Chapter 3

 

Inspirational Numbers

 

 

Overview

This chapter covers a memory technique that establishes a Peg System (refer to Chapter 1’s Lights, Camera, Action! sections) based on the familiarity of numbers. Whenever any number is mentioned to you, it inspires (arouses, animates, brings forward) a certain image or picture of something commonly associated with that number. Each number can then be represented by the picture object of the entity close to the number’s common associations. The pictorial list of number inspirations becomes your frame of reference or memory list. New information is linked to each symbolic picture, hence ‘pegging’ the information in memory.

 

The chapter covers the following topics:

      Numbers Inspirations

      Number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10

      Numbers 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

      Advantages and Limitations

      Exercise: Inspirational Memory Movies

 

 

Numbers Inspirations

 

Each number has a common association that can be visualised in a pictorial image. An example is the number 2 representing things that come in 2s or as a pair: chopsticks, bicycle, Noah’s Ark, etc. The images you choose will become your Pegs; the elements of your memory list. New information can then be fixed or attached to those Pegs using vivid, exciting, emotional action movies.

 

The basic premise of most memory techniques is that your unique frame of reference, your list of Pegs, is exactly that: unique. We can suggest options that you can decide to choose from to establish your own context, but ultimately the final list should be yours. The best frame of reference or memory list enjoys the following characteristics:

 

• Vibrant Pegs (items, elements), that you can relate to, making them ..
• Easy to remember, and..
• Easy to attach or link new information to them

 

We shall now examine each number in detail, and provide examples of how to use the Inspirational Numbers as the basis of a memory technique. We shall cover the first number, 1, with extensive details, the numbers 2, 3 and 4 with illustrative examples, then breeze through the other numbers, as the concept is basically the same for all numbers.

 

The Inspirations of Number 1

 

The number 1 usually inspires uniqueness (‘one of a kind’), singularity (‘only one winner’), sequence (‘one after another’), the top winner/highest achiever or predominantly narrow, long shapes. Hence, some examples may include:

• God
• Your Favourite Super Hero (Superman, Batman, Spider Man, Hulk, etc.)
• A Gold Medal
• Championship Cup; choose your favourite sport and/or team
• Champaign; the usual celebration of victory in motor racing and other sports
• Modern city tower
• Queue
• Long shapes: Pen, Pillar, Spear, Rocket, Needle, Stick, etc.

 

Hence the number 1 may be pictured, in your mind’s eyes, as a Holy/saintly figure (white beard, etc), superhero, gold medal, champion cup, champagne bottle, etc. or generally any pointed narrow object, if your inspiration is the shape of number 1. Choose ONE object to represent the number 1 and use this object in all related memory exercises and workouts.

   

 

For the sake of illustration, we shall use the picture object ‘rocket’ to represent 1. Hence, if we have a list of items to remember, we shall link the first item with a rocket in a memory movie (refer to chapter 1).

 

For example, if we wanted to remember the item ‘Bells’, we can visualise a rocket being launched in Houston that has hundreds of bells attached to it. As the rocket inches upwards, the bells are ringing louder and louder developing a deafening noise. Once the rocket reaches a certain height, the bells are released and they shower above the rocket base station and the onlookers.

 

Now, if later on we wanted to recall the first item on our list, then we initially think of our picture object, the rocket, that represents the number 1, or first. This will bring forward to our memory the memory movie associated with the rocket, and we can now ‘see’ the bells hanging from the rocket, then ‘hear’ their ringing as the rocket climbs upwards, then ‘feel’ them raining on our heads when released. Hopefully, we can then recall that the first item on our list was ‘bells’.

 

As you have realised by now it’s all about making movies. Your success in developing your memory is essentially dependent on your ability to direct many movies. Each movie must be unique, vibrant, interesting, sensual, and, well, memorable.

