Sections:

Stop Saying that Sharpening Your Short Term Memory

Don't be the one to go through life saying that you can't remember something. Everyone has the ability to remember there memories, all they have to do is try. You need to put yourself in a positive environment and let your mind take control. If you think positive thoughts, then you can do anything that you want to do. The negative thoughts, is what holds the memory back from achieving.

At what time I joined the National Guard I thought that I wasn't going to be able to attend the drills because I couldn't stand someone getting in my face telling me what to do. After a while, though I was able to adjust to the environment that I was in and I was able to adjust to my drill sergeant hollering in my face. It took some time but I was able to block out the bad things that I was thinking and add the new things that would override the bad. Being in the army takes having a strong character because in the army you are just another number to them, you have to either learn how to handle it or drop out. Personally, my father was in the army so I didn't have any choice.

Every time that I would think about dropping out I could picture my father in the back of my mind saying “you can do it; you are just as good as everyone else.” In return, every time that I did this I was sharpening my memory. My father's memories are what got me through the bad times and are what made me enjoy the good times.

Your mind sometimes has a mind of its own and you say things that you may mean but don't mean to express aloud. However, the words just slip out. In this case, your mind has stored how you think about that person or place and you are just replying what you normally would say. That is another reason why sharpening your memory is a good thing to do. You don't want to always have a negative outlook on life, you want to be able to relate to everyone and not exclude anyone.

It is very important that you delete the bad stuff from your memories and only leave the good stuff behind. The more you look back on your memories the better you will have sketched into your memory that will be easier to pull up next time.

Sometimes bad memories can help us. In other words, the mind has a tendency to block out bad. As the mind blocks these bad memories, somewhere in the scene are memories that can help you to cope with the bad. Therefore, facing your memories and controlling your mind instead of fighting against the mind will help you to sharpen the short-term memory.

For instance, at the age of seventeen, I was brutally raped by four men, in which a woman set up the crime. My mind blocked these memories, refusing to deal with the pain, suffering, feelings, and the like. Thus, years later, I had difficult still coping with this incident, yet if I'd faced the disaster, I would have healed sooner. My mind would have grown and my memory would have sharpened.

Now, I look back at that time in my life, and although it hurts, I learnt valuable skills that made me the survivor I am today. All the bad things that happen to us are usable to our advantage. Therefore, stop saying you can't and say you can remember. Face those memories you don't want to face, regardless how bad the memories are so that you can learn and grow.