derive the acronym FACE. The lines are E,
G, B, D, F. You can think of a sentence for these initials: "Every
good boy does fine" —EGBDF.
The spaces on the bass staff (F clef) are notated, A, C, E, G.
We can think of a sentence for these letters as well: "y411 cows cat

grass" —ACEG. The lines of the bass staff are G, B, D, F, A. Our

sentence: "Great big dogs fight animals." There's an element of fun
in inventing a sentence and creating an acronym that fits the infor-
mation you are trying to remember. If you can, by all means feel

free to use this technique.

You can also combine acronyms with other Mega Memory tech-
niques. Let's use two other examples from music. When you follow
a score for playing an instrument, such as a piano, the letter P
indicates that you have to play that particular passage softly. The
letter F is the opposite, indicating that you should play loudly. P
and F stand for the Italian terms, pianissimo and fortissimo, which
mean "softly" and "loudly."
If you don't know Italian, there's an easy way to remember
what P and F represent. Create pictures for each. For P, picture a
308 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

powder puff. For F, picture a firecracker. Notice how each picture

works with both the visual and phonetic (sound-based) language of
our unconscious. Once you commit those two pictures to memory,
you'll always remember what P and F mean in music notation.
If you are learning to play a musical instrument, you can even
use our picturing techniques for remembering certain simple pas-

sages of music. You first must create pictures for the notes, let's say

the whole note, the half note, and the quarter note. The picture can

be anything that reminds you of the note. I would choose a dough-

nut, for example. For a whole note, I would use a whole doughnut;
for a half note, half a doughnut, and so forth. Then you can put
these pictures together by chaining, which as you remember, is a

series of scenes linked by nonsensical, exaggerated action.

Remembering Written Passages

Sometimes we need to commit material to memory verbatim: pas-
sages from the Bible, poetry, or parts of a play. To remember mate-
rial verbatim, you use the same techniques we have been using all

along. Break the material down into manageable pieces and then
convert it into pictures, using lots of nonsensical action in the process.

Take scripture, for example. We need to remember different

passages and quotations from the Bible for a multitude of uses. We
also need to know where in scripture various passages are located.

There are 27 books in the New Testament, 260 chapters, and 7,957
verses. How can we help ourselves remember this information?
Picture in your mind's eye your family Bible. Make it very big.
Now in your mind's eye, go over to it and knock on the front cover,
as though you were knocking on someone's front door. Why did
we do that? What is "knock" phonetically? "Na" and "ca," which
are numbers 2 and 7, for the 27 books. Now picture the huge Bible
opening up to let you in to the New Testament. Put little nicks, or
niches, over certain pages because they contain important infor-
mation you want to remember. Why niches? Phonetically, "niches"
gives us number 260. "Na" is 2; "cha" is 6; and "sa" is 0—260.
Now for the verse number, in case you ever need to know this
 Using Acronyms and Remembering Written Passages 309

information. As you leave the Bible, picture a baseball cap on top

of it. I want you to be locking that cap to the Bible with a huge
lock. "Cap" and "lock" are picture words for what numbers: 79
and 57.

Run that scene in your mind a few times: You knock, you put
little niches on the pages, you lock a cap to the Bible. Twenty-
seven books, 260 chapters, and 7,957 verses. You've committed the
information to memory.
When you want to remember where something is in the Bible,

you can create pictures for the particular book, chapter, or verse you
want to remember. Let's say you want to remember the following,

often quoted passage: ". . . because if you confess with your lips that

Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved." This quote comes from the Book of
Romans, Chapter To remember where it is, first convert
10, Verse 9.

Romans to a picture. I Roman gladiator.

picture the traditional
How would you convert 10 into a picture? You can use either
number 10 from the Tree List, which is a bowling ball, or you can
use the phonetic alphabet, creating a picture word from "ta" or "da"
for number 1, and "sa" or "za" for number 0. Either one would
work. Similarly, for Verse 9, you can use "cat," from our Tree List
or create a word with the "pa" or "ba" phonetic for number 9. For
this exercise, I'm going to use the bowling ball and the cat from
our Tree List.

Now in your mind's eye, put all the pictures together in a

chain: the Roman gladiator, the bowling ball, and the cat. I picture
the gladiator bowling, with cats at the end of the alley meowing
and howling indignantly because they're being used as the pins. The

next time I ask myself where this passage is located, this picture
will pop into my mind, and I can decode it accordingly in a few
seconds. That's simply all you have to do, and that's how you re-

member specifically that Romans, Chapter 10, Verse 9 is that

scripture.

If you want to go on and memorize the passage verbatim, you

can continue using our techniques. Break the text of the passage
down into smaller sections, or chunks, create pictures for all of them,
310 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

and then chain them together, like you did for one of the exercises
involving the Statue of Liberty story in Part I. Any type of verbatim

information can be treated that way, whether it's a poem, lines from
a play, or anything else. To create pictures for a sizeable amount of
material, first ask yourself whether you can put yourself in the pic-
ture. That's most important because it makes it more personal, gen-

erating emotions, as we've already said. Then pick as many key

words or phrases as you think there are in the material, and turn
them into pictures. Once they're in pictures, just build an exagger-

ated, nonsensical chain out of them.

To commit the passage to memory, run through the pictures

in your mind, and as you are doing this, repeat the passage verbatim,
out loud. As you've already learned, this is a surefire way to reinforce

in your memory whatever you are trying to put there.

Here's another example, using Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg

Address. Let's assume you need to memorize the first line of the
address: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth
on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated
to the proposition that all men are created equal."
After chunking the line, it may look like this (the remainder
of the chunk represented appears in parentheses):

Four score (. . . and seven years ago)

our fathers (. . . brought forth)
continent (on this continent)
nation (a new nation)
liberty (conceived in liberty)

proposition (and dedicated to the proposition that)

created (all men are created equal)

Converting the key word or phrase of each chunk into pictures,

you could then either chain them together or peg them to the pegs

of one of your lists —while repeating the passage out loud verbatim.
 Using Acronyms and Remembering Written Passages 3 1 I

Chapter 27 —Review
Initialing

Taking the first letters of several items you want to remember and
making one word from them (as in HOMES for the five Great

Lakes).
Or, creating phrases or sentences in which the initial letters of
the words are the same as the initial letters of the material you are
trying to remember ("Kings play chess on fine green silk").

Remembering Text Verbatim —Chunking

1. Break the text to be memorized into "chunks" (paragraphs,
sentences, phrases, concepts, or words).
2. Read the text aloud, paying special attention to the key word
in each chunk. It will represent all of that chunk.
3. Convert the beginning of each chunk into pictures.

4. Peg those pictures to one of your peg lists or chain all the
pictures together.

5. Run through the pictures in your mind while repeating the

passage verbatim —and out loud.

Chapter 27 — Required Mental Exercises

Exercise I

By initialing, create ways to remember the seven continents: Asia,

Africa, Antarctica, Australia, North America, South America,
Europe.

Exercise 2
Memorize the following quotes using the methods we just reviewed:

i. "The moon could not go on shining if it paid attention to

the little dogs that bark at it." —Anonymous
2. "The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but
312 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

only to hold a man's foot long enough to enable him to put

the other somewhat higher." —Thomas Huxley

3. "To be, or not to be: that is the question: /Whether 'tis

nobler in the mind to suffer /The slings and arrows of

outrageous fortune, /Or to take arms against a sea of trou-
bles, /And by opposing end them?" —William Shakespeare
28 Breaking Bad Habits and
Retrieving Lost Memories

In this last Memory program, I

chapter of of our Mega
want to discuss two applications of Mega Memory techniques that
hold much promise for the future. One has to do with breaking bad
habits, such as overeating or smoking, and the other has to do with
recalling "lost" memories.
Research on both these topics in ongoing. What I'll share in
this chapter are my experiences with these two exciting, developing
areas of Mega Memory. Hopefully they will inspire you to take your
trained Mega Memory to new dimensions.

Breaking Bad Habits

Our unconscious mind is an associating computer, as I've been point-

ing out throughout the book. As information is processed by the
brain, one thing reminds you of another, which reminds you of
something else. And on and on. This complex, lightning-fast net-
work of associations is the foundation of our Mega Memory tech-
niques. By training ourselves to think in particular ways, we have
learned to make some order out of all these linked bits of informa-

313
314 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

tion, so we can retrieve whatever bits we need, whenever we need

them.
Some of the associations our unconscious makes, however, don't
help us very much. As a matter of fact, they can be very harmful
when they turn into long-standing habits, such as smoking or over-
eating. Because in the past we learned to respond to certain situa-
tions — usually stressful ones — in a particular way, these habits are
now part of our memory circuits just as much as anything else in

our knowledge bank. When we want to break these habits, we have

a very hard time. Depending on the situation, some of the difficulty

in breaking bad habits stems from physical factors (such as nicotine

or alcohol addiction), and some from mental and emotional
conditioning.
To begin this chapter, I want to discuss one of my own bad
habits, and tell you how I used Mega Memory techniques to over-
come something that was threatening to get out of control. While I

can't claim that Mega Memory techniques will solve every bad habit
you have, I do believe that the vast power you tap into when you
acquire a Mega Memory gives you a powerful tool with which to

help yourself. Just as you have taught yourself to link amazing

amounts of information (and information is nothing more than pat-
terns of thought), you can teach yourself to "de-link" patterns of

thought, too.
My problem was eating — or more specifically overeating. I grew
up in an Italian household, and we loved to eat. To us, as to many
people, eating was a very important part of our life. If we were
happy, we ate. If we were sad, we ate. If someone got a raise or

was promoted, we ate. If someone was married, or christened, or

died, we ate. Whatever happened, good or bad, eating always helped
us feel better.
This linking of food and feeling is fine, unless, of course, you
overdo it. Then, this association becomes so powerful and compel-
ling, you need to do it even when you don't want to. Unconsciously,
you are convinced you want to. It can create a situation where we
are not in control of our eating habits. That is what happened to me.
I decided to try my own Mega Memory techniques to see if I
 5

Breaking Bad Habits and Retrieving Lost Memories 3 1

could come to grips with the situation. The first thing to do was to
change my association of food with pleasurable feelings. As we dis-

cussed way back in Chapter 2, the body can't tell the difference

between that which you imagine and that which is real. So I decided
to create another reality for myself, replacing old associations with
new ones. I began to associate cake, cookies, candy, and other sweets
with pain. I pictured myself fat and miserable. In my images, no
one liked me. I was crying and depressed —and eating ice cream
and cake. At the same time, I began to link things like fruits,
vegetables, and exercise with pleasure. I saw myself smiling, walking
down the street slim and trim, feeling as though I had the world
at my feet. I did these mental exercises every day, spending about
ten minutes on them.
The results were amazing. In two months, I lost forty-eight

pounds. I was never hungry, yet I would wake up full of energy.

The more I lost, the more I would do this exercise in my mind.
And today, as the saying goes, I'm a new man. I've completely
changed the memories in my mind.
Now when I go to a restaurant, it's unbelievable — I actually

get excited when they bring the dessert cart by and I say, "No, I'm
fine." I get excited because my mind goes onto autopilot and says,
"No, that's going to give you pain," (as opposed to, "Not eating that
will give you pleasure." I chose to link my thoughts to pain because
pain is a higher motivator than pleasure. Associating eating with
pain will work better than associating not eating with pleasure.)

There are many different technologies for conditioning your

mind to react to pain and pleasure. And many of them are fantastic.
My technique is very simple: Create vivid, exaggerated mental pic-
tures with emotion, and attach them in your mind's eye using ac-
tion — that will change your memory, and it will change your
behavior.

Recalling Your Past

I was a guest on a radio show several years ago, and a woman called
up and said, "Kevin, I've seen you on television. I have your Mega
316 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Memory tapes and it's fantastic. But I have a problem that's not
covered in the course." I asked her what her problem was.
"Well, several years ago my husband and I went to Europe for

a three-month vacation," she explained. "I hid my jewelry box where

no one could find it, and no one ever has, including me!"
She and I laughed, the host laughed, and probably a lot of
listeners laughed, too. But I told her I couldn't help her. I explained
that the Mega Memory program teaches you how to organize and
process new information, so it will be available for recall later. The
location of the jewelry box had not been committed to this woman's
memory in an orderly way, so our Mega Memory techniques
wouldn't work in her case. She was out of luck.
However, I left the studio thinking about this woman's di-

lemma. How many people have lost something because their mem-
ory wasn't engaged at the moment they put it away or put it down,
I wondered. How much other information is considered lost and
not retrievable, while it in fact is somewhere in some deep recess of

our minds? I had learned that everything we have ever experi-

enced — seen, heard, smelled, touched, tasted, felt, thought about
remains with us, locked away somewhere in memory. Was there
any way to use Mega Memory techniques to recall such information?
In the remainder of this book, I'm going to share with you
two techniques that deal with this situation. I have been researching
them for years and by now thousands of people have used them.
The results are absolutely astounding. Letters arrive on a regular
basis from people who use the particular techniques you're about to

learn. They write because there's so much emotion associated with

being able to find a precious object they had lost, getting back in
touch with a long-lost friend, or recalling something they learned
but thought they had long forgotten.
The two techniques are very, very simple. As a matter of fact,

if I receive one comment more than any other, it's that they seem
too simple to work. Of course, some of the greatest truths in life

are simple. And just like the simple truth, these techniques don't
have to be difficult to work.
I have to admit, however, that the techniques are not foolproof.
 Breaking Bad Habits and Retrieving Lost Memories 317

We don't know why yet but they don't work 100 percent of the

time. If applied in a consistent and persistent manner, though, they

do work the majority of the time. Each technique takes about ten
minutes to apply, each day, every day. If you have no success the first

day, try it again tomorrow. Whatever information you are seeking to

retrieve may not come back tomorrow, either, so continue to apply
the technique on an ongoing basis until it does come to you. In most
cases, the information comes back after only a few sessions; occasion-
ally it can take months. Some people have been unsuccessful (at least

so far) in finding what they are looking for.

