The Friday Brain Upgrade

How to eliminate mental fatigue, amplify cognitive performance, and become an unstoppable learner

Learn a little more—then you can reach more

My grandmother had a saying,

“Learn a little more—then you can reach more.”

As a kid, I didn’t realize how literal that expression would become for me.

In elementary school, I played super competitive handball. For those not familiar with the game, in handball, you literally reach for and throw the ball!

When I started playing, I was a goalie. As the goalkeeper, I needed to learn how to watch for when the other team would shoot, in which direction the shot could come from, and anticipate where the ball would end up. I needed to be super flexible and solid.

Athletics matter, but there are more critical parts of being a good goalie. You don’t need to understand the tactics of the game, just block the goals. I was one of the youngest players but I studied the great goalies of handball and learned how to contour my body to be the rock that blocked the ball at all costs.

I got so good at athletics that my coach allowed me to become a field player.

Being a field player was much harder. I had to learn how to run fast, throw, and reach for the ball when it was thrown at me. I wasn’t ready for that. My teammates had played for years and had a much better understanding of how the game worked on the field than I did. They were better than me.

How was I going to keep up?

My grandmother’s words came back to me. “Learn a little more—then you can reach more.”

Ah! I thought. I needed to learn more about this, so I asked my teammates. They said yes!

We started the next day. But we didn’t just practice throwing.

No, we practiced how to play the game, the tactics involved, and the strategy to WIN!

With their help, and more knowledge about the game, I was literally able to reach for more difficult balls and land more challenging goals.

Just two years later, I became the team captain!

My grandmother was right! Learn a little more, reach a little more!

Now, nearly thirty years later, I am still learning more and reaching for more.

Including reaching out to those who need help recognizing their learning styles so they can win.

Just like my teammates taught me about handball strategies, I have realized that people need learning strategies so they can pick up new skills without wasting time.

When you learn strategies—you don’t have to spend so much time learning everything.
You can learn faster and implement what you learn even more effectively.

But so many people don’t know the best strategies for them to learn.

They believe learning takes too much time, so they don’t do it.

They miss out on so many wins because they don’t know how to learn.

That’s why I founded QuintSmart, an intimate cohort learning program that teaches people how to learn so they can advance quickly in the face of any obstacle (waitlist for the next Masterclass now open - click here to join).

Learning quickly, with intention, strategy, and guidance, is necessary so you can keep winning, just like I won my first handