Way back when I was 7 or 8 years old, I can remember playing the game memory with my 3 brothers and grandfather, Leo.
Leo was always trying to teach us simple games for the brain.
Looking back on it, we were playing against a ringer, not Leo, but my youngest brother Presh, who would go on to become one of the top card players in the world to this day. Yes, he is a professional poker player.
He has an incredible analytical mind and photographic memory, something God has blessed him with.
But what if you weren’t blessed with a world class photographic memory?
Fear not, there are different types of memory and they can all be improved with practice.
Practice? Yes, you need to work your memory just like any muscle or it will wither away.
Not a good thing when you consider that your age is equivalent to your brain and joint health.
When I give talks, I often have the audience wake up their brain either using something known as semantic memory or declarative memory.
Here’s a sample that you can begin using daily to work on your semantic memory. And for your information, semantic memory is independent of time and place.
Take a moment and write down all the states that you can think of that begin with the letter M and N.
How many did you get?
If it wasn’t 16, then we have some work to do with your semantic memory.
Spend a Sunday morning trying to write out all 50 states. It’s fun, seriously.
It’s not a matter of intelligence. You clearly know all 50 states or all the M states or N states. It has to do with your ability to recall these facts.
So, that’s semantic memory.
How about declarative memory? Declarative memory is your brain’s capacity to store facts and memories that can consciously be accessed.
See how many 5 syllable words you can come up with that begin with the letters B and C.
Can you get at least 5 each?
Maybe not, maybe so.
If not, then your declarative memory needs some work.
You know that many words with five syllables, I have no doubt about that. But if you cannot recall them, you want to work towards being able to.
The point is, that your memory can be worked in so many different ways. It is critical for your brain health and in keeping your brain young.
You can literally grow connections in your brain by working on things like this and things such as cursive penmanship, which I’ll be writing about upcoming.
Be Unconventional - Kyle Newell
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