When I discussed the effect your body and your memory have
on each other in Chapter 8, I told you how much stress affects recall.

That is true both in situations where the stress is short-term (you

are under a lot of pressure at work for a few days or weeks) or
long-term. Long-term blockage can be caused by emotional pain. If
there are painful memories associated with an event, and unconsciously
you don't want to experience the pain, the memories associated with
that event are suppressed. Sometimes, physical pain is associated with

the event as well. Many different therapies have been developed to try

to help people free themselves of these blocks. An analogy used to ex-

plain how many of those therapies work is the peeling away of the
layers of an onion to get at the suppressed memories.
The Mega Memory techniques work similarly. You know that
the information you want to recall is somewhere in your memory.

But it is held back by other information surrounding it. The tech-

niques are not a substitute for therapy and do not claim to resolve
the complex emotional problems for which one goes to therapy, of
course. But applied persistently and consistently, they can bring back
pieces of information that you may have thought had been lost

for good.

Technique I

The first technique has three steps:

i. Decide specifically what you want to remember and write

it down.
3 1 8 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

2. As best you can, try to pinpoint the moment when you first

realized that something was missing.

3. Try to relive that moment by asking yourself "backdrop"
and "feeling" questions.

You must first decide exactly what you want to recall, and
write it down. And you must do so in a positive, affirmative manner.
If you lost a pair of sunglasses, for example, don't just write: "I lost

my sunglasses." Write: "I want to remember where I put my

sunglasses."
After you have decided exactly what it is that you want to

recall and have written it down, you then try to relive the moment
when you first realized an object was missing. If you are trying to

remember "lost" information, you try to relive, as best you can, the
circumstances of your first learning information.
You do this by taking step three, asking yourself what I call

backdrop and feeling questions. You have to ask yourself those ques-

tions out loud. Throughout the book, I have put major emphasis on
speaking out loud because it has a greater impact on memory. It's

just as important with this technique; you want those neural passages
in the brain to be processing the information in as many different

ways as possible.

Using the example of lost sunglasses, let's go through the ques-

tions you would ask yourself. As best you can, go back to the mo-
ment when you first realized your sunglasses were lost. Let's say it

was while you were watching television one night. Picture yourself
watching television. See it vividly. Now start asking specific ques-
tions about that night — the more specific the better. Here are some
of the questions you might ask yourself: "Why was the television
on? What was I watching? Was I doing anything else? Where was
I What did the couch or chair look like? Was I cooking
sitting?

anything at the same time? Was I eating (snacking)? Were there

any sounds I remember from that night? Who else was in the room
with me? Were we talking about anything? What was I doing the
moment before I discovered the sunglasses were lost? What did I

do after? What kind of mail did I get that day?"

 Breaking Bad Habits and Retrieving Lost Memories 319

Continue to ask yourself such questions, being as specific as

you can. Don't forget to ask yourself about colors, sounds, smells,
and other sensations you may have experienced at that time. And
keep in mind that your questions are not about the object you are
trying to remember but about the circumstances surrounding the

moment you realized the object was lost. That's why I call them
backdrop questions.
After spending a few minutes on backdrop questions, proceed
to the next type of question, the feeling question. That is extremely
important. "How did I feel that night? Was in I a good mood?
Was I in a bad mood? Was I having fun? Was I stressed? Why
was I feeling this way? Did I feel hurt that day for any reason?
Did I experience any physical pain, a backache, a headache? Did I

have a spat with my spouse? Did I receive any good news? Bad
news r
Keep the questions coming, out loud and nonstop for about

five or ten minutes. And as you are asking yourself these questions,
try to picture the scene as well.

Let me explain what's happening during the questioning. As I

said in the beginning of this chapter, your mind is an associating

computer. Every bit of information is linked to some other bit of
information. You need to find the "something" that is linked to the
object you are trying to recall. By asking all these questions, we're
trying to find that special link. At the same time, we're also trying
to unblock any emotional pain that might be preventing the informa-
tion from surfacing, peeling the onion, so to speak. We're trying to

isolate and neutralize the power that any hurt, discomfort, fear,

anger, or other emotion has over the information. Once we do this,

the information begins to be released.

In trying to decide how long to keep asking yourself questions,
notice when you begin to feel bored. Paradoxically, getting bored is

a good sign. When you're bored, you're not concentrating very hard
on what you are doing. There's a greater chance you will get beyond
the think stage and into the look/search stage of the unconscious.
So try to continue if you're bored; you're increasing the chances of
success. Although the time involved varies from person to person
320 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

and situation to situation, on average, I recommend about fifteen

minutes of questioning.
To end the questioning session, you need to give yourself a

command to recall the information. Hopefully, now that all the data

is closer to the surface, a positive command to release the information

will do just that. Be specific, treating your mind as you would a

subordinate. "Mind, let me recall where my sunglasses are." "Mem-

ory, let me remember easily and effortlessly, right now, what I did
with Aunt Josephine's tie."

Once you've made this command, go about your daily business.

Try to forget about what you've just been doing; information has a
tendency to bubble up to consciousness when you're not thinking
about it.

Sometimes it takes just one session of questioning; more often,

however, it takes a few days and longer. But all of a sudden, when
you're not thinking about it, perhaps while you're doing something
at work or driving the car, you have a flash, "Oh, that's where the
sunglasses are!" Your ten to fifteen minutes have paid off! For a
simple mind exercise, it's incredibly effective.
At a seminar I was once conducting, a woman approached me
in the hallway, describing to me what happened when she had used
this technique to recover a lost ring. At some point about three years
before, the ring had slipped off her finger without her being aware
of it. But her body had felt the ring come off, and the knowledge
of it was in her memory.
She faithfully went through the technique I just taught you for
a ten-day period. Then, as she told me, "on the eleventh day, I was
in the grocery store walking down the aisle with all the paper and
tissue products. All of a sudden, boom! It dawned on me that the
ring fell off as I was putting towels away in the bathroom cabinet,
which also has all the tissue paper in it. When I put the towels in,

the ring came off my hand. I rushed back home, took the towels
off the shelf, and there was the ring!"
Everything is linked to something else. Three years before,
when this woman had opened the cabinet to put the towels in, she
saw tissue paper. Her mind registered seeing tissue paper, while her
 Breaking Bad Habits and Retrieving Lost Memories 321

body felt the ring come off. There was the special link. But this

information was locked away in her unconscious and she was unable
to bring it back. Using our technique, she conditioned her mind
into making the connection — when she wasn't consciously thinking

about it, in the aisle of the grocery store. This is a wonderful exam-
ple of how the technique works retrieving data that seems forever
lost. For me, it's very gratifying to see such results.
Let me quickly tell you one other success story. Remember the

woman who couldn't find her jewelry box after coming back from
her three-month vacation? I got in touch with her and convinced
her to try my technique. And, she found it! It was in a dog food
container under the sink. What had suppressed the information in
this case was the death of her dog, which occurred while she was
away. The dog was old and had been rather sickly for some time.

Sending it to the vet, as they had done before the trip, didn't seem
like a big deal at the time. But because it died while they were
away, this caused the woman to have some feelings of remorse and
sadness. Therefore, the food container became a slight emotional
block, and she couldn't remember where she had put the jewelry.
After using these techniques, she was cleaning her house one day,
when all of a sudden it dawned on her. In her mind's eye, she saw
the dog and the dog food container with the jewelry box in it.

Practicing this technique has an added benefit. The longer and

more persistently you use it for recall of specific things, the more
you begin to "loosen up" other information as well. That is very
beneficial, because it helps stimulate your imagination and your over-
all mental functioning. It's like a good house cleaning or tune-up
for the car. When I began researching these techniques and using
them, I found all of a sudden I was remembering things I hadn't
consciously tried to remember.
Let's quickly review the technique. (1) Decide specifically what
you want to remember and write it down. (2) As best you can, try

to pinpoint the moment when you first realized that something was
missing. (3) Try to relive that moment by asking yourself "backdrop"
and "feeling" questions. Do it in vivid detail. Picture colors, smells,

sounds, and other sensations. Try to picture exactly where you were.
322 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory™

Who was with you? What were you talking about? Then focus on
your feelings to try and unlock any emotional blocks. By asking
yourself these questions, you are retelling the story of what hap-
pened.Make sure you do it out loud to maximize its effectiveness.

And finally, program yourself with a positive command to your

memory to release the information.

Technique 2
There is a second technique, which, if used concurrently with the
first, helps the first to work better and much more quickly. It can
be used alone, though I don't find that alone it produces nearly the
same great results.

The second technique is a visualization/relaxation technique. It

is designed to harmonize the functioning of the left and right hemi-

spheres of your brain so that it enters into a state of brain wave
production known as the alpha state. Being in this state helps the

unconscious mind to work with you to produce whatever informa-

tion you are trying to recall more quickly and effortlessly.

This technique works as follows: Lie down on any flat comfort-

able surface, and close your eyes. It is helpful to be in low light or
in the dark. With eyes closed, look straight up, moving your eyes
as far as they can go toward your forehead. But don't strain. Con-
tinue to do this throughout the technique, and keep your eyes closed.
Picture yourself at the top of a very long escalator. See yourself
slowly going down that escalator, and as you do, count down out
loud from fifty. When you reach "one," step off the escalator into

the most beautiful, perfect, peaceful place you can imagine. For some
people, that may be next to a tree. For others, it's a beach. But it

must be beautiful and peaceful —and completely relaxing. Once you

are tuned in to this picture, give yourself a positive self-suggestion
out loud, as you did before. Command your mind, by speaking out
loud, to recall all the information you need, and tell yourself, "Mem-
ory, give me back easily and effortlessly all the information I want."
This moves you toward the autopilot mode in which your uncon-
scious begins to work for you.
If you are doing this in combination with Technique 1, do it
 —

Breaking Bad Habits and Retrieving Lost Memories 323

after you've asked yourself the backdrop and feeling questions. That
will put you in as relaxed a mode as possible as you command your
mind to release whatever information you are looking for.

As I mentioned in the very first chapter of the book, I love

receiving letters from people telling me the results they've experi-

enced from studying Mega Memory. I also enjoy live appearances

whether on television, radio, or in person, when people call in or

come up to me and tell me what they like or don't like about the
program. The mind and memory are fascinating topics, and I'm
always happy to hear new ideas, critiques, and feedback. Now that

you've finished the entire Mega Memory program, I want to say to

you, "Feel free to write me. Let me know what you liked about the
book. Tell me how it's helped you." Use the address and phone
number on page 352.
The techniques I've taught you are universal. You can apply
them to any area, in any situation. I hope the examples I've given
you inspire you to think of other ways to use your newly trained
memory. Be creative and practical at the same time. And above all

have fun!

Chapter 28 — Review
Breaking Bad Habits
i. Create vivid pictures of yourself engaging in the habit you
are trying to break.
2. Include negative emotions with those pictures — as many
negative emotions as you can.

3. Chain the pictures together, using exaggerated, nonsensical

action.

4. Create pictures with positive emotions where you are not

engaged in the habit.

5. Chain the pictures together, using exaggerated, nonsensical

action.
324 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory™

6. Run both sets of pictures through your mind for about ten
to fifteen minutes a day, for as long as you need to.

Recalling Past Information

Technique I

i. Decide specifically what you want to remember and write

it down.
2. As best you can, try to pinpoint the moment when you first

realized that something was missing.

3. Try to relive that moment by asking yourself "backdrop"
and "feeling" questions.

Technique 2
1. Lie down on a flat surface.

2. Close your eyes.

3. With eyes closed, look straight up, moving your eyes as far

as they can go toward your forehead.

4. Picture yourself going down an escalator.

5. Count out loud backward from 50 to 1.

6. Picture yourself stepping off the escalator into the most

beautiful, perfect place you can.
7. By speaking out loud, command your mind to remember
whatever information you are trying to recall.
 Name Guide

The following is a list of suggested pictures and picture

words for male and female given names and surnames.

