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We tend to think of genius as something you’re born with. A rare quality possessed by people with extraordinary memories, mathematical abilities, or problem-solving skills.
But what if many of the abilities we associate with genius can actually be trained?
In this episode, I'm joined by Nelson Dellis, a six-time USA Memory Champion, Guinness World Record holder, and author of Everyday Genius, about the practical skills we can all develop to make better use of our minds.
Nelson explains how he went from having what he describes as a fairly ordinary memory to becoming one of the world's top memory athletes. He shares the techniques he uses to memorise enormous amounts of information, including numbers, names and lists, and explains why the ability to remember information still matters in an age when we can ask our phones or AI to retrieve almost anything for us.
We also get into mental maths, problem-solving, curiosity, intuition and the fascinating question of whether our minds may be capable of more than we currently understand.
Show Highlights
- How Nelson became interested in memory after watching his grandmother struggle with Alzheimer's
- What it actually takes to become a competitive memory athlete
- Why Nelson believes memory is a skill that can be trained rather than a fixed ability
- The SEE, LINK, GO framework for remembering almost anything
- How to build and use a memory palace
- How to remember people's names — and why most of us forget them in the first place
- Why making information vivid, unusual and even ridiculous helps it stick
- How to remember lists, speeches, numbers and everyday tasks
- Why reviewing and practising memory techniques eventually makes them feel almost automatic
- How to develop better number sense and perform calculations in your head
- Why mental arithmetic is worth practising when we have calculators in our pockets
- How curiosity can play a role in developing intelligence
- Whether technology and AI are making us mentally weaker or simply changing the way we think
- Nelson's thoughts on intuition, dreams and remote viewing
- Why exercising your brain can be approached much like exercising your body
The Big Idea
One of the most interesting ideas in this conversation is that genius may be less about having an extraordinary brain and more about learning how to use an ordinary brain extraordinarily well.
Nelson's own story is a good example. He didn't grow up believing he had a remarkable memory. He discovered techniques that worked, practised them, and gradually transformed his abilities.
The lesson is encouraging: there may be considerably more room for improvement in our mental abilities than we assume.
Try This Memory Technique
Nelson's SEE, LINK, GO system provides a simple starting point.
SEE: Turn the information you want to remember into a vivid mental image.
LINK: Connect that image to something else you already know or to a specific location.
GO: Retrieve the information by mentally returning to that image or location.
The stranger, more vivid, emotional or humorous you can make the mental image, the better.
Try it the next time someone gives you a short list of things to remember. Instead of repeating the list over and over, turn each item into an exaggerated mental picture and link the pictures together.
You may be surprised by how much easier they are to recall.
Resources Mentioned
- Everyday Genius by Nelson Dellis
- Nelson Dellis's work on memory and mental performance
- Memory palaces
- Memory competitions
- Mental mathematics and number sense
- Intuition, dreams and remote viewing
Connect With Nelson Dellis
Find out more about Nelson, his memory techniques and his work through his website and social channels.
And if you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who would enjoy learning how to get more out of their own mind.
Final Thought
You don't have to be born a genius.
You can train your memory. You can improve your focus. You can become better at solving problems. You can develop your curiosity.
The question isn't simply “How smart am I?”
It's “What could I become better at if I actually trained it?”
Question or comment? Send us a text message.
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