 

The Inspiration of Number 2

 

The number 2 brings forward to memory things that either usually come in pairs or have one of two states. Some inspirations may include:

 

• Noah’s Ark; where all the animals arrived in pairs
• Chopsticks; where you need both chopsticks to hold the, usually Asian, food
• Bicycle; need 2 wheels to make a bicycle (bi = 2)
• Newly Weds
• Switch; as in a power switch (light on’ light off)
• Coin; two sides (heads and tails)
• Corner; a place where 2 sides or edges meet
• Dumbbells

 

 

 

            

 

 

For illustration, let use assume our assigned object shape for the digit 2 is a swan. The second object we want to remember in our list is a ‘ceiling fan’.

 

We now need to create a memory movie connecting Swan with Fan. We can visualise a swan swimming gracefully in the lake. Suddenly, the swan sees a huge alligator rushing towards it. The swan starts flapping its wings, spinning around itself very quickly, creating a helicopter fan-like motion, causing ripples radiating around it. The swan slowly rises in the air, its wings rotating like fans, and flies away just in time to escape the massive jaws of the alligator.

 

The Inspirations of Number 3

 

The number 3 is commonly associated with entities that are grouped in 3s or have 3 extensions. Hence, the inspirations of the number 3, and their associated picture objects, may include:

 

• Pyramids of Egypt; the Pyramids, Egyptian warrior, Mummy
• Traffic Lights (Red, Amber and Green); Flashing lights, Stop/Walk Man
• Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit); Saint with Hallow, Cross
• Cutlery (Knife, Fork and Spoon); Dancing Cutlery
• 3 Little Pigs, and the scary Wolf who tries to blow their houses away
• 3 Wise Men
• 3 Blind Mice
• The 3 Musketeers
• Stool, usually have 3 legs
• Charlie’s Angels; 3 beautiful adventurous ladies
• A Crowd of 3 people; as in ‘Two’s company, three’s a crowd’

       

 

 

                

 

The picture object we shall use for illustration is the handcuffs. The third item on our list to remember is a car.

 

We are visualising a gigantic handcuffs that acts as a race track. The car is positioned at the start line, ‘vrooming’ its engine to maximum tachometer reading. In a rush of wind, the car zooms along the handcuffs race track, swerves along the curves and flies over the open gap. Landing at the other side, the wheels bump the road with a blasting sound, and then screech to a halt, swivelling violently.

 

The Inspirations of Number 4

 

The number 4 inspires pictures of objects that have four parts or sound like the word ‘four’. Hence, the picture objects can include:

 

• Car; with 4 wheels
• Table; with 4 legs
• Animals; with 4 legs (‘Animals’ are too general; choose ONE animal to represent the species)
• The Beatles; John, Paul, George and Ringo
• Rowing Boat; a four-oared rowing boat or its crew
• Cricket; a hit that reaches the boundary after first striking the ground, scoring 4 runs
• Boxing Ring; which has 4 sides/ropes
• 4^th of July; Independence Day, the USA’s most famous public holiday
• Door (rhyme)
• 4 Seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn)

 

  

The picture object we shall use in our shapely digits memory list is a wind surfer. The fourth item we need to remember is a chainsaw. We can just imagine the wind surfer sailing along the top edge of the chainsaw, the sky is clear and the sun is shining. Suddenly, the chainsaw starts vibrating and the wind surfer is now rocking fiercely from side to side, trying to stay on the edge. The surfer is struggling to go up the saw tooth edge, and then almost flies down the other side of the tooth, striking the bottom forcefully. The force is so great that the wind surfer is knocked off the surf boat and jumps down the side of the chainsaw to safety.