Male Names Alger — algae

Aaron — gun air —

Alistair ailing stairs

Abe — ape Alonzo — long zoo

a

Abel — Abe (Abraham Lincoln

able Alvin — vintage
ailing (liquor)

Abner — with
apple on fur it Ambrose —amber rose

Abraham — ape ham eating Amos— American moss

Abram —ape ramming camera a Anatole — lower anatomy (use your

Adam — dam a imagination)

Adolf — a dolphin —
Andrew ants' shoe(s)
Adrian — a dream —
Andy android feet
Al— allergy Angelo— angel eating Jell-O, angel
Alan — a lion cow
Albert — albatross Angus —angry bus
Aldous — adulterer Anlos— ant lost
Alec — almanac Anselm — psalm
ant
Alex — alchemist Anthony — ants in a tree
Alexander — a leg sander Archibald — arched bald (head)
Alphonse — a pine hose Archie — arched feet

Alf—an elf Armand —almond

Alfred — a red elf Arnold — arm hold

325
326 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory 7

Art — artist, artwork Bradley —bread with leaves

Arthur —author Brandon — branding

Artie— wearing
artist a tie Brian — brine

Ashley — and
ashes leaves Brock — brick

Aubrey — auburn key Broderick — broad crook

August— wind)
a gust (of Bruce — bruise

Augustine —august (brown stein Bud — rosebud, Budweiser beer

leaves on it) Buddy — bee on rosebud a

Austin —august (brown tin tin) Burt — bad burn, burnt steak

Axel — axle Burton — of

bird tin

Baldwin — bald twin Byron — brine

Barnaby — barn of bees Caesar — Julius Caesar's seal

Barney — barn on knee, bar on knee Calvin —cave Calvin Klein

in, jeans

Barrett— gun
a baretta Cameron —Camaro
Barry — bury
berry, Carl — curl

Bart — barn Carlos — on

car nose, car the loose

Bartholomew — barn on pew a Carroll—Christmas carol, rolling

Barton — bar weighing ton a Carter — boat

car in a tree, charter

Benedict — bean duct (duct that car- Cary — carry

ries beans) Caspar — cast a (fishing) line, cantor

Ben —bench (in a synagogue)

Benny —bench feet Cecil— seal

Benjamin — bent pajama Cedric — on

seed a brick

Bennett — bend a net Chad — chat (verb or noun)

Bentley — Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Charles — charcoal
bend a knee Charlie — Charlie the Tuna, char-
Bernard — Saint Bernard, barnyard coal lighter

Bernie — burn a knee Charlton — charcoal by the ton

Bert— bird Chester — chest of drawers, jester
Bertram — bird and ram Chet — jet chest
Bertrand — bird ran Chris — cross, kiss, Christ

Bill—duck's bill, dollar bill Christian — kiss tin, cross of tin

— goat
Billy billy Christopher — kiss a fur

Bob— bobbing for apples, bobcat, Chuck —ground chuck

bobsled (hamburger)
Bobby —bobby pin Clarence — dance
clarinet
Boris—bore us Clark — Clark Kent, Clark
clock,
Boyd — boy doll bar (candy)
Brad — bread Claude — cloud, clawed
Bradford — bread in a Ford Clayton — clay that weighs a ton
 —

Name Guide 327

Clem —clam I )ominick — dominoes

Clement —cement Don — Mafia don, down (goose

Cliff— cliff down)

Clifford — cliff with a Ford going Donald — Donald Duck, dawn bald

over it Donny — down

geese

Clifton— weighs
cliff that a ton Dorian — door ant

Clint—canned lint Doug—dug

Clinton — ton a lint Douglas — dug a glass

Clive — clove Drew —drew, brew

Clyde — Clydesdale horse, collide Duane — dug dug vane
a vein, a

with a horse Dudley — dead

deadly, leaves

Cole— coal Duke — duke, duck

Colin— coal falling in Duncan — dunking, Dunkin'
Conrad — con(vict) rat Donuts
Corey — core, coral Dustin —dusting
Cornel —corn elk Dwight —dead weight, Dwight
Cornelius — corn ears Eisenhower
Craig —crack Earl — earl (feudal), elephant with a
Curtis—curfew, current list (things curled tusk
to do) Ebenezer —Ebenezer Scrooge,
Cyris— cereal sneezer
Cyrus — on
siren a (jack)ass Ed —Mister Ed, Eden
Damon —demon Eddie —eddy (back current in a

Dan — dam
den, river)

Daniel — den with a bell in it Edgar —headgear, Ed's car

Danny —den on a knee Edmund —eddy mound (many

Darren —dagger, dart (hitting a eddies)

wren) Edward —head ward, toward Eden

Darryl— rolling dart Edwin — head wind, Eden wind
Dave— dive, divine cave Egbert egg and bird
David — of David,
Star dive, divot Elbert — elk with a bird
Davy — Davy day
Crockett, to see —
Eli eel eye
Dean —dean (of school) —
Elias eel highest, eel heist

Dennis — dentist —
Ellery celery, electric eel

Derek — derelict (noun), derrick — yacht

Elliot eel

(large crane) —
Ellis eel ass

Dexter—deck stir Elmer — Elmer Fudd, elk with a

Dick —deck mermaid
Dirk —dark, dirt Emanuel — manual (noun)
easy
Dom —domino Emery —emery board
328 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 7

Emmet —enemy Gene —blue jeans

Emil— electric mill Geoffrey —chef who is free, chef in

Enoch — eunuch a tree

Erasmus — most
erase (of it), George —gorge
earmuffs Gerald — jeer that is old

Eric —earache Gideon — guiding beacon

Ernest — ear nest (birds in your Gifford — Ford
give a

ear) Gil— fish gill

Ernie — and knee

ear — on
Gilbert gills a bird

Errol — Errol Flynn, ear roll (roll- Glenn — (meadow)

glen

ing ears) Godfrey — God God

is free, in a

Erwin — ear and wind, ear blowing tree

in the wind Godwin —God in the wind

Ethan — eat ham, eating, Ethan Gordie—gourd of a tree

Allen (furniture) Gordon —gourd that weighs a ton

Eugene —ewe in jeans Graham — graham crackers

Evan —evening in a van Grant — granite, Ulysses S. Grant

Everett —evergreen tree Greg—gray keg
Felix — an X,
feel feel eggs Gregory —gray gory (gray blood),

Ferdinand — hand
fur in gray glory
Fletcher — her
fetcher, fetch Griff —graph
Floyd — flood —
Griffin grip agraph of
fin, a fin

Foster — wound)
fester (festering Grover— roaring grove
lion in a

Fran — frown Gunther — gunner, gun a store

Francis — Francis Mule,

the fan kiss Gus — wind)
gas, gust (of

Frank — frankfurter Gustave — gas cove

gas stove,
Franklin — Benjamin Franklin, Guy —guide (noun)
frankfurter standing in line Hadley — head on knee
Franny —frown with knee in it, Hal— hall, hail

cut-off hot dog with knee Hank —handkerchief

Fred — frayed, fried Hans — hands, hens
Freddy — fried, frayed Harlan — Harley (motor-
hollering,

Frederick — fried or frayed feet cycle) on land

Fritz— Fritz the Cat, freeze Harold— hair that is old
Gabriel —grab a reel Harry— hair
Garrett — glare at a net Harvey — hard carving (carving in
Gary —gear free (no gears) stone)
Gaston — by
gas the ton Hector — hick
heckler, store
Gavin — judge's gavel, gravel Henry —Oh Henry! candy bar, a

Gaylord — gay a lord hen with a ray gun

 Name Guide 329

Herb— herb j. lines jams

Herbert— herb and bird Jamie — jam on your knee
Herman — man, Hercules
her Jared — red jar, broken jagged
Hiram — man
hire a glass jar

Hobart — hobo bird, hobnobbing Jarvis— whiz

jar fizz, jar

with art Jason — sun

jay(bird) in the

Homer — homer (in baseball) Jasper—exasperated with a jar (it

Horace — horse won't open)

Horatio — horse you at Jay — jay(bird), jail

Howard — hoe forward (as in Jed — jester

farming) Jeff — jiffy, falling jet

Howie — hoeing to plant beet, hoe —

Jeffrey jet in a tree

one's feet Jeremiah — mired jet

Hoyt — hoist Jeremy — my

fleeing jet, jet

Hubert — huge bird Jerome — roaming jet, jet room

Hugh — huge heart (where jets are kept)

Hugo— huge glow Jerry— jar a cherry (off a bush)

Humphrey — hump a tree Jess— jazz

Hyman — high man Jesse— (wings

jazzy jet jagged)
Ian— Ian Fleming
ion, Jim — gym, gym jungle
Ichabod — ink on bud a Jimmy — my gym, jimmy door a

Ignace — ignore taste Joe—sloppy joe, G.I. Joe

Ignatius— ignore nauseousness Joel— jowl

jewel,

Igor— eye gore

ignore, Joey— sloppy
eating a joe

Ingram — ink gram John — John (toilet)

Ira— IRA Iran, (retirement) Johnny — on knee

toilet a

Irv— nerve
irate Jonah — man "ah" while
saying
Irving— nerves
ivy using the John (relief)

Irwin — wind
irked Jonas —using the John with one's
Isaac—eye eye
sack, sick ass

Isadore— on dooreyes a Jonathan—John (toilet) that is thin

— on
Israel eyes a rail Jordan —jaw of tin

Ivan —eye on van a Jose—hose

Ivor—eye and and oar
oar, ivy Joseph — syphoning a sloppy joe

Izzy — anger
iffy tizzy (is the through a hose
righteous?) Joshua— job for department of
Jack — car jack, jack-in-the-box, water and power
jumping jack Juan — wand
Jacob — Jacob's ladder, jack up Jud — jug
Jake — jock who is fake Judson — jug in the sun
330 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory 7

Jules — jewels Lonney —low knee, Lone Ranger

Julian — julienne chef salad, jewel on his knee
and ant Lou —low blue (color)

Julio— jewel that's low Louis — goose

louvers, loose

Julius— on an
jewel ass Lowell — low low L well,

Justin— gust of wind

a justice, Lucas — low lookkiss, kiss

Keith — key
key, in teeth, teeth Lucian — loose shin

Ken — can Ludwig — wig, lug and wig

load

Kenneth —can on a net Luke — lukewarm Coolwater, look,

Kent — canned, with

tent K big Hand Luke
Kevin — cave heaven
in, Luther— Lex Luther, loose floor

Kimball — can of can on

balls, a ball Lyle— on lily a tile

King— king Lynn — linament, line

Kirk — kick a bird Mac — Mack Big Mac

truck,

Kyle — baby crying for a ball (hamburger)

Laird — layered, lard Mai — mail
Lance — lance, lands Malcolm — mail come, mail comb
Lancelot — Sir Lancelot, lance a cot Manny — man with big feet
Larry — lariat Marcus — mark (jack)ass

Lawrence — law law of

for ants, Mario — mark an Oreo cookie
France Mark — marker, marking pen
Lee —Lee Robert
jeans, Lee E. Marshall — marshal mark (sheriff),

Lem —lamb a shell

Len — camera)
lend, lens (eye or Martin—Martian (man from Mars)
Lenny — on
lend a knee, lens knee a Marty— mar mark tea, tea

Leo — lion Marv — mar mark on

or vampire a

Leon — on
lean Marvin — mar mark or a vintage

Leonard — yard
lean hard, a lean (liquor)

Leroy — leaves on
toll, leaves a toy Mason —mason, mason my son jar,

Les — less Matt —doormat

Leslie— less leaves Matthew — mat and ewe, mat pew
Lester— less tear Maurice — more more rice, ice

Linus — Linus (and Lucy), blanket, Maury — moray more leeway,

eel,

lined paper more keys, more feet

Lionel —Lionel train, lion lying on Max —mix, maximum

a field Maximilian — makes a million

Lloyd —Lloyd's of London, light Maxwell — mix in a well

turned on by a boy Maynard — main mane yard,

Lon — Lone Ranger .(horse) yard
 Name Guide 331

Mel — melt, melon Noah — Noah's no ark, air

Melvin — melt, melon, melt van, Noel — Christmas, Noel

melon van Norbert — north sherbet bird,

Meredith — mare in a ditch Norman — Norseman, horseman

Merv — make marvel, mercury
love, Norton — north north ton, tin

Mervin — morbid van Ogden — den

otter's

Michael — microphone Olaf— laughing otter

Mickey — Mickey Mouse Oliver— olive

Mike — microphone Orson — oar in the sun

Miles — miles Oscar —orange car, (jack)ass car,

Milton — melt a ton Academy award

Mitch — match, mulch, mitt Oswald — (jack)ass, old wall

Mitchell—mitt shell Otto — auto, a toe

Monroe — man row (a boat) Owen — win an otter

Montague — man playing tag Pat — of

pat butter, lily pad
Montgomery — mound of gum in Patrick— of pat butter on a brick

your hair Paul — pole

Monty — Mountie (Canadian po- Pedro — row

paid
lice), mound of tea —purse
Percival fall

Morgan —morgue can, mortgage in Percy — purse with a big C, purse

a can sea

Morris—more Morris Cat rice, the Perry —pear with a big E, Perrier

Mortimer — morgue timer (water)

Morton — morgue tin Pete — peat (moss), pleat (in a skirt)
Moses — Moses (Bible) Peter — peter out, pedestrian

