How to Train your Brain to Learn Anything Faster?

There is no such thing as a good or bad memory, there is only trained and untrained memory.

This quote is given by one of the leading brain experts "Jim Kwik" and from this, we can conclude that if you think, you have a bad memory, then you must think again.

Let me explain this with an example, and try to figure out, how you can train your brain to achieve your highest proficiency.

The legendary Major Dhyan Chand is the world's best field hockey player. He was born in a poor Indian family and his parents gave him the name "Dhyan Singh"

When he joined the Indian Army, he was introduced to field hockey. He starts loving this sport and start practicing it religiously. Every day he runs for a mile dribbling the hockey ball on the railway track without letting that ball fall from it.

When he was not satisfied with his day practice, he starts practicing in the moonlight. Due to this moonlight practice, his friends gave him the name "Dhyan Chand" ("Chand" means "Moon").

When field hockey was re-introduced into the Olympics in 1924, India sends its best hockey team to participate in the Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. India beat the Netherlands in the finals by 4-1 and win the gold medal. Players of the Netherland could not believe the mastery that Dhyan Chand displayed with the hockey stick, so, they broke his stick to see if there is any magnet in it.

In the subsequent Olympics, Dhyan played with even more enthusiasm and energy.

In 1936 the Olympics was in Berlin. India played the finals with Germany. The stadium was full of Germans including Nazi leader "Hitler". Hitler and other Germans were hoping for gold for Germany, but in that match, India beat Germany by 8-1.

After the match, Hitler meets Dhyan Chand and asks him "What do you do?" Dhyan Chand replies "I am in the Indian Army". Hitler says "What is your rank?". Dhyan Chand replies "I am a Lance Naik". Hitler offered him the post of lieutenant colonel in the German army, but his offer was smashed on his face by Dhyan Chand by replying " India is not for sale". Hitler was amazed at his bold reply.

Dhyan Chand continued to play, and in international hockey, he scored 440+ goals in his overall hockey career .

So, what is the mystery behind his mastery? It was his repetitive and immense practice that he put into hockey.

One of the well-known scientists in neural learning, Donald Hebb, discovered and postulated the Hebbian Learning Theory.

According to this theory when we do any work, one neuron fires the next, which fires the next, to accomplish any work. Donald Hebb theorized that, when the axon of one neuron fires another neuron repeatedly, some organic changes take place in the brain. This makes it easier for that neuron to fire the next neuron.

That is why, for example, when you try to learn to type for the first time, you will often face difficulty to find the "A" button on your keyboard. It will take lots of concentration. By with subsequent and daily practice, it will become easier and easier for you to enter "A". This proficiency goes on increasing according to Hebbian Learning theory. As the saying goes,

Neuron that fire together, wires together

So, that is why if you want to learn and master any skill, you need daily and persistent practice. This is the only way one can train their brain to learn anything faster. There is no shortcut to mastery.

I hope you will use this knowledge to master the skill you want to learn.

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