However, there are several fairly easy ways to improve your memory provided you have the willingness to do so. If you feel that memory loss is just a side effect of growing older and dismiss it, then memory strategies cannot really help you. However, if you take inspiration from older, wiser people who have very good memory despite being double your age, you can make a conscious effort to improve your memory.

Exercise Mind and Body

One of the simplest memory strategies is to lead a healthy lifestyle. Many research studies have shown that people that sleep well and eat a balanced diet have better memory. Those who exercise regularly pump more blood through the body and to the brain and hence have better ability to retain facts and figures. Conversely, people who live a lethargic lifestyle often put their retention ability ‘on hold’ and do not feel they can remember dates and numbers and names so they don’t even try.

Exercising your mind is also a great memory strategy by solving puzzles, playing games, reading and socializing. Sitting in front of the television cannot stimulate your brain as much as a book, a good conversation or a Sudoku puzzle can. If you have mastered a particular game, take it up a notch and go to more advanced levels so as to always challenge your brain and not let it be on rest mode

Associations

One of the most tried and tested memory strategy is to associate facts and figures with important events, pictures or other things so that you remember the memory associations even if you don’t remember the actual event. For instance if you always forget your daughter’s wedding anniversary, associate the day with a holiday. Say she got married the day after Thanksgiving or a week before Easter; try to rely on the association as a memory strategy that will keep you up to date.

Visual Clues

If you want help to remember something in the short term and do not have a piece of paper handy, try doing something unusual which when you’ll see that will remind you of the original thing. For instance, if you have to remember to buy eggs on your way home from work, put a piece of candy or rubber band or any odd thing in your wallet. When you open your wallet to take out your train card or pay toll, you’ll remember the eggs by seeing the piece of candy in an unusual place.

So what do you do. Well first, steer clear of negative people. Sometimes these people can be your nearest and dearest, but this is not the time to confide your doubts and fears to them. Seek out positive, enthusiastic people from your acquaintances, family or friends. Assume their positive and confident outlooks on life. Find and read good motivational books. Think success and go back and re-tackle the issues that are holding back your project. Often it is just a matter of tweaking aspects of the operation to get it moving. If you have done the research properly there has to be a reason that things are not going right. Persistence will pay dividends in the end. If you have the desire to succeed this will inevitably provide the driving force and energy required to get you to where you need to go. This is personal motivation in action. This is the energy and desire working together to achieve a positive result.

It is very easy to get down and depressed when things do not go your way. It is very easy to give in to fear and despair, but these attitudes only lead to less success. Talking with negative people increases depression and loss of motivation. In a sense we are what we think and we do need to motivate ourselves to achieve.

In a way it is harder to claim the positive because it requires energy but being negative saps energy, while being positive generates energy. Being positive generates motivation and enthusiastic motivation produces results. Nothing is a lost cause, it just requires thoughtful restructuring at worst or minor tweaking at best. You just need the motivation and enthusiasm to carry it through.

Life can be hard but look for the positives in everything, even the difficult situations. Have a joy for life, mix with positive, energetic people. Allow their enthusiasm and motivational attitudes to penetrate the shell of depression that is clogging your life. Develop goals and regain the motivation and drive in your life.