Murray — more ray Phil— fill

Nat —gnat — pump,
Phillip gas filled cup, pill

Nathan —gnat your hand

in in a tux

Nathaniel —gnat tanning and Phineas — on an

fin (jack)ass

yelling Pierce— pierce (ears)

Ned — kneeling of bed
in front a Pierre—pea pea air, hair
Neil— kneel Prescott— and press cot

Nelson — kneel sun

in the Preston — and
press ton
Nero— knee row, hero with a big Quentin — of
quotient tin

N Quincy — wind and sea, quotient of

Newton —Fig Newton, newtons the sea (part of the sea)
(measurement), Isaac Newton Ralph— raft

Nicholas — nickel and (jack)ass — ram and

Randall doll

Nick — nickel, neck Randolph — ram and dolphin

332 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory 7

Randy —ram and tea, ram and a Ross— rust, boss

bigD Roy — Roy Rogers (TV cowboy)

Raphael — raft fill, raft fall Rudolph — Valentino
reindeer,

Ray — ray of light, ray fish Rufus — roof fuzz

—
Raymond ray and mound, ray Rupert— roof bird

and man Russ — rush, rust

Reggie— G, regiment (army)

red —
Russell rustle

Reginald — red gold, red wall Sal— a salad

Reuben — Reuben (sandwich) Salvatore—salamander, door with a

Rex — wrecks, racks salve on it, salad

Reynolds — wren Reynold'sold, Sam — Uncle Sam

Wrap Sammy — Uncle Sam on your knee
Rich — lots of money, sugar bowl, Samson — Uncle Sam sun in the

Ritz cracker Samuel — Uncle Sam on mule a

Richard— yard
rich heart, rich Sandy — sand
Richie— rich feet Saul — soul, sole

Rick — rock
brick, Scott— towel
Scotch, Scott

Rob— robe Sean — sauna

Robbie — bee robe
stuck in a Sebastian— sun
sea bass in the

Robert — robe and

robber, bird Seth — stethoscope
a

Robin — robin (red breast) Seymour — moor sea

Rod — rod Sheldon — down

shell

Roddy — rowdy Shelley— with shell feet

Roderick — rod and rob brick, a Sherman — German, and man shirt

brick Sid — sit

Rodney — rod and knee, rot knee Sidney — on knee

sit a

Roger— rod and chair Silas— silo, silence

Roland — and
roll land, row and Simeon —cinnamon
land Simon — and man, Simon
sign says

Rollo — roll with an O, polo (water —

Sinclair Sinclair gasoline (dino-

or horse) saur), sink and lair

Rolph— roll off Sol — sole

Ron — run, rum Solomon — man, wise man

silo

Ronald —Ronald McDonald, run Spencer —Spencer Tracy, spend

old sore
Ronnie — run and knee Stan — stand (noun), stem
Rory — roaring bees Stanley—stand on leaves

Roscoe — Bosco (chocolate syrup), Stephen — and hen

stove
rescue Steve — stove, sleeve
 Name Guide 333

Steven— van steel Vernon — Venus on (glowing)

Stewart — steward (airline), stew Vic— Vicks (cough syrup)

and art Victor— Viking

Stu—stew Vince — vine

—
Sylvester silver in a vest Vincent — mint vine

Tad — tadpole Vinnie — with

vine on bees it

Ted — teddy bear

half a Wade — wade (in a pool)

Teddy — teddy bear Waldo — and dough

wail

Terrence — tear ants Wallace — andwall walrus lace,

Terry — terry cloth Wally — with

wall on bees it

Tex — Texas, tax, tacks Walt — waltz

welt,

Theo— the Oval Office Walter — waiter

wall tear,

Theodore — door the Ward — ward

Thomas — thermos Warren — warden
Thurston — thirsty ton Wayne — John Wayne, weigh in

Tim — Tiny Tim

timer, (for aboxing match)
Timmy — tinny Will — wilted flower, well, last will

Timothy — tin tea and testament

Titus — and tide (jack)ass William —yam on a wilted flower,

Tobias — buy toe (jack)ass yam in a well

Toby — and bee

toe Willis— on an
will (jack)ass

Tod — toad Willy — wire, wilted feet (tired feet)

Tom —tom-tom drum, turkey, Zach — zebra with a crack in its

thumb back
Tommy —tummy
Tonio— and knee with
toe a big O
Tony — Tony the Tiger, toe and Female Names
knee Abbey — bee a

Tracy — trace feet Abigail— bee a in a pail, a big ale

Ty — tie (noun) Ada — Band-Aid

Tyler— tire Addy — abbey
Tyrone — rowing
tie Adele — a bell

Ulysses— you withlifting ease Adeline — dandelion

a

Upton — uptown, Lipton (tea bags) Adelle — a dell, a dill pickle, a ladle

Valentine — heart, valentine card Adrianne — dry a ant

Van — van Agatha — a gate tore

Vance — vans Aggy — guy, aggravated

a bees
Vergil— Virgin Mary
the Agnes — aggravated of nest bees
Vern — Venus Alberta — Albany
albatross, tan
334 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 7

Alexandra — a pair of legs made of Beckie —bad key, peck a key

sand Belinda — bell in a window

Alexis — a leg, person with one leg Bella— bell
running for the exit Belle— bell
Alice— a lice, a lace Bernadette —burn a debt, burn a

Alison — ofa list lice net

Alixe — by
ax, liveax the Bernadine — iodine bottle, match

Amanda — man with panda

a bottle

Ambrose — amber ambrosia rose, Bernice —burn a noose, burn, burn

Amelia — mealy banana,
airplane, a your knee
a meal Bertha—bath
Amy —aim, amiable Beryl—bear that's ill

Andrea — Andromeda, dreary Bess — bass

anathema Bessie— bees in the sea

Angela —angel and Jell-O Beth — bath, bet

Angelica— angel, triangle Bethel—bath with an L

Angie — keyant —
Bittina ballerina

Anita — anteater Betty— betting

Ann(e) — ant Beulah — bugle

Anna — ant, apple, annihilate, Bev — beverage can
bevel, beaver,

anathema Beverly — beaver with leaves,

Annabel — on ants a bell beverage

Annette — a net Bianca —breath spray, bee on a

Annie — knee a car, banker

Antoinette — a torn net Billie — billy goat, billy club
April —ape roll Blanche— ranch with bees
—
Arabel(la) air in a bell Bobbie — bobby pin, London
Arlene — leaning (good aria exer- policeman
—making one
cise lean) Bonnie —bony, bonnet
Audrey — laundry (hanging
airing it Brenda — broom, branding iron

out to dry) Bridget — bridge

Augusta — a gust of wind Camille —camel
Aurelia — aria of August Candice —candy with aces, can
Ava — Avon lady ringing doorbell with aces
Aveline — a jar of Vaseline Candida —can of deeds full

Avis — wiza Candy —candy

Babette — bad bet Cara — ah-chooing
car (sneezing)
Barbara — barber, barbed wire Carla — with
car lace

Bea — bee Carlotta— car lot

Beatrice— beat rice —
Carlotte car in a lot
 Name Guide 335

Carmcl —caramel Colette — collie in a bed or tangled

Carmelita —caramel with leaves in a net

Carmen — and man

car Colleen— leaning
collie

Carol — Christmas carol, coral Connie —cone on knee

Caroline — Christmas
carry a line, Constance — dancing
con(vict)

carolers drinking wine Cora — coral

Carrie— carry (verb) Corinne — apple cores raining

Cass — kiss Cornelia —corn with nails

Cassandra — cot with sand on it Crystal— crystal

Catherine — cat, cat with orange Cynthia — cinders adult

in tux, the-

rind, queen ater, sin theater

Ceal— seal beach

envelope, ball Dagmar —dagger with Magic
Cecilia— ceiling Marker
Celeste—cedar chest Dale—dally, doll

Celina — seal that is lean or leaning Daphne —dolphin

Charlene — charcoal-covered jeans Darlene — door with beans
Charlotte—cherry in a lot Dawn —dawn, down
Charmaine —charred mane, char- Debbie —dead deputy,
bee,

coal, toilet paper debutante

Cherry — cherry Deborah —dead boar
Cheryl — chair Delia — you some
deal cards
Chiquita — Chiquita banana, Denise —dead deputy, bee,

chicken with a key debutante

Chloe — clover with bees around it Desiree — heart's desire, desert,

Chris — cross, Christ on cross dessert

Chrissie — cross in the sea Diana —dying ants

Christina — crucifix or Christmas Diane —dying ants, tie hand

tree with apple Dinah — dying
Christine —Christmas tree Dixie — Dixie cups
Cicely — sis being silly Dolly— Dolly Parton, doll
Claire — eclair, bucket clear water, Dolores — resting doll

Lady Clairol Dominique —dominoes

Clara — clarinet Donna —Donald Duck, doughnut
Claudette —clawed at, claw a debt, Dora — door with an ax in it

claw a bed Doreen —door wearing jeans

Claudia—cloud Doris — doors
Claudine—cloud raining dimes Dorothy — door with on tea it

Clementine — clam on a valentine Dot — dots

Cleo — Cleopatra, cling on to a cliff Dottie— of fleet dots, teasing dots

Cloris—chorus Edie —eddy

336 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 1

Edith— frothy eddy —

Flossie dental floss

Edna — natural eddy, nocturnal Frances—France, frantic seizure

eddy Francesca — Fresca (soda), fanning

Effie — effortless tease (can tease a fresco

effortlessly) Freida — fried egg

Eileen — eye leaning Fritzi — Fritz the Cat

Elaine — chocolate eclair, Plains In- Gabrielle — a gabby (talking) bell

dians, eels that complain Gail—gill (fish)

Eleanor — eel in a bowling lane Genevieve — genie a in leaves

Elise — a lease, eel cold as ice Georgiana —gorge with ants

Elizabeth — eels are best in bed, eels Georgina —gorge with genie
and lizards in a bath Geraldine —dining with a jerk

Ellen — eel island, lending an ear Gertrude —green bird interrupting

Ellie — eels lying or leaving (being rude)

Eloise — eels squeezing or making Gina — ash-colored jeans
noise Ginger —gingerbread man, ginger
Elsie— eels in the sea snaps
Elva — vaccinating eels Ginny — of
bottle on your kneegin
Emily — empty family Gisele— gazelle

Emma —empty ma (mother) Gladys —glad to tease

Erica — with
ear card a Glenda —dining glen in a

Erma — urn Gloria —glow, glory

Ernestine — urn and a stein Grace — grass

Essie— elf (elflike) Gretchen —groveling kitchen in the

Estelle— elfy (elflike), eastern belle Hannah — hand

(southern belle) or bell Harriet — hairy chest

Esther— Bunny
Easter Hattie — with
hat bees in it

Ethel— ethel gasoline Hazel — hazy elephants

Eunice — unicycle, united Heather — on
helter-skelter, lying

Eva — Eve with apple the heath

Eve — Christmas Eve, evoke evil Heidi— someone hiding
Evelyn —evening lynch Helen— lend Helen of Troy
hell,

Faith— wraith
furious Helena — hell in a nutshell

Fanny — fan or tan one's feet Hilda— a hill

Fay — falling into hay Hildegarde — hill full of guards

—
Felicia fleece Holly —boughs of holly, holey (full

Fern — fern plant of holes)

—French poodle
Fifi Honey—honey
Flora — flowers Hope — Bob Hope, hopping over a

Florence — dancefloor rope

 Name Guide 337

Hortcnsc — horse that is tense, horse K.i i i Karo syrup, care package
in a tent with doughnut
Id.i -eye with polka dots Karen — care for a wren, carton

Irene— scene irate Kate — kite

—
Iris an eye
fist in Katherine — cat in a latrine, cat run
Irma — infirm arm Kathleen — cat with big feet

—
Isabel a bell, Istanbul, island of Kathy — cat

bells Katie — on golf kite a tee

Ivy — ivy on a wall Katrina — runningcat to the latrine

Jackie — car jack Kay — key

Jacqueline — car jack leaning Kim — kimono, kimchi
Jamie — jam on your knee Kirsten — curfew at ten

Jan — jam Kit — cat kiss, kilt

Jane — jam game a Kitty — kitten

Janet— jam in a net Krista— with

crucifix apple, crystal

Janice— noose
jeans in a Kristin— tin crucifix, crystal

Jean — jeans Laura — (evergreen

laurel tree), lard

Jeanette— jeans in a net Lauren — loud wren, lore of the dis-

Jeannie — genie
jeans, tant shore

Jennifer— janitor Laurie — with

laurel big leaves

Jenny — enemy
gentry, giraffe's Laverne —burning lashes, love an

—
Jessica king
jester for a urn
Jewel — jewels Leigh — leaf

Jill— jail Leona — a lioness

Jo— sloppy
G.I. Joe, joe Leonora — Leo the Lion snoring

Joan — Joan of Arc, ant on a Leslie— Lassie (the collie)

sloppy joe Libby — with lip a bee on it

Joanna — ant's jugular vein — with

Lillian lily ants on it

Jocelyn— sloppy
jostling a joe Lily— lily
Josephine — G.I. Joe in a latrine Linda — window
lint or

