Why Brain Training Is So Important
If you want to improve your memory, there’s good news and bad news as the old saying goes. First the good news. There are hundreds of memory improvement games, courses, and audio tapes out there. But here’s the bad news …
Memory Improvement And Your Brain
The bad news is this. Almost every CD, ebook, or audio tape teaches you theory, but fails to teach you how to consistently put the theory into practice. Let’s use a practical example.
Suppose you wanted to be a great guitar player. You could read a magazine about playing guitar, or perhaps go to an Eric Clapton concert. But what it would really take to be a great guitar player is practicing a certain set of defined skills and making them a part of your everyday life.
To improve your memory, you have to understand how it works first. It is not a part of your brain, it is the end result of many factors. Memory is having great attentive skills. It’s also about being able to visualize, like remembering where to turn when you’re driving. And memory skills require being able to think quickly, like remembering a person’s name.
And so, since the power of memory is actually determined by several brain functions, it makes perfect sense to improve your skills by improving your overall brain function.
How Your Brain Can Be Trained
As you might imagine, your brain is exceptionally powerful. It has great capacity, but much like a muscle, if it is not challenged, it won’t perform when needed.
In order to train your brain, first you should examine how you learn. Humans learn by engaging all five senses. Think about it. At some point in your life, you’ve learned by seeing, hearing, touching, smell, and tasting. That is not only how you learn, it’s also how you remember.
By engaging all your senses in the learning process, you engage your entire brain. In essence, you give it a workout and it performs better. You can see where we’re going here. The end result of highly engaged brain capacity is a better memory.
Your brain can be trained by using techniques which engage all the senses at one point or another. It is not about memorizing a deck of cards, for example. These techniques are more about a comprehensive, thorough training of your brain to work at its fullest capacity. The only way to do this is by practice.
Summary
Training your brain to use it’s fullest potential is the best memory improvement technique, because memory skills stem from all your senses. Just using one sense, for example, your sense of hearing by listening to a memory tutorial CD, is not enough.
Bottom line, there are hundreds of memory improvement techniques on the market. Be cautious of any that merely ask you to use one of your senses and expect results.
Improve Memory And Concentration
No matter your age, at some point in time everyone has wanted to improve their memory and concentration skills. Whether it’s remembering that potential client’s name or which turn to take off the freeway, memory and concentration are key aspects of our day to day lives.
But how do you improve memory and concentration?
With concentration, it’s a little more clear cut. Chances are, if we aren’t able to concentrate, our mind is on something else we personally deem more important. Address that notion head on. Ask youself some questions. A good first question to ask is this: “Is what I’m thinking about more important than what I’m doing right now?” Hint: If you’re driving, the answer is NO!
In all seriousness, concentration is in large part a sense of prioritizing. If you’ve made a personal choice that whatever you’re doing is exactly what you should be doing right now, chances are great you’ll concentrate.
As for memory, it’s a slightly different story. But there is still a sense of priority. Make it a point to exercise your brain. Instead of blindly plugging phone numbers into your cell phone, try to remember a few of them. Challenge yoor memory and strengthen your brain. Puzzles are an excellent way to improve your brain capacity, and with it, your memory.
School of Phenomenal Memory
Phenomenal Memory is not a GIFT…. It’s a skill!
Some memory loss is to be expected as we age. It’s natural. Our brain function begins to lower as we reach middle age, so some memory loss is normal. And yet, we can ward off some of the aging effects in much the same way we’d tackle physical changes. Exercise, a good diet, ample sleep, and a balanced lifestyle are just a few key factors.
The best thing about memory is the more we use it, the more likely we’ll retain it. Challenge yourself to have a great memory!
