“Many a man fails as an original thinker simply because his memory is too good.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
Funny story about this one… I wanted to quote this to someone, and I couldn’t remember the quote! Anyone who knows me (even if only casually) can say at least two things about me. First, that I have a horribly dysfunctional memory and secondly that my thoughts or ways of doing things are often unique, if not completely original.
What makes this quote true? Does a bad memory always go hand in hand with original thought? Sure, to many who read this the answers are obvious. Some people, though, may have difficulty seeing the wisdom that is so carefully enveloped in these simple words.
I am a problem solver. I love the challenge of a problem that needs solving. There are usually many solutions that will fit a problem; the challenge isn’t simply to find a solution, but rather to find the best solution. That elusive best solution is what drives me to solve problems.
Most problems occur many times. Anyone who has used a Windows computer or had children can tell you all about problems that just keep happening over and over again. How many times have you seen a problem and thought, “I’ve seen this before, how did I solve it last time?” I ask myself that question every time, and you know what? I can never remember how I solved it last time. So, rather than going through the same motions (by memory) to get the same solution and outcome as last time, I have to solve the problem all over again, following different steps, forming a different solution. The result of this is often (and inadvertently) the same solution, at times a less effective solution or, on occasion, a much better solution than the last one.
By taking a different approach to the same situations simply because I can’t remember how I did it last time I have found that many of my approaches to life are unique. People often comment that they never would have thought to do something that way.
Of course, my experience isn’t the experience of everyone with a bad memory. I would say that a bad memory encourages original thought, it doesn’t create it. Perhaps if you are one of the unlucky souls who suffers from a good memory and rarely comes up with original thoughts or ideas, you could try this: Next time you are presented with a familiar situation and you remember how you handled it the last time, forget it.
Forget all about your past experience and start from scratch. Certainly you want to remember and use the most effective solutions in the beginning, and you wouldn’t want to be caught treading unfamiliar ground coming up with new solutions in an important situation where failure could be devastating. At first you’ll want to save this for a time when a mistake would have a minimal impact. Then, as you get better at acting like you don’t have a good memory and your original thoughts begin flowing more easily, you can start using this technique even where you thought you had the best solutions already.
You may find that all of your old solutions were fairly mediocre and some of your new solutions will be quite bright.
Thoughts on My Favorite Quotes 