Hey, after all, “What’s in a name?”
You might ask me, “Why should I remember someone’s name?” A valid question indeed! But remember this – despite so many social media websites, a name is the first and basic identity of a person. It is another matter that today, a professional account is maintained by a person on LinkedIn – it has become the de facto professional identity! Similarly, people have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and whatnot! Whichever social media website you are using, the first thing asked there is your name, right?
Anatomy of a name
Now, what does a name contain? It typically contains a first (also called ‘given’) name, a middle name (in many cases), and the last name (also called ‘family’ name or surname). In our lifetime, we might meet thousands of people. How do you remember everyone’s name? Let me put it this way – are we required to remember all the names? Hell, no! We tend to remember the names of the people who are closest to us and the most useful to us – immediate family members, relatives, friends, employees, employers, acquaintances, customers, students, patients, etc. All this depends upon the profession we are involved in.
Remember names of people and achieve success
Suppose you are a doctor and a teacher/ex-professor like me. It pays to remember the names of your patients and students. Similarly, so on and so forth for all other professions. When you tend to remember the names of the people you interact with, they tend to feel happy, have more trust in you, and probably will interact and connect more with you. Your practice, business, or whatever you are involved in will gradually improve courtesy your name-remembering capacity albeit at least to a certain extent. Because no matter what, ultimately it is your ability, capacity, and tenacity which will reveal and sustain your true worth in any field.
Say your name perfectly!
Coming back to our original topic, how do you remember someone’s name? Or how do you make someone remember your name? The way one says one’s name is a very important factor in remembering names. Saying it with the real intention of making the person/s in front of you remember your name is paramount. It also helps if your name is unique and catchy. But no matter what your name is if you practice it saying perfectly, half your battle is won.
Remember at least the surname, silly!
I tend to and probably nearly all of you tend to also include the profession or an item the person uses when saving the person’s name in your contact list on the phone or any other device. That way, even if you forget the person’s name, at least if you remember the profession or an item a person uses, say, for example, a person drives an autorickshaw. Another very important way to remember a person’s name is to not forget the surname. I am a Shaik (my family name) and even if you forget my name, at least if you say, “Hi, Dr. Shaik”, I will be happy!
In the case of famous people, you tend to automatically remember them quite well as you might have a personal interest in them. Maybe you like them, are a fan of them, etc. Enough of this ‘name’ sense, I need to hit the sack and try getting up at 4 a.m. I do keep the alarm at 4 a.m. to do the Tahajjud prayer (the Muslim prayer in the third part of the night). But alas, Mr. Satan usually has the upper hand! And he laughs heartily at me and my inability to get up at 4 a.m. Guys and ladies – hit the sack early, get up early, and have a head start over others!