Open your eyes and look around you. Are you those things? Maybe it you feel pain when your favorite chair breaks, as though it were you. But you're not that chair. Ask yourself which of these things you own are you. "Am I this?"

Close your eyes and say your name. Do you feel a sense of identity? What if you had no name? Ask "Am I really..." and say your name again. What's honest answer? If this one is tough, say "I am..." and insert any other name. Notice how when you call yourself by another name, you feel differently. Your name-identity is a collection of ideas, something seen differently by you and others.

As feelings arise, ask "Am I this fear?.. this pain, desire, sadness, pleasure, anger? Your feelings are not you - they just pass through you. Your clothes, your body, your reputation - none of it is your true self-identity.

Do this meditation for twenty minutes, then take a deep breath and get up. Notice if you feel different - less worried or less attached to things, feelings and thoughts. Do meditation as often as necessary, to remind you of what you are not.

Some Other Memory Tricks

Tell yourself to remember. When you learn a person's name, for example, tell yourself, "remember that". This signals your unconscious mind to rank this input as more important.

Know WHY you want to remember something, and HOW you'll remember it. To remember a person, for example, ask why they'll be important to you in future, imagine where you'll see them next, and connect that to anything you notice about them. Seeing importance of remembering really helps, and additional associations (where you expect to see person next) set memory more firmly in your brain.

Do you ever forget where you put your car keys? You've probably tried retracing your steps, at least doing it in your imagination. This can work well, but even better is to prevent forgetting beforehand. When you set keys on chair, see yourself walking in and setting keys on chair. You won't forget where they are.

There are many more of these memory tricks. If you want them to be useful, though, don't just read about them. Make a memory technique or two into a habit, starting today.