Joy—jamming buoy, joke a in a toy Lisa— Nova

lease a (car)

Joyce— juice Lois — low saucer

(flying)

Juanita—one knee and toe Loretta — lower low red it,

Judith— ofditch full juveniles, Lorna — Lorna Doone (cookies)

judge in a ditch Lorraine — low rain

Judy — judo Lottie— lottery

Julia— with
jewels apples Louise — low easel

—
Juliet jewels in a net Lucia — shawlloose

June — June bug Lucille— loose sail

—
Justine justice scales, tin man Lucinda — cinder loose
338 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 1

Lucy — Lucite
loose, Michelle—microphone in a shell

Luisa— ax loose Mildred — dead

a million

Lula — lukewarm lute —

Millicent a million cents

Lydia — lady, ladle Millie— of wheat

a mill

Lynne — liniment Mimi — mime with big feet

Mabel — maple syrup Minnie — Minnie Mouse, minnows

Madeline — mad at the line Miranda — mired sand in

Madge — maid's job Miriam — mirror ham

a

Madonna — mad onslaught Mitzi — can

a mitt that see or in

Maggie — magpie, mad key the sea

Maisie — maze through daisies Molly — mole on your knee

a

Mandy — mandolin, dying man Mona — Mona mole, monster

Lisa,

Marcella — ma's cellar Muriel — mural

Marcy — marching Myrtle — myrrh on a turtle

Margaret — market, margarine Nan — nanny, run

Marge — marring march
the job, Nancy — can
ants that see

Margie — march with sore feet Nannette — nuts in a net

Marguerite — margarita Naomi — nine meal
oats in a

Maria — marriage Natalie—gnat on gnat on

leaves,

Marian — mare with ants your knees

Marie — mare with big feet Nellie—kneel on knee one's

Marietta — marry teddy

a (bear) Netta — with apple
tennis net

Marilyn — marry an
at inn Nicole — nickel

Marjorie — my jury Nicolette— on nickel a net

Marlene — marlin on
a a fishing Nina — and
three ships {Nina, Pinta
hook Santa Maria), ant on a knee
Marsha — marsh marshmallow
or Nora —Norse legends, north pole
Martha — marvels of thyme Noreen — no rain

Mary — merry-go-round, bride Norma — normal

Mary Ellen — marry melon a Octavia — octopus in a cave

Mattie — doormat Odette —owe debt a

Maud — mud Olga —ogre

Maureen — marine Olive — olives

Maxine — Mack truck Mackscene, Olivia—Oliver Twist, old liver

truck in a latrine Opal — opal stone
Meg —megabyte, megaton, magma Pam — Spam
pan,
Melanie—melon on your knee Pamela — paneling
— molasses
Melissa Pandora — pan on a door, Pandora's
Mercedes — Mercedes-Benz box, pan pipes
Meredith — mare in a dish Pat — pat of butter
 Name Guide 339

Patricia — roof patches, rich pastor Kosie — rose with elephant

Patty — met patty, patty melt Rosita — -a rose eater

sandwich Roxanne — rocks with ants, rocks

Paula— her pull falling pole- in hand
Pauline— leaning pole Ruby — ruby, rude bee
Pearl— necklace
pearls, pearl Ruth — Baby Ruth candy bar, raft,

Peg — peg Miss Piggy (Muppets)

or Babe Ruth, roof
Peggy — elephant with pegs on it, Sabina — bee on your knee
save a

Miss Piggy Sadie — saddle

Penelope —antelope with a pen Sally— salad, sail

(draw on the antelope) Samantha — saw man a

Penny — penny (coin) Sandra — sander a

Phoebe — bee
free Sandy — sand
Phyllis — fill us, filled with dust Sarah — Sara Lee (coffee cake)

Polly — pulley, parrot Sasha — a sash

Priscilla — press the cellar, pass the Selma — ma

sell

Jell-O Shari—sheared fleece

Prudence — prune dancing Sharon — anshare iron

Rachel — ratchet, ray shining on Shawn — shawl on lawn

shell, rocket Sheila— shield

Ramona — ram Mona (Lisa), ram a Sherry — sherry

(wine)
mountain Sheryl — sherry tilting the brain
Rebecca — reach for a deck (of Shirley— free shirt, surly

cards), rub a deck of cards Sidney — on knee

sit

Regina — reach in, reach for a genie Sonia — Sony Walkman

Renee — on
rain knee a Sophia — bee on a sofa

Rhoda — road Stacy—bee on a stage

Rita— pocket
rotten pita Stella— stellar, celestial

Roberta — robed bird Stephanie — knee

stuff a

Robin — robin (bird) Sue — suit

Rochelle — row of shells Sue Ann — with suit ants

Ronnie — run of shells Susan — sew a fan

Rosa — flawed rose Susannah — an ant

sustain
Rosalie— on your knee
rose Susie—Sioux Indian sue tribe, for

Rosalind — on
rose land a xylophone
Rosalyn — rosin (bag) Sylvia— silverware
Rose — rose Tammy — men, tame tan a knee
Roseanne — with an
a rose ant on Teresa — trees

it, rose in sangria Terry — towel

terry cloth (or robe)

Rosemarie — rose marriage Tess — (noun)

test
340 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 7

Tessie — test your knee Abel—a bell

Theodora — ethereal door, the door Abelson — a bell in the sun

to the castle Abramowitz —ape ramming a

Theresa — trees, Mother Teresa witch

Tillie — till the fields, tiles with pic- Abrams—ape and rams
tures of lilies on them Abramson — ape and rams in the

Tina—teeny-weeny sun
Toby — with
toe bee on a it —ax son
Acheson a

Toni — and
toe knee, hair perm Ackerman — hacker man, acre of

(by Toni) men

Tracey — trachea, trace around Adams — dam a

one's feet Addison —add son a

— shawl
Tricia tree Adler — adultery

—
Trixie tricks Albert — Albany bird

Trudy — trudging with cold feet Albright — long a kit

through the snow Alcott— long

a cot

Ursula— urn cellar Aldrich — long a ditch

Vanessa — van wearing a dress Alexander — sander

a leg in the

Vera — beer
veer, Allen — Allen wrench, alley

Veronica — veering on ice (easy to Altman — man

a long, tan

slip, change direction) Alvares — of wares

a lot

Vicky —Vicks cough drops, Vik- Ambrose — amber rose

ing ship Amsterdam — hamster dam in a

Victoria — victory Anders — antlers

Viola — violet (flower), violent Anderson — sun

antlers in the

Virginia— virgin Andrews — drew,ant ant drool

Vivian — van
vibrant-colored Anthony — on knee
ant a

Wanda — wand Applebaum — apple with bomb a

Wendy —windy, Wendy's Archer — archer (bow and arrow)

hamburgers Armstrong— strong arm
Wilma —ma's document)
will (legal Arnold — arm
old
Winnie —Winnie Pooh the Aronowitz — run-
a runner's wits, a

Yvette — yellow Corvette ning witch

Yvonne — yellow van Arthur —author
Zoe — zoo
zebra, Ashburn — burning ashes
Atkins — tough
a skin (on an
animal)
Surnames Atkinson— tough a skin in the sun
Aaron — air run, heir — the son Atwater — a tall waterfall
Abbott — robot, a vault Auerbach —our back, hour back
 Name Guide 341

— and rod
Axel rod axle —
Betancourt betting a court

Babcock — bad cook, bad cock Birnbaum — burn a bomb, burn a

(rooster) bum
Bailey—bay leaf, Beetle Bailey Black — blackboard, blackjack
Baird — bear with beard a —baby
Blair (small) flare

Baker — bakery
baker, Blake — with
lake bee a in it

Baldwin — Baldwin organ, one bald Blum — plum with bee a in it

Ballard— mallard (duck)

ballad, Borden — boarding, border
with a B Boswell — boss in the well

Ballinger — and gear

ball Bowen — bowling
Bancroft —bank and loft, bank Boyd — boy with duck a

and craft Braddock — brand dock a

Bankhead —bank and head Bradley — bread and leaves

Barley—bard on a tree Bradshaw — bread and shawl

Barnett— withbar a net Brady — braid Brady Bunch
a bee,

Barrett— barrette, beret (TV)

Barry — berry Brandt —brand
— and
Bartlett bar lettuce Brennan —brand nun a

Bartley— and bar tea Brent — bent

Barton — and
bar andton, bar tin Brewster — brew breweryor

Bassett— hound
basset Brock — rock with bee on a it

Bauer — bow-wower (dog) Broderick — broad brick

Baum —bomb, burn Brody — broke broad bee

a tree,

Baxter — back backs

stir, tear Brophy — trophy with bee a big

Beck — peck
back, Brown — brownie
Begley — bag with leaves Bruce — bruise

Benham — bend ham a Bryan — and

Brie (cheese) ant, brine

Bennett — bonnet, bend a net Bryant — buy an ant

Benson — bend sun a Buchanan — cannon
blue
Bentley—bend Rolls-Royce
leaves, Buckley — buckles
Bentley Burgess — bird chest, (ice)berg chess
Bergman — (ice)berg and man, bird Burke — (ice)berg

man Burns — sideburns

burns,
Berkowitz — (ice)berg and witch, Burton — burr a ton, bird ton

bird witch Byron — running bike

a

Berman — barman (bartender) Cabot — cab and

cabinet, butt
Bernard —burn yard, Saint Ber- Cahill—cave hill

nard (dog) Caldwell — cold well

Bernstein—burn a stein (of beer) Calhoun —cow and home, cow
Berrigan — bury a can and hound
342 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory1

Callahan —cow and van, cow and Collier— collar

hand Collins—Tom drink

Collins

Calvin — cow and van Colon — coal in

Cameron —camera Compton —camp tin

Campbell —camp, camper, Camp- Connolly — and

con(vict) leaves

bell's soup Connor — condor

con(vict) door,

Carlson — curl in the sun Cook —cook

Carmichael— and car bicycle Cooper —copper
Carmody — moodycar Cortes —cord on an (jack)ass

Carroll—Christmas carol Cosgrove — grove

cost a

Carson — sun
car Costello— made of
cast Jell-O

Carter — car tear, Carter's Little Coughlin —coughing

Liver Pills Cowen —cow in

Cassidy—Hopalong, of cast tea Craig — crack

Castro — of
Fidel Castro, cast rose Crandall —crane and doll

Cates — catering service Crawford — crawfish

Cavanaugh —cave in a hall Crawley —crawl crow
leaves, lay

Chadwick — and wick,

chat Cunningham — ham
cutting a

shadow wick Curtis—Tony Helene Cur-

Curtis,

Chamberlain —chamber in a lane tis shampoo

Chambers —chamber Cushing —cushion
Chandler — chandelier Custer — custard, Custer's Last

Channing— chaining Stand

Chapman —chapped man, chop Daley— daily

man Dalton — weighs

doll that a ton

Charles —charred legs Daniels —dam yells

Chester — chestnut, chest of drawers Danzinger —dancing cigar

Chilton — chilled ton Davenport —dancing port, diving

Chisholm — chisel a ham, chisel a into a port

home Davies —days of ease

Christenson — cross in the sun Davidson — sun

divot
Christopher — kissed fur Davis — divots
Clark — clock, cloak, Clark bar Dawes — doors
dogs,
Clement —cement, inclement Dawson —dog doors sun
sun,
(weather) Delaney — knee
delay a
Clinton— clean tin Denjam — den and jam
Cochran —cock (rooster) ran Denton —dent dent
ton, tin

Cohen — cream) cone

(ice Dentweiler —dent whaler
Colby — Colby cheese, coal and bees Deutsch — German
touch, deuce,
Coleman — man,
coal cold man Devlin — devil inn
 Name Guide 343

I )iaz -dais (podium) Dwycr— dryer

Dickerson — man named Dick in Eagan—eagle
the sun Kasley — easel with a bee on it

Dillon— Marshall Dillon (Gun- Eastland yeast on land

smofe), dill land Eastman — on man yeast a

Dixon — man named Dick in the Eaton — eat a ton

sun Eberhardt — ebony heart

Dolan — Dole banana with an ant Eckstein — egg and stein

on it Edelman — and man

easel

Donahue —don (Mafia) with a hoe Edelstein — with

a bell a stein in it

Donald —don (mafia) on a wall, Edwards — heard warts

Donald Duck Egan —egg can in a

Donaldson —don (Mafia) on a wall Ehrlich — air lick

in the sun, Donald Duck in Eisenberg— on eyes (ice)berg

the sun Eldridge — elf on a ridge, elk on a

Donnelly— Donald Duck on leaves ridge

Donovan — Donald Duck on van a Elias— eel highest

Dooley — dues with Tom leaves, —an L-shaped

Elliott yacht or lot

Dooley ("Hang Down Your — L-shaped

Ellis (jack)ass

Head") Ellsworth — elPs wart, elf s hearth

Doran—door ran Emerson —every sun

Dougherty — dough in tea, door in Endicott —end of a cot

tea Engle — ink

angle, gull

Douglas—dog glasses Epstein — epileptic stein

Dowling — going down

ring Ericson —earache in the sun, a ring

Downing—down ink in the sun

Doyle — doily Esposito—S-shaped potato
—
Driscoll dress in coal Ettinger— with
a finger injured tin

