Fact 5.  During sleep you will assimilate and organise much of what you have been exposed to in the day.   Sleep is an important learning tool. Getting good sleep is an important part of your week.

Fact 6.  You have a conscious mind and an unconscious mind. Unconscious mind is best for learning new material.

·     Statistical findings that the inherent potential of the brain, is infinitely greater than assumed.  This leads to the inevitable conclusion that the potential for growth throughout a human lifetime has been systematically underestimated by a colossal margin, (p15 Buzan & Keene)

·     Research is now indicating that if the brain is used and trained, there is an increase in the brain’s interconnective complexity, (ie intelligence is raised)

·     In deep states of mediation or hypnosis, people have been observed to eliminate all pain, to paralyse a part of their body completely, to produce massive skin eruptions where no cause was apparent ( and to eliminate them immediately afterwards), to induce any predetermined symptom artificially, to perform feats of strength normally attributed only to supermen or madmen, and to cure themselves of apparently incurable diseases.

·   The basic storage capacity of the brain is absolute, in terms of remembering its own existence.  (ie we remember everything that has happened)

·   Connections in brain to 1 with 150million K of Zeros

·   Work on mnemonic systems indicates that the brain can remember a staggering 7,000 disconnected items.

Studies of the inspirational greats and geniuses frequently indicated that, frequently rather than exceptionally, they seemed to produce better work as they got older.  Buzan & Keene provide a number of examples:

What do you need to do to improve your learning ability

In one sense all you need to do is to be committed to improving your ability to learn.  Once you have taken this first step the rest will fall into place for you.  The reason for this is best summaries by a Section from Seven Action to Increase Returns in Owner Operated businesses where it displays the power of being proactive by reference to the work of William H. Murray in the Scottish Himalayan when he reflected on the organisation and willpower needed to begin his expedition: 

Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

Murray then supported his thought asking his readers to consider the very well know comment by  Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe:

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, a chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: the moment that one definitely commits oneself then providence moves too....whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.
 

This powerful message is very clear.  If you wish to tap more fully into your natural abilities the first step is just to make the commitment and then enjoy the rest falling into place.

Fact 1. Most of us leave 96% of our brain unused.  If each person in this room could cut that unused portion back to 93% every single person in this room would be considered a genius, by current standards.  Some of you may already be  and I think it is an exciting prospect to be in a room full of genius.

Fact 2. The brain can be divided between left and right. Not only does the left control the right hand side of the body and the right controls the left hand side but they also have different functions. The left is specific and logical and involved with analysis and language while the right is holistic and involved with music and pictures.  See the overhead. When we enable the two to work together we have a massive improvement in learning. 

Society has conditioned many, indeed most of us to become leftbrain dominant.  Indeed this weeks workshop is leftbrain dominant. Therefore in order to maximise your learning and the benefits you receive from the week we will introduce some right brain activities.  We will listen to a bit of music each day and may I suggest to you  that you give yourself some time to appreciate the scenery, sit there looking out the window, maybe some walks in the morning and that you also examine and evaluate some of the pieces works of art hanging around the walls here.  A good exercise for creating what is called a synesthesia is to look at a picture and describe in words, out loud what you see and what you feel.

Fact 3. Despite making up only 2% of your body weight your brain can use between 20-40% of your oxygen.  So for optimal brain function it is important to give the brain a good supply of oxygen both from a long-term body maintenance programme and from periodic deep breathing and so it is important that from time to time we go outside and take a few deep breaths.

Fact 4. The more learning your brain does the more it enjoys learning, because you enjoy what you are good at and therefore the better it becomes at learning.  New information develops new pathways and new pathways make it increasingly easier to learn. Increasing your learning is a very positive cycle.

Fact 5.  During sleep you will assimilate and organise much of what you have been exposed to in the day.   Sleep is an important learning tool. Getting good sleep is an important part of your week.

Fact 6.  You have a conscious mind and an unconscious mind.  Your unconscious mind is best for learning new material because it is so gullible,  at least it is gullible compared to your conscious mind.  It will believe what ever I tell it.  This gullibility is an important part of its job.  Especially from a learning perspective.  It is also important to have a mind which is not totally gullible but questioning and that is your conscious mind.   It will question what I say,  in fact you may be aware that it is wondering about what I am saying now.  It has a right not to believe everything I say.  Because it likes to work things out for itself.  Because it is during this wondering process that it can rearrange your current knowledge and build on life experiences that you already have.

Before I share with you practical action steps that will result in an increase ability for you to learn let me recap on the 6 facts I  highlighted regarding the brain.

                Someone else

Improve your memory

The importance of learning

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