February // USE IT OR LOSE IT

At the end of last year, I decided to join my church choir for the annual carols presentation. I'm not the best singer the world has to offer but I can hold a tune. I had assumed it was going to be plain sailing as I had been in the choir for most of my primary school life and in my twenties. Now, I found the singing part okay, but was surprised I couldn't seem to memorise a verse, let alone whole songs!

To many, this might seem acceptable but one of my most alluded to skills was my ability to store so much in my brain. Okay, I accept I have never been one to store random information but I think I am exceptionally good at storing the things I choose to remember – my friends & family say I have the most selective memory!

I knew whole chapters of the Bible by heart; all the birthdays of those close to me at my fingertips; I could easily reel out phone numbers and even the 16-digit card numbers of a number of cards. As technology advanced, I no longer needed to memorise numbers – electronic calendars were always on hand and phone numbers could easily be stored on my phone. Besides fewer activities laid demands on my brain and by the time I joined the choir, I realised my memorising-ability was non-existent.

This prompted within me the thought that you can so easily lose what you have if you do not make use of it constantly. What is worse is you might actually not realise it is lost until the next time a demand is put on it. I am so thankful for Carols 2015 and for it prompting me to constantly use my memorising skills. I have gone straight into execution mode and promised myself that I would never struggle to remember. I am consciously forcing myself to learn a quote daily, bible verses, and even chapters. I know that by consciously practicing these skills, I am consolidating the skill and improving in it.

I will end by challenging you to dig up unused skills or talents and consciously making use of them this year. As you do, remember these pointers -

• Understand it
• Study it
• Experiment with it

Don’t wait to need it before realising it has been lost completely!

Book of the Month:

How to Develop a Brilliant Memory by Dominic O’Brien

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Let your imagination,
the key to learning and memory,
unleash that brain power
and propel you along
at ever-increasing speeds.”
- Dominic O’Brien