Drummond —drummer Evans — van aan oven in

Dudley — dead leaves Everett—evergreen in a net

Duffy — duffer (on a golf course) Ewing —ewe and wing, chewing
with a bee Fagan — can
fake can, flake
—
Dugan dew on a can Fallon — on
felon, falllawn the

—
Duncan dunking, Duncan Hines Farber — bar
far bear, far

—
Dunlap down lip, dunk lip Farley — bee
far leaves, far

—
Dunn dunn (goose), well-done Farrell— fall with
rail, barrel a flea

steak in it

Durant —door and ant Faulkner— fork near

Durham —door and ham Feinberg— (traffic) fine on (ice)berg
Dutton — of ton dots Feldman — felt man
344 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory 7

Felix — feel legs Gerber —Gerber's (baby food)

Ferguson — sun
fur gust in the Gibbons —green ribbons
Fernandez — and ant with
fern legs Gibbs —green bibs

Feuer — foyer Gibson —green sun

bibs in the

Finch — finch (bird) Gilbert— on

gills a bird

Findlay — finned finned hay, lei

— on pea
Gillespie gills a

Finney — on your knee

fin Gilligan— can
kill a

Fisk — fist, frisk Ginsberg — on

gin (ice)berg

Fitzgerald — fist chair old Giordano —gore piano a

Fitzpatrick— pad fist brick Gladstone —GLAD on (bag) a stone

Fleming — flame ink Gleason — and

grease sun, Jackie
Fletcher — with
lecher a big F, Gleason
fetch chair Gomez —comb and comb (jack)ass,

Floyd — flood and Jcll-O

Flynn — flying, Errol Flynn Gonzales—guns and Jell-O
Foley — foal Goodwin —gold twin
Forbes — four bees Gordon —garden, Gordon's gin
Forman — boss, four men Gorman —gore man, doorman
a

Forrester— forester, forest tear Gould — gold

Foster— frosting Graham — gray ham, graham
Fowler — law
foul cracker
Franklin — frank (hot dog) playing Granger —green ranger
a violin, Ben Franklin Grant — granite
Frazier— freezer Gregory —gray quarry
Frederick — fried brick, red brick —
Griffin grip fin
Freedman — man freed —
Griffith grip fish, grip a fifth

Freund — friend (booze)

Fried — freed Grover —grow fur
Friedlander — land freed Gulliver — gull over, giant (Gulli-

Fuller— full barrel ver's Travels)

Fulton — full ton Gunther —gun gun

tore, fur
Galbraith — breath
gull Haber — hay bear
Gallagher — of galley fur Hagan — hay can
Garcia — gar
car cedar, (fish) cedar Haggerty — hay girl tea

Gardner —gardener Hahn — hand

Garrison — chair in the sun, cherry Halpern — perm,
hall hall fern

sun Hamilton— ham ham and

melting,
Gaynor — half gainer dive ton
Geller — gala Hammond —ham mound, Ham-
Gelman — kill man mond organ
 Name Guide 345

I — hen ran
[anrahan I — hole
logan den, whole den
in a

—
Hansen hand in the sun Hollis— holster, hollers

I — harp with
larpcr R, harpoon Holt — hold
halter (top), a bolt

Harrington — ink hair ton, herring \looper — Hula Hoop

ton Hopkins — hop and cans

Harris— hair S Hornsby — horn with bees coming
Harrison — hairy sun out

Hartley — heart and leaves Horowitz — horror witch, harem

Hartman — heart and man witch
Harvey — heart shaped like a V, Horton— hair ton, hurting

heart fee Houlihan — hold a hand, hula hand

Hastings— hay stinks (Hawaiian dance)
Hathaway — away
hat files Houston —house and ton

Haupt — hopped Howard — hold coward a

Hawkins — hawk inns Hoyle — with H

hurl, oil a big

Hayden — hay and den Hubbard — hubcap with

a beard a

Haynes — hay and Hanes nose, Hughes — hues (of color)

hosiery Humphrey — hump Hubert free,

Healey — Austin Healy

heat feet, Humphrey
Hecht — hacked Hutchinson — hutch in the sun
Heller — and
hello, raising hell Hutton —hut and ton
Hellman — man helm and
in hell, Hyatt—high Hyatt hat, hotels

man Hyman — high man

Henderson —hen and doors in the — and
Ingersoll ingot sole

sun Ingram — ram ink

Hendricks —hen and bricks Irving— iridescent ring

Henry —hen Oh Henry!

read, —
Isaacs ax
eye sacks, ice
(candy bar) —
Israel of David
ice rail, Star

Herbert — her
sherbet, bird Jackson — jack (car) in the sun,
Herman — hermit man Reggie or Jesse Jackson
Hernandez — hen ant doze Jacobs — Jacob's ladder, jay(bird)

Hess — hiss with a cob (corn)

Hicks — hiccups Jacobson— with jays cobs in the sun
Higgins — hug riggings Jacoby — with jays cobs in the sky
Hirsch — Hershey bar — bee on
Jaffe a a giraffe

Hirshfield— Hershey bar fell James — cane

chains,

Hobart — hobo art Jamison — sun

chains in the
Hobbs — hops Jansen — jam sun
Hodges — hedges —
Jarrett chairand rat, jar rat

Hoffman — moon, cough man

half —chef
Jeffers chef hairs, furs
346 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 7

Jefferson—chef sun furs Kimball —can ball, gamble

—chef
Jeffries chef
fries, freeze Kingsley — kings leaf, kings leaves
Jenkins —chain cans Kirby —curb bee, Kirby vacuum
Jennings — chain inks Kirk— kick
Jerome — roam,
jar roam chair Klein— Calvin Klein
climb,

Jimenez — gym and (jack)ass Knapp — knap(sack)

nap,
Johanson — sun
giraffe's toe in the Knowles — knolls, noels

Johnson — John and

(toilet) sun, Knox — knocks, Fort Knox
yawn sun Koening — king, coin nick

Jonas —show (jack)ass Kolodny —clogged knee

Jones — bones shaped like a Kornfeld- ornfield

jay(bird) Krakauer :rack hour

Jordan — jaw dam Kramer- reamer
Joseph — hose off Kraus— kraut (food)

Josephson — hose sun off Krieger— creeper, cry girl

Joyce— juice Kroger —crow girl, Kroger

Kagan — of
case cake can
cans, supermarket
Kahn — can
con(vict), Krug — rug with
crook, K a big

Kaiser — geyser Kruger — Krugerrand (gold coin)

Kantor —can can

door, tore Lafferty— laughing area
Kaplan — cap land Laird — layered, laid

Kaufman — cough man Lambert — lamb bird

Kearns — kernals, coins Landau — dough
land
Keating — kiting, heat ink Lang — long
Keegan — key can Langer — long girl

Keith — wreath shaped

keys, like a Larkin — can
lark inn, lark

K Larson — little arson

—
Kelleher color fur Latimore — more
ladder
—
Keller Helen
color, Keller Lawrence — lower ants
—
Kelly kelly green, kill E Lawson — law sun
Kemp—camp Lawton — law lawton, tin

Kennedy — can of tea, John F. Lazarus — S

laster

Kennedy Leary — with

Lear(jet) on a bee it

Kenny —can knee Lederman — man

letter

Kent — bent key Lee — Robert

lee, leaf, Lee E.
Keough — keyhole (general)
Kern — kernal, coin Lefkowitz — left cow witch, laugh
Kerr — curve
car, cow witch
—
Kessler a killing wrestler Lehman — lei man, layman
 Name Guide 347

Leiberman — labor man McCarthy — (Big) Mac cart tea

Lcibowitz — lea bow witch McClellan — (Big) Mac yellin'

Leonard — lean yard, Sugar Ray McCormick — (Big) Mac core mike
Leonard (microphone)
Leopold — leap pole, Leo (lion) pole McCoy —decoy of a (Big) Mac
Leslie — less lee, less leaves McDonald — Ronald McDonald,
Lester — little jester, Listerine Mac with Donald Duck
(Big)

(mouthwash) —
McElroy a (Big) Mac fell on a
Leventhal — loving thaw (Rolls) Royce
Levin— L-shaped vine McGee— Mac key
(Big)

Levine— lee vine McGrath— Mac rat

((Big)

Levinson — of heaven and

lord the McKay — (Big) Mac hay

sun —
McLoughlin (Big) Mac laughing
Levitt — level 'Vette (Corvette), McMann — Mac man
(Big)

love 'Vette Madison — medicine, mad sun at

Levy— levee, Levi's Mahoney — ma (mother) honey

Lewis — loose witch, Jerry Lewis Malone — ma (mother) along
Lindsey — lint sea Maloney — ma (mother) loony
Lindstrom — lint strum (a banjo), Manning — man ink
lint strong Marcus — mark mark S
kiss,

Livingston — living stone, living tin Marlow — ma (mother) low

Lloyd— Chris Evert Lloyd
lard, Marshall — marshal (sheriff)

Logan —low can

can, log Martin — Martian, Dean Martin
Loomis — loom looms mist, Martinez — mark martinets
a net,

Lopez — low low pass, pest Martinson — ma (mother) sun tin

Loring — low lowering

ring, Mason — mason May sun
(jar),

Loughram — laugh ram, ram lock Matheson — mad mat

at sun,sun in

Lovell—low veil Matthew(s) — mat ewe(s)

Lovett — low 'Vette (Corvette) Maurer — more mower
air,

Lowell — low well Maxwell — mix Maxwell

well,

Lowenthal — low thaw, low ant House (coffee)

and tall Mayer —mayor

Lubin—loop low bin, bin Maynard —mane yard
Lund — land Mead — meat, meet (track)

Lynch — lynching noose or Mercer — mercenary

MacGregor — Mack (truck) or (Big) Meredith — mare and dish
Mac crater —mare mare
Merrill ill, roll

—
MacLeod Big Mac cloud Metcalf —meat calf

McAllister —
(Big) Mac holster Meyer(s) — mirror(s), my ear(s)
348 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory 7

Michaels — bicycles, mike (micro- Norton —gnaw ton

phone) kills sun Nugent —nugget new gent

(gold),

Middleton —metal ton, middle ton Nussbaum — nose bomb

Miller — mill, miller, Miller High O'Brien —oak brain

Life (beer) O'Connell —oak con(vict) oar

—melt melt
Milton ton, in O'Donnell — donor a fell

—
Mitchell mitt shell Ogden —egg den
Monahan — man and hand O'Hara —oak-colored hair

Monroe — man row, Marilyn Oliver— rotting olive

Monroe Olsen — sun

old

Montgomery —mound gum hairy O'Malley — home alley

Moore — moor, mower (lawn) O'Neal — low

kneel
Morales — moral mural less, Oppenheim —open home
Moran — moor ran O'Reilly— oar oily
Morgan — morgue moor can can, O'Rourke — rake
oar
Morris — more Morrisrice,Cat the Ortiz — orange
oar trees, tissue

Morrison — more rice in the sun, Osborne — being born

ostrich

Morris in the sun Osgood — an god

old
Morrow —marrow narrow
(bone), Oswald — a bald ostrich

Morse—moss, Morse code Otis— oats, Otis (elevator)

Morton — mutton moor

(chops), ton Otto— a toe

Moskowitz — mask on witch a Owen —owning hen a

Moynihan — man and hand Padgett — patch it

Murphy — mercury, morphine Paige — page

Murray — more (sun) rays Paley— with bee
pail a

Nash — naked, but with a sash Palmer — palm with Arnolda fur,

Nathan — gnat knottan, tan Palmer

Nathanson —gnat sun tan Papadopoulos —pap topple us, papa
— kneel
Neill adopt us
Nelson — kneel sun Pappas —pa (father) pass

Newman — new man (wearing Parker — park with a fur, parking

sales tags) meter
Nicholas— nickel (jack)ass Parkinton —parking a ton

Nichols— nickels Pasternak — her neck

paste
Nicholson — nickels sun Pastore— pastor, paste store
Nixon — nicks and sun, Richard Patrick— pet trick
Nixon Patterson — pad sunin the

Noonan — new nun (wearing sales Paul — pole

tags) Pawley — pulley
Norman —north (pole) man Paxton^pack tin
 Name Guide 349

Pea body— pea body Rappaport — rap on port

Pearce — pierce Ratncr — rat on knee

Pearson — pear or pier in the sun Raymond — mount, ray mound rain

Pendleton — petal ton, pedal tin Reagan — gun,

ray Ronald Reagan
Perez — pear (jack)ass Reeves — away
far leaves

Perkins — perking Reinhart — hard,

rain yard rain

Perlman — man
pearl Reiss— rice

Perlmutter — mudder
pearl Resnick — neck
rest

Perry — pear with a bee, bury, Reynolds — rain knolls

Perrier Rhodes — Rhodes

roads, (scholar)

Peters— pea tears Richards — yards

rich

Peterson—pea tears in the sun Richardson — yards

rich sun in the

Phelan — failing Richter — bricked Richter

tear,

Phelps — felts scale (earthquakes)

