A drowning man will grasp at any aid- a pole, a vest, a boat, another person or even an animal, because he’s desperate to know the light of another day. Such passionate drive points us to the #1 key to remembering names. You have to decide that this is a skill that has a high priority for you. Then once you feel driven by your passion to remember the name of that person in front of you, you’ll do whatever it takes to assure that at your next meeting you’ll be able to call her by name. But, it’s still going to take some time and effort. Is it worth the bother?

Your ability to remember names can turn a head, touch a heart, influence a mind or move a body to action. There’s great power in the use of a name. “A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language”. – Dale Carnegie.

The amazing thing is that once you’ve aroused your desire to remember names, any method will work. Success here isn’t as much about the method used , as it is about the desire, passion or heart you bring to accomplishing your goal. The drowning man doesn’t care what saves him. He’ll reach for anything available.

There are some amazing stories about motivated people who have accomplished far more difficult things than remembering names. Here’s one of my favorites.