Recalling Wonderful Memories

Jennifer got back from the World Memory Championships last week, and once again the feats of the master memorists were truly astounding.  But memory isn't just about memorising packs of cards, long lists of numbers and words, or even remembering hundreds of names and faces. 

Memory is a skill we can all develop and use - and this Holiday Season is a great time to activate your memory skills to bring joy to both you and your family.  If you've ever taken time to reflect on your childhood, or done an oral history with someone, or even just told your kids a family story, you are using your memory, and developing your memory skills.

Memory champions tell us the secret to their amazing skills is the use of imagination, creating associations, and building stories - so when you reflect on your past and share it, you are using much the same approach as memorists.  As we've always said, the connection between what they do at the World Memory Championships and the memory skills we can all develop and use, is a strong one.

Want to give it a try?  It will be fun and very appreciated by your family. 

Reflections on Your Childhood

Take some time to reflect on the following questions, and use the downloadable document to actually write your thoughts down. 

• Where did you grow up, and what do you remember about your home?
• When you were a kid, what was your favourite holiday and how did your family celebrate it?
• What’s your favourite memory of your dad? Your mum?
• What rules did your parent’s have and which ones drove you crazy?
• What is one thing you did that you didn’t tell your parents about?
• What did you want to be when you grow up?
• Who taught you to drive? What was your first car?
• What was the worst trouble you got into when you were younger?
• What are some ways – good and bad – the world has changed since you were a kid?
• What’s the craziest or most impulsive thing you have done?
• What are some things you still want to do in your lifetime?

Download our handy Mind Tool template "Family Memory Jogger"

Create a Family Year Book

You can do a similar sort of activity with the family, for instance get the family around the table and get everyone to write down answers to these sorts of questions about the last year.

• What made you smile the most this year? 
• What was something really special that happened in the last year?  What made it special?
• Did you meet anyone, or make any new friends that had an impact on you?  What was it?
• What was your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?
• What was your favourite TV show, event or activity, and why?
• Who do think were the most influential or important people in the world last year, and why?
• What was the worst thing that happened, and how did it affect you?
• What was the best gift you received, and why was it so special?
• What lessons did your learn during the year, and how did you use them?
• What do you want to achieve or see happen in the next year?

Of course you can change these questions or add some of your own.  Then if you like you could take all the family's answers and creat a Family Year Book, full of photos, news clippings, quotes and more to have something that could be passed down to future generations.

Interested in Oral Histories?

Lastly, if you've ever had the opportunity to record an Oral History, you should definately give it a go.  Jennifer wrote a book on doing Oral Histories, when she did one with a wonderful mentor of hers from Scouts. 

She is now making this available as a Download eBook for just $5.00 with all the money raised to go to the Victorian Scout Heritage Centre, where she was Treasurer and Director, before moving to the Gold Coast.

This inspirational and informative 27 page ebook is called Two Buckets of Steam - Why "Two Buckets of Steam"? you will have to read it to find out  - Download now

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So Memory and the connection between what we can all do, and what great Memory Champions do is very clear - memorists just take it to the highest possible level, the same as Sports Olympians do.  But just like local and backyard sports stars (we're all stars in our world), we can all use and develop our memory skills.

Give it a try, and share it with your family and friends.