Philby— fill bee, full bee Rigney — kneerig

Phillips— full lips, Phillips Riley— rye leaf, rye leaves

screwdriver Riordan — dam,

rear down rear

Pincus — pink (jack)ass, pin Rivera — river, Riviera (Buick)

cush(ion) Roberts — rope robbers

birds,

Piatt — plate Robertson — sun

robbers in the
Poindexter— egg point stir Robeson — robe sunin the

Pollock — pole lock Robinson — sun

robin in the
Pomerantz — bomber ants Rogers — rod Roy Rogers
jars,

Powell — towel with big a bee, pa Romero— room arrow, roam arrow
(father) will Rooney — Mickey
ruin knee,
Powers — power (tool) towers with Rooney
a bee Rosen — rose sand, rose inn

Preston — pressed on Rosenberg — on rose (ice)berg

Pritchard — yard
pitch Rosenzweig— and wig
rose

Proctor —doctor with peg a Ross — rose-colored rust

Quinn — quinella (racetrack bet) —
Rossiter rose sitter

Rabinowitz — robin and witch Roth — wrath

rat,

Rafferty— raft tree, raft tea Rothschild — rat child

Raleigh — raw
roll lee, leaves Rubin — Reuben (sandwich), ruby
Ramirez — ram ear (jack)ass bin
Rand — rammed, Rand
ran, Rubinstein —Reuben (sandwich)
McNally (atlas) and stein

Randall— ram doll, ran doll Rudolph — red dolphin, Rudolph

Randolph — ram dolph(in) the 'Red-Nosed' Reindeer
Raphael — raffle Rupper — rose bird
350 Kevin TrudeaiTs Mega Memory7

Russell— rustler, rust cell —

Shelley shell leaf, shell leaves

Rutledge — ledge
rat Shelton— shell ton, shell tin

Ryan — rind Sheridan — share a den, Sheraton

Samuels — sand mules (hotels)

Samuelson — sand mule sun Sherman — shirt man, Sherman

Sanchez — sand sand
chess, chest tank
Sanders — sanders Shulman— man
school

Sanford — sand Ford —

Siegel seagull

Santiago — sand autotea —

Silvera silver

Satenstein— satin stein Simmons — summons, Simmons

Saunders — sauna sun doors
doors, (mattress), cinnamon
Sawyer — saw Tom Sawyer
yard, Simms —seams, shins

Saxon — sun saxophone

sacks, Simon — man, Simon
sign says

Sayres — Zayres (store), (sooth)sayers Simpson — shrimp sun

in the

Scanlon — scan line Sinclair—sun chair, Sinclair gas

Schechter — shack shack

tear, tore Sitron— sit Citroen
run, (car)

Scher — share (stock) chair Skidmore — moor

skid

Schlesinger — sled singer Slade — slate, slayed

Schmidt — shy mitt Slater— slate tear, slate tore

Schneider — shy bird Sloan — silly loaninvestment)

(silly

Schoenberg— shine (ice)berg Slocum — slow comb

Schultz — shoots, shields Smith — blacksmith, anvil

Schuster — shoe shoe

stir, store Snead — Sam Snead
sneeze,

Schwartz — shy warts Snyder — shy door

Scott— towels
Scott Solomon — man, wise man
solo

Sears— Roebuck
Sears, Sommers — summers
S< —
aton seat tin, seat ton Spaulding — spoiled ink, scalding

Sedgwick — wick,
sled wicksledge Spector — spectator, (in)spector

Seiden — den
sign Spencer — pen pen
sore, store

Seward — steward Sperry — bee

spare bee, spear a
Saxton — sacks ton, sexy ton Squire — square, school choir
Schaeffer — shave
shaver, fur Stacey— with bee
state a in it

Seymour — moor
see Stafford— Fordstaff

Shannon — shy cannon

chaining, Stanley—stand standleaf, leaves

Shapiro — shy pear with of a piece Stanton — stand standtin,

gold in it Sterling— sterling silver, starling

Shaw —shawl, shore Stern — stern (of a boat)

Shay — shade Stevens — stove fins
Sheehan — shoe ham Stevenson — sun
stove fins in the
Sheldon — shelled on, shell down Stewart — steward, stew art
 Name Guide 351

Stoddard — stood in the yard Under — under, an udder (cow)

Strauss— straw house Valdez — with
vault a (jack)ass in it

Sullivan— van
sold a Van Buren — van and bureau
Sumner — summer Vance — man dancing
a van in a

Sutherland — other land Vargas — gasfar

Sutton — sudden, setting Vaughan — van with a John a (toi-

Swanson — swan in the sun, Swan- let) in it

son (TV dinner) Victor — winner, victory, Viking

Sweeney —sweet knee with a torn muscle
Taft— taffy Vincent — vintage costing a cent,

Talmadge — tall midget, tall badge fins costing a cent

Tannenbaum — tanning Vogel— cords

vocal

Tate— tight, tea ate Wagner — wagon knee

Taub — tub Walker — baby walker
Taylor — tailor Wallace — wall lace, wall ice

Teitelbaum — title bomb Walsh — waltz

Terry — terry cloth (towel) Walters — wall tears, waiters

—man who
Thatcher thatches roofs Walton — wall ton, wall tin

Theodore— having near tea a door Warner — war knee

Thomas — thumb (jack)ass Warren — war wren
Thompson — tom-tom drum in the Warrington — war ton ring

sun Washington — washing machine,

Thorndyke —thorn dike George Washington
Thorpe — up tore Wasserman —water man
Tipton — tip ton, tip tin Watkins — watt cans
Tobias — tow buy
bias, toe us Watson —watt wet sun
in the sun,

Todd — toad
toddle, Watts — bulb
watts, light

Tompkins — thumb cans Waverly — wave fur leaf

Torres — Taurus
tore (jack)ass, Wayne — walking through water
Tracy — trace E, tray sea with a cane
Travers — travel Weber — web bar
Treadway — weigh
tread (tire) Webster — web stir, dictionary
Trent —bent tree Weeks — calendar week
Trowbridge —drawbridge Weiner — weiner (frank)
Trumbull —drum bull Weintraub— wine tub
Tucker — trucker Weiss — weasel
Tuttle — turtle Welch — Welch (grape juice),

Tyler — tiler wino's belch

Udall — U-shaped yodel doll, Wellington — ton of ink in a well
Ullmann — man
old Wesley —wet lee, wet leaves
352 Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory7

West — waterproof vest Woolsey —wool sea

Wexler —wax law Worthington — work ink ton

Whalen — whale inn Wright — write

Whetman — wet man Wrightson — sun

write in the

Whitman — witty man York — yellow fork

Whitney — wet knee Young— young, yellow sun

Whittaker — wet a car Zachary — sack hairy
Wilkes — wilts,milks with a big W — law
Zeigler sick

Wilkinson — wild kin (son) Zimmer — simmer (cooking)

Williams — will yams Zimmerman — man simmering
a

Williamson — willyams in the sun (cannibals' pot)

Wilson — will in the sun Zucker—sucker on zebra a

Winston — Winston Churchill Zuckerman — suckered man on a

Winthrop — winter throb zebra

For more information about tapes, workshops, and live appearances

regarding Kevin Trudeau and "Mega Memory," please call or write:

American Memory Institute

"The World's Largest Memory Training School™'

2038 N. Clark, #354
Chicago, Illinois 60614
(312) 975-0455
 1

Index

acronyms, use of, 305—508 alcohol, avoiding, 4, 94

exercises for, 31 "alligator," pegging of, 79

HOMES, 17, 19, 181, 305-306 alphabet, phonetic, 188-193

review of, 310 see also picture words

action: American Memory Institute, 98, M^
active, see active action anniversaries, 293-295

passive, 53, 56 Anthropologist on Mars, An (Sacks), 1

active action, 53-61, 181-182 Apple Computer, Macintosh of, 18-19

daily schedule and, 140 Arthur, Chester, 299-300

locating keys and, 141-142 aspartame, avoiding, 94

remembering names and, 124-131, association, basic, see basic association

134-135 attention, paying, 108

addresses, 143-144 attention span, short, 3

Advanced Mega Memory, 175-324 automatic pilot (unconscious competence),

Body List phonetics and, 186-193 8, 9-10
breaking bad habits and, 313-315 automotive business applications, 148-149
day-to-day reminders and, 292-304

ground rules of, 178-179 bad habits, breaking, 313-315, 323-324

larger numbers and, 257-273 "baseball bat," pegging of, 79

names and, 247-256 basic association, 15-30, 181

picture words and, 194-246 chaining compared with, 29-30

playing cards and, 274-291 denned, 17, 181

retrieval of lost memories and, 315-324 exercise for, 28

review and introduction of, 177-185 limits of, 17-18

teachability index and, 179-180 mental gymnastics and, 18
using acronyms and remembering writ- pegging compared with, 101

ten passages and, 305-312 peg lists compared with, 44, 101

see also specific topics reasons for discussion of, 17-18

353
354 Index

basic association {continued) digestive times of, 92

review of, 26—27 simple, 92, 93

saying things out loud and, 23 cards, playing, see playing cards

Tree List and, 19-26, 181 "Carmichael," picturing of name, 118

"basketball," pegging of, 80 Carnegie, Dale, 251-252

beef, digestive time of, 92 cars, locating of, 297

"beer," pegging of, 80 cartoons, watching, 83

Bible, memorizing passages from, 308-309 "cat":

birthdays, 293-295 basic association and, 21, 21

Body L.st, 42-44 pegging of, 76

daily schedule and, 139-140 "category," sound-alike pictures for, 65

pegging to, 55-61, 139-140, 143 chaining (linking), 29-39, 181

remembering addresses and, 143 basic association compared with, 29—30
review of", 51, 63, 186-187 defined, 29

Body List phonetics, 186-193 exercises for, 39

exercise for, 193 focusing and, 34-38

phonetic alphabet and, 188-193 |ieg lists compared with, 53

review of, 193 picturing a story and, 3 1
— 34

"book," pegging of, 78 remembering addresses and, 143-144

boredom, 319 review of, 58-39
forgetting and, 56, 7$, 82 Statue of Liberty story and, 42-38, 53
"bowling ball": "chair," pegging of, 78

basic association and, 21, 21 change, acceptance of, 5, 6-7

pegging of, 77 choline, 94-95

Bow Tie, Mr., 125-126, 134 chronic fatigue syndrome (F.pstcm-Barr

brain: syndrome), 95-98
as file cabinet, 2, 40, 87-88 chunking, 309-310
lecithin in, 95 "cigarettes":

left vs. right hemisphere of, 90 basic association and, 22, 2\

mind vs., 85 pegging of, 80

neuromuscular memory and, 21 city, in addresses, 144

breaks, taking, 3-4, 178 coffee, avoiding, 94

"bubble gum," pegging of, 75 "coffee, cup of," pegging of, 79

"building," sound-alike pictures for, 65 computers, 18-19
acceptance of vs. resistance to, 6

caffeine, 94 icons used in, 19

guarana and, 95 concentration:

candidiasis, 95-98 food and, 4-5, 92- (
J->

"candy": reading and, 156

basic association and, 22, 21 Concentration, playing, 64-71, 112-113,
pegging of, 79 181

capitals, state, 300 exercises for, 66-71

"car": jumping flea and, 69-70

basic association and, 20 review of, 70
pegging of, 75 "conduit," sound-alike pictures for, 67
carbohydrates: conscious competence, 9
complex, 92, 93-94 conscious incompetence, 8, 9
 H 4 1

Index 355

"consternation," memorizing <>t definition for ( <»iH < mi ition, 70-71

of, 163 164 for day-to-d.iy applications, 152-155

create stage, 86, 87-88 for day-to-day reminders, 504-504

credit card numbers, 261 for names, III, 121-122, 156, 256

for numbers, 174

daily schedule, 138-14! for peg lists, 51, 65, 85, 104

dates, day of the week for, 262-269 for picture words, 208-209, 11S-12^,

day-to-day applications, 137-1 5 2 55-236, 246

creating, 147-150 for playing cards, 290-291

daily schedule, 138-141 for reading comprehension, 162

exercises for, 152-15:5 for see pegs, 1 1

locating keys, 141-14.} for vocabulary and spelling, 167-168

remembering addresses, 143-144 eyes, stress reduction and, 90-91

remembering driving directions, 144-147

review of, 150-152 fasting, stress and, 89-90

day-to-day reminders, 292-504 fight-or-flight syndrome, 89
for birthdays and anniversaries, 293-295 file cabinet, mind/brain as, 2, 40, 87-88

tor car location, 297 file folders, pegs as tabs on, 40, 52, 103

exercise for, 303-304 "find," sound-alike picture for, 68

for hobbies and other personal data, 296 fish, digestive time of, 92

mental, 297-299 flour:

for presidents, state capitals, and other white, 4-5, 93-94

lists, 299-302 whole wheat, 93-94

review of, 302-303 focusing, 34-38, 156

"dice": see peg creation and, 108, 109

basic association and, 21, 2i food, 91-94

pegging of, 76 breaking bad habits with, 314-315

directions, driving, 144-147 concentration affected by, 4-5, 92-94
distraction, avoiding, 4 digestive times of, 92

drugs, avoiding, 4 "foot," pegging of, 77

foreign language words, 164—165

Karrings, Miss, 126-127 foreign names, 249-250

"eggs": forgetting:

basic association and, 21, 2.1 boredom and, 56, 73, 82

pegging of, 77— 7 of names, 85, 106

"elephant," pegging of, 74 short-term memory and, 40, 41
emote stage, 86-87 "freedom," sound-alike pictures tor, 68—69
emotional stress, 89 fructose, 93

energy, lack of, 96 fruit, digestive time of, 92

Kpstcin-Barr syndrome (chronic fatigue

syndrome), 95-98 geniuses, lecithin levels of, 95

exercises, required mental: Gettysburg Address, 310

for Advanced Mega Memory review and gingko biloba, 95

introduction, 185 Glasses, Miss, 128-129, 134-135

for basic association, 28 "glove":

for Body List phonetics, 193 basic association and, 20, 2h y 25
for chaining, 39 pegging of, 75
356 Index

