Recently, I was faced with a challenge. Every month I strive to bring you a great new technique to enhance your daily lives, but this month I was stuck. Being September, my mind went to back-to-school topics such as organizational techniques and time management. But the truth is, I’ve done those before. What could I offer that would truly be helpful? That would have substance?

While I tried to puzzle this out, I was facing another challenge entirely. I have a lot of projects on the go—including my new book, Lead Intuitively, as well as plenty of travelling abroad—and I was slowly starting to lose my mind—or rather, my memory. Things were slipping my mind and I had to refocus myself on remembering important details. And then came a “eureka!” moment: that both of these challenges had the same solution.

The Technique of the Month

Superior Autobiographical Memory

Your memory is a powerful thing, not to be taken for granted. It is a fundamental tool vital in your daily life, whether personal or professional. And one of the latest marvels of the brain to be discovered is that some people can harness their memories in vivid detail, even years later. This skill is called Superior Autobiographical Memory. Below is a video interview with a woman who possesses this astounding ability; here are a few things to keep in mind as you watch.

Anatomy of Excellence

I thought that this month, I would begin to reveal to you some of my Jedi mind tricks—starting with how to slow down time. One question I’m often asked is, “How are you able to read people so quickly?” Well, it’s easier than it looks. I’ll teach you how to dissect, analyze, evaluate, and read people on a deep level without the use of intuitive abilities.

Take a Deep Breath and Relax Your Mind

Many years ago, a friend of mine—an experienced military sniper—taught me that the first step to slowing down time is to control your breathing. Don’t worry! This technique has nothing to do with shooting a gun. Being a sniper means so much more than that—it’s about being able to read a situation, understand body language, and make split second judgements based on your observations. These skills are just as vital in business and in life, and the key to mastering them is controlling your perception of how time passes. By controlling your breathing, calming your mind, and focusing on behavioural patterns and non-verbal cues, you can read between the lines in an instant.

Before watching the below video, take as much time as you need to relax your mind. See what you can read from the interview about how these remarkable people are able to perfectly recall events that happened decades before. I’ve included a few of my own notes below for you to compare against your own findings.

My notes:

• Syntax (1:10) “I can feel it,” i.e. she is manifesting memories that feel as real as when they happened.
• Eye movement (1:12) After saying “I can feel it,” her eye goes down to the right—a gesture associated with recalling memories.
• Mannerism and eye movement (1:44) Look at her pupils and see how stares into thin air, coming into focus on the specific date that she’s been provided as though she can see it in front of her.
• Sequence (1:45- 2:00) Look at her hand gestures as she describes the sequence she uses to organize the dates and events in her mind.
• “I just see it, it’s just there” (4:29) Although the doctor being interviewed calls this an unsatisfactory response, it’s very telling if you read between the lines. It is as though they can simply travel back to a previous point in time and observe it—similar to the Future Self technique which I teach.
• Eye movement (5:10) Eyes to the right, toggling between looking upwards and looking directly right, indicating visual and auditory memories being recalled.

Another Prodigy

If you’d like to learn more about how to read people’s non-verbal behaviour to decode and replicate success, check out our online course on Persuasion and Influence.