“Someone Need a Hug?” (Will Ferrell in the movie ELF)
I was in Home Depot yesterday walking the aisles with Santa looking for mini lights for my wreath. I asked Santa if he had seen my friend Rick. He told me he couldn’t remember names of co-workers. I exclaimed “…but Rick’s been here for 20 years!” He retorted “And so have I.” Of course I couldn’t help but giving him a tip as we traversed the catacombs of electrical wires, solar lights and fake Christmas trees. The most important thing he said is “Why should I care?” He was a jovial old guy and I wasn’t in the mood to do on-the-spot therapy, nor did he ask. Unfortunately this is just the profile of a brain and personality type that won’t grow and his aging brain will decline faster as a result. My thoughts were racing and here’s what I wanted to advise him:
1. It all starts with attention. If you decide you want to learn to remember names better, that’s the first step. (see the Jimmy Stewart blog entry “It’s a Wonderful Life!” You have to want to. Clearly he did not.
2. Turning onto your attention to the task and planning time to study it (even 5-10 minutes here and there) is key. Think about your thinking (metacognition) and if you are starting to be aware of what you should do to be studying someone’s name. These brain exercises make a difference.
3. If it’s not on your calendar (with audio reminders) and a block of time carved out, statistics show us 90% will not do a novel task to start shaping a new behavior.
Remember “Jenny with the Penny” and me and Jimmy Stewart? Make it a wonderful life and do something terrific to improve your memory and give yourself the gift of brain exercises in the new year!
Gotta ask yourself: “Am I a learner or a couch potato? Am I going to waste time watching too much TV or YouTube or playing video games all the time? Or, am I going to grow my executive function and do brain stimulating exercises and feel great about growing my abilities?” It’s a personal choice. What a great time to start a new goal!
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