"goalpost": jewelry box, lost, 316, 321

basic association and, 21, 23 "Johnson," picturing of name, 117

pegging of, 11

"golf club": "ketchup," pegging of, 74

basic association and, 22, 2i keys, locating, 141-143

pegging of, 80 knowledge bank, 41, 44, 86, 87

"good, better, best," 66 know stage, 86, 88

guar ana, 95 "Kowalski," picturing of name, 117

"gun": KPCOFGS (Kings play chess on fine green

basic association and, 20-21, 23 silk), 307

pegging of, 75—76

landmarks, driving directions and, 145
habits, bad, 313-315, 323-324 laughing, Mega Memory and, 58

handshaking, 248 learning, willingness and, 5—6

hobbies, 296 learning disability, untrained memory vs., 2

holistic medicine, 97 lecithin, 94-95

homeopathic medicine, 97-98 lectures, listening to, 159-161

homeostasis, 91 lemon, visualizing of, 50-31

HOMKS (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Eric, lessons:

Superior) technique, 17, 19, 181, breaks between, 3-4, 178

305-306 eating before, 4-5

House List, 172 order of, 3, 178

creation of, 45-49 study of habits for, 4, 178-179

pegging of, 100-104 time required for, S

review of, 51, 104 license plate numbers, 172-17}

How to Win Friends and Influence People "light switch":

(Carnegie), 251-252 basic association and, 20, 23

pegging of, 74

IBM computers, 19 Lincoln, Abraham, 310

icons, computer, 19 linking, see chaining

imagination: listening, 252

Concentration and, 69 to lectures, 159-161

in pegging, 54, 56-61 see pegs and, 108

stimulation of, 66 Little Rock, Ark., 300

information processing, 3-4 long-term memory, 40-41, 86
stages of, 85-88 look/search stage, 86, 87

information storage: lost memories, retrieving, 315-324

brain and, 2, 40 technique I for, 317-322
long-term memory and, 40-41 technique II for, 522-i2i
pegs and, 40, 107

initialing technique, 306-308, 311 "magazine":

insulin, 92-93, 94 basic association and, 22, 23

interviews, stress reduction during, 90 pegging of, 79

introductions, rules for, 248-252 "management," sound-alike pictures for,

65
"jeep," pegging of, 76-77 "Maskowitz," picturing of name, 117
"Jeffries," picturing of name, 117-118 meeting people, rules for, 248-252
 Index 357

Mega Memory, Mega Memory program, MS(J (monosodium glutamatc), avoiding,

11-174 94

basic association and, 1 S— -50, 101, 181 multiplication tables, 171 172

chaining and, 29-59, 143-144, 1 HI musical notation, W7 408

Concentration and, 64-71, 112-113, 181 "mustard," pegging of, 77-78

day-to-day applications lor, 137-15$

four steps to, 8-10 names, 105-1.36

"good, better, best" and, 66 Advanced Mega Memory and, 247 256
ground rules of, 3—5 exercises for, 111, 121-122, 136, 256

House List pegging and, 100-104 first, pegging of, 125-HI

numbers and, 169-174 first, picturing of, 112-116, 119

peg list creation and, 40-51 foreign, 249-250

peg list use and, 52-63 forgetting, 85, 106

physical factors and, 84-99, 182 guide for, 325-352

reading and, 154-162 last, pegging of, 133-135

remembering names and, 105-136 last, picturing of, 116-120

review of, 180-183 in long-term memory, 41

spelling and, 166-168 multiple introductions and, 252-253

Tree List pegging and, 72-83, 143, 173 preloading and, 253-255

vocabulary and, 163-168 recall of, 131-133

see also Advanced Mega Memory; repetition of, 106

specific topics review of, 111, 120-121, 136, 255-256

memory: rules for meeting people and, 248-252
candidiasis and Epstein-Barr syndrome see pegs and, 107—109
and, 95-98 in short-term memory, 40, 41

failure of programming of, 103 showing interest and concern for people

five-step process of, 85-88 and, 251-252

lecithin and other boosters of, 94-95 simple, 251

long-term, 40-41, 86 talking and asking questions about,

neuromuscular, 2i, 187 250-251

nutrition and, 4-5, 91-94 "necessary," spelling of, 166-167

problem solving and, 85-88 "necktie," pegging of, 77

short-term, 40-41 neuromuscular memory, 23, 187

stress and, 73, 82, 89-91, 159 neurotransmitters, 85, 181, 196, 249

untrained, 2 alcohol and, 94

see also specific topics caffeine and, 94

memory test, Tree List, 15-16 choline and, 94-95

mental glue, 55 New Yor\ Times, The, 252

mental gymnastics, basic association and, note taking:
18 avoiding, 5, 159

mental reminders, 297-299 lectures, and, 159, 160

mind: to study for tests, 157-158

brain vs., 85 numbers, 169-174
flexibility of, 18 in addresses, 143

pictorial thinking of, 18-19 Advanced Mega Memory and, 194,

motivation, 7-8 257-273

movies, emotional scenes in, 90 credit card, 261
358 Index

numbers {continued) pain, and, 59

day of the week, for any date and, remembering addresses and, 143—144
262-269 review of, 49-51, 61-63, 82-83, 103

exercises for, 174, 271-273 of Tree List, 72-83

license plate, 172-173 using, 52-63

longer, 257-273 VIA and, 54, 56, 61

longer, converted back to words, pegs:

261-262 defined, 41

longer, converted into picture words, good, 57

257-259 as mental hooks, 4
multiplication tables, 170-171 see, see see pegs

peg list expansion and, 171-172 as tabs on file folders, 40, 52, 103

review of, 173-174, 270-271 periodic tabic, 301-302

series of, 172-173 permanent see pegs, 1 1

telephone, 40, 41, 259-261 personal data, 296

NutraSweet, avoiding, 94 phonetic alphabet, 188-193

nutrition, memory and, 4-5, 91-94 see also picture words

physical factors, memory and, 84-99, 182
office list, 172 candidiasis and Kpstein-Harr syndrome,

"order," as key word, 2 95-98

outlines, for speeches, 149-150 information processing stages, 85-88
overeating, breaking habit of, 314-315 lecithin and other memory boosters,
94-95
pain, peg lists and, 59 nutrition, 91-94
pancreas, insulin secretion of, 92-93, 94 stress, 75, 82, 89-91, 159

passive action, 53, 56 physiological stress, 89

"patience," sound-alike pictures for, 67 "piano," pegging of, 80

"paycheck": picture words, 194-246

basic association and, 22, 23 one to twenty-five, 194-209

pegging of, 79 twenty-six to fifty, 210-224
"peace," sound-alike picture for, 68 fifty-one to seventy-five, 225-236
peg lists, pegging, 40—63 seventy-six to one hundred, 237-246

action and, 53-61 exercises for, 208-209, 223-224,

basic association compared with, 44, 101 235-236, 246

Body List and, 42-44, 55-61, 139-140, guidelines for, 196-197

143 longer numbers converted into, 257-259

chaining compared with, 53 reverse drill for, 201-203

creating, 40-51 review of, 207-208, 222-22^, 234-235,

daily schedule and, 139-141 245-246
defined, 41 test of, 203-207
driving directions and, 145 picturing a story, 31—34

exercises for, 51, 63, 83, 104 "pillow," pegging of, 75

expansion of, 171-172 playing cards, 274-291

of first names, 125-131 exercises for, 290—291

House List exercise and, 45-49, 100-104 pictures established for, 275-286

keys and, 141-143 review of, 288-289

of last names, 125-131 techniques for, 286-288
 Index 359

Pocket Silk, Mr., 129-130, 145 creation of, 107-109

poi k, digestive time of, 92 defined, 107

positive' attitude, 7 exercise- for, I I 1

reprogramming and, 104, 104 pegging names to, 124 145

poultry, digestive time- of, 92 review of, I 1 I

preloading, names and, 25 4-255 types of, I I I

presidents, 299-300 shaking hands, 248

problem solving, 85-88 "Shelton," picturing of name, 118 119

"proud," sound-alike pictures for, 68 short-term memory, 40-41

"skate":

Reach List, 172 basic association and, 21,24

reading comprehension, 154-162 pegging of, 76

exercises for, 162 sound-alike pictures, breaking down words

lecture note taking compared with, 160 into, see Concentration, playing

remembering and, 155-157 speeches, outlines for, 149-150

review of, 161-162 spelling, 166-168

studying for tests and, 157-159 exercise for, 167-168

real-estate application, 147-148 review of, 167

reinforcement, of memory, 88 state capitals, 300

remember, remembering: Statue of Liberty story, 32-38, 53

basic steps of, 54-55, 107, 182 create stage and, 88

use of term, 44 focusing and, 34-38

see also memory; specific topics picturing and, 32-34

reminders, day-to-day, see day-to-day "stool":

reminders basic association and, 20

rephrasing, while reading, 157 pegging of, 74-75

"ring": stories, picturing of, 31-34
basic association and, 22, 23 street name, in addresses, 144

pegging of, 78 stress, 159

ring loss, 320-321 eye action and, 90-91

"rug," pegging of, 76 fasting and, 89-90

memory and, 7^, 82, 89-91

Sacks, Oliver, 1 think stage and, 89

"Saffron," picturing of name, 117 types of, 89

saying things out loud, 187-188 Striped Shirt, Mr., 127, 134

basic association and, 23 sugar, avoiding, 4-5, 92-93

focusing and, 35-36 sunglasses, lost, 318-320

names and, 249 syllables:

neuromuscular memory and, 2i, 187 breaking city names into, 144

phonetic alphabet and, 188-193 breaking names of persons into,

picture words and, 194-195 113-114, 116-120

reading and, 155 breaking street names into, 144

Scarf, Miss, 130-131, 135 breaking words clown into, see Concen-
schedule, daily, 138-141 tration, playing

"Scotch tape," pegging of, 74-75

see pegs: tapes, of lectures, 160

concreteness of, 108 teachability index, 5-7, 179-180

360 Index

technique, training balance scale and, 7—8 daily schedule and, 139-140

telephone numbers, 259-261 driving directions and, 145—146

in short-term memory, 40, 41 for first names, 112-116

temporary see pegs, 111 for last names, 116-120
tests, studying for, 157-159 of lemon, 30-31

think stage, 86, 182 locating keys and, 141

stress and, 89 peg lists and, 41, 45-49, 54, 55-1)1, 74-81

"trading," sound-alike pictures for, 66—67 thinking in, 18-19

training balance scale, 7-8 Tree List and, 19-26

"tree": vivid, 30-31, 181

basic association and, 20, 23 for vocabulary, 163-166

pegging of, 74 vocabulary words, 163-166

Tree List, 29 exercise for, 167-168

basic association and, 19-26, 181 review of, 167

memory test and, 15-16 vocalizing, see saying things out loud

numbers and, 17/5 "voting booth":

pegging of, 72-83, 143, 173 basic association and, 22, 23

remembering addresses and, 143 pegging of, 80

review of, 28

tryptophan, 92 water, chemicals in, 90

turkey, avoiding, 92 "water," pegging of, 75

"weight," spelling of, 166

unconscious: white flour, avoiding, 4-5, 9}-94

day-to-day applications and, 142-143 willingness:

emote stage and, 86-87 to accept change, 5, 6-7

look/search stage and, 87 to learn, 5-6
unconscious competence (automatic pilot), "window," pegging of, 76

8, 9-10 "witch":

unconscious incompetence, 8-9 basic association and, 22, 2^, 25

untrained memory, 2 pegging of, 78

word association, see basic association

vegetables, digestive time of, 92 working hard vs. working smart, 158-159
VIA (vivid visualization, imagination, and writing things down, avoiding, 5, 138-M9,
action), 54, 61 158, 159

visual images, visualization: written passages, 308-310

for addresses, 143-144 exercises for, 311-312

chaining and, see chaining

Concentration and, 64-71 Ziglar, Zig, 133
1NES AND F fl C t S TELEPHONE NUMBERS APPOINTMENTS

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