 

The Inspirations of Number 5

 

The number 5 picture objects are mostly related to entities with 5 sides, parts or extensions. The most common are:

 

• The Pentagon, the US Department of Defence building.
• The Olympic Rings; 5 intertwined rings in different colours
• A Hand (5 fingers)
• A Foot (5 toes)
• Hi 5; the children’s band or the high-level hand salute
• Basketball; where each team has 5 players
• A Short Break; as in ‘Take five’
• A Star (5 points)

 

The Inspirations of Number 6

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 6 can be:

 

• Tomb; as in ‘6 Feet Under’
• Confusion and Disarray; as in ‘At Sixes and Sevens’
• Cricket; a hit that reaches the boundary without first striking the ground, scoring 6 runs
• Subway sandwich (Subway is a fast-food chain, some sandwiches are 6 inch long)
•  Gun; a six-shooter

 

The Inspirations of Number 7

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 7 are quite common and plenty. They can include:

 

• James Bond; Secret Agent 007
• 7 Dwarfs; helping Snow White against the evil witch
• 7 Wonders of the World; choose ONE to represent the spectacular man-made structures of the ancient world (Pyramids of Egypt, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes and Pharos of Alexandria)
• 7 Seas; Oceans of the world (Arctic, Antarctic, South Pacific, North Pacific, South Atlantic, North Atlantic and Indian)
• 7 Days of the Week; a weekly calendar
• Lucky 7; the number 7 is considered a lucky number inspiring images of a casino or dice
• 7 Deadly Sins; Pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth
• 7 Year Itch; Supposed tendency to infidelity after 7 years of marriage

 

The Inspirations of Number 8

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 8 can include:

 

• Hour-glass
• Chess Board; 8 Pawns or 8 squares on each side
• Rowing Boat; an eight-oared rowing boat or its crew

 

         

 

 

 

The Inspirations of Number 9

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 9 can be:

 

• Cat; which is rumoured to have 9 lives
• Noughts and Crosses Game; the game board has 9 squares (5 0s and 4 +s)
• Nine Muses; in Greek mythology
• Channel 9; an Australian free-to-air TV station (‘still the one’)

 

The Inspirations of Number 10

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 10 can include:

 

• 10 Downing Street; the residence of the British Prime Minister, arguably the most recognisable street address in the world
• 10/10 Ten out of Ten; a perfect or highest score
• Channel 10; an Australian free-to-air TV station (‘seriously’)
• 10^th of June; the Queen’s Birthday, celebrated in most Commonwealth countries
• 10%; the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Australia
• 10 Pin Bowling
• 10 Commandments (Moses)

 

 

 

   

 

 

The Inspirations of Number 11

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 11 can include:

 

• Soccer or Football; where each team has 11 players
• Walking; as in ‘number 11’ meaning one’s legs for transport
• Goal posts

 

      

The Inspirations of Number 12

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 12 can include:

 

• Eggs Carton; which usually contains 12 eggs
• Signs of the Zodiac; select your horoscope as your picture image
• Months of a Year; annual calendar with monthly views
• Apostles; the twelve Apostles

 

                  

   

 

The Inspirations of Number 13

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 13 can include:

 

• Unlucky Number; lack of luck can be represented by a black cat
• Friday; the 13^th is superstitiously an unlucky day
• Suite of Playing Cards; 13 playing cards in Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs

 

 

The Inspirations of Number 14

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 14 can include:

 

• 14-carat
• Valentine’s Day 14 February

 

The Inspirations of Number 15

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 15 can include:

 

• MA15; a film classification allowing persons over 15 years of age to watch the film
• Pay day

 

The Inspirations of Number 16

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 12 can include:

 

• Sweet 16; the supposed age of ‘sweetness’ (picture image: sugar, candy, chocolates, etc.)
•  

 

The Inspirations of Number 17

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 17 can include:

 

o    The age when you can drive a car in Britain (Young man driving)

o    A film called Seventeen (a film movie camera)

• 17 duplicate Mathematicians in a room (as 17 denotes 17 mathematical repeating patterns)

 

The Inspirations of Number 18

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 18 can include:

 

• Golf Course; 18 holes
• 1812 Overture; a famous classic music symphony on Napoleon’s victories ??
• Voting Booth; the age in most Western countries when a person can vote
• Beer; the age in most Western countries when a person can drink alcohol

 

 

The Inspirations of Number 19

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 19 can include:

 

• The last of the Teens; image of a teenager pondering the future!

 

The Inspirations of Number 20

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 20 can include:

 

• 20th Century Fox film company
• 20 cigarettes pack

 

The Inspirations of Number 21

 

The inspirational picture objects for the number 12 can include:

 

• Key; the symbolic icon of the end of the ‘teen’ phase of one’s life, usually displayed on birthday cards and cakes.

 

Here is a tabular summary of the above Number Inspirations:

Number	Inspiration 1	Inspiration 2	Inspiration 3	Inspiration 4
1	Pillar	Tree	Tie
2	Noah’s Ark	Newly Weds	Chopsticks	Dumbbells
3	3 Little Pigs	Stool (3 legs)	Traffic Lights	Pyramids of Egypt, Trinity, Knife/Fork/Spoon
4	Car (4 wheels)	Table (4 legs)	Animals	Door
5	Pentagon	Olympic Rings	Hi 5
6	Subway sandwich	Cricket	6-Wheeler
7	7 Dwarfs (Snow White)	James Bond	Lucky: Dice / Casino Calendar (Days of the Week)	Wonders of the World
8	Ice Skating	Chess
9	Lives of a Cat
10	Downing Street	Perfect Score	GST (Australia)	Digits on a Telephone/ATM
11	Soccer Team
12	Hours on a Clock	Signs of the Zodiac	Eggs in a Carton	Calendar (year/ months)
13	Friday (Unlucky)	Suite of a Card Deck
14	Valentine
15	Film Classifcation
16	Sweet Sixteen: Candy
17	Young driver	Film	Mathematicians
18	Golf Course (18 holes)	Voting Booth	Beer	Napoleon
19	Teen pondering
20	20th Century Fox	20 cigarette pack
21	21st Birthday: Key

 

 

Exercise: Memorising the Items List

We have given examples of connecting digits/numbers picture objects for the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 above. Your exercise is to continue the items list above and link items 5 onwards to your chosen digit picture objects. Use the ‘Lights, Camera, Action’ method.

 

Lights

Determine your own list of the digits/numbers picture objects. It could be something like this (but yours could be different):

 

1. Rocket	2. Swan	3. Handcuffs
4. Wind Surfer	5. Hook	6. Golf Club
7. Scythe	8. Guitar	9. Tennis Racket
10. Laurel and Hardy	11. Railway Tracks	12. Harp

 

Go through the list until you can recite it by heart and it is easy for you to remember. Try the list going backwards from 12 to 1. Then try the list starting from 7 to 12 then 6 to 1. Then try recalling items in random order: 3, 6, 1, 8 and so on. You should be able to visualise the complete list very quickly, in any order, without a moment’s hesitation before you move on to Camera.

 

Camera

Take pictures of the items list to be remembered. This could be something like this:

 

1. Bells	2. Fan	3. Racing Car
4. Chainsaw	5. Aeroplane	6. Printer
7. Desk	8. Beach	9. Earth Globe
10. Telephone	11. Baby	12. Calculator

 

 

Action

Make memory movies starring your memory Pegs and your picture objects in the leading roles. Your first (actually, fifth) memory movie will star the Hook and the Aeroplane; your second (actually, sixth) memory movie will star the Golf Club and Printer, and so on.

 

Once you completed your 12^th movie, stop. Make yourself a cup of coffee/tea and return after 10 minutes. Stop now.

 

OK. You are back. Here we go again, just like we did in the previous Chapter 2.

The fun now is to recall the 8 movies you have just directed.

1.    Start by recalling the shape of digit 5

2.    Think of the memory movie you made starring the shape of digit 5

3.    Recall the co-star of the shape of digit 5 in the movie; that’s the list item

4.    Repeat the above 3 steps for each number from 6 to 12

I am confident you have correctly remembered all items. If one has been missed, try to make a new movie, for that item, but with a bit more ACTION. It is really a matter of time before you will be able to create and direct unforgettable movies and expand the powerful potential of your imagination. As always, please do not forget to have fun while practicing; enjoying the exercise will greatly ‘fire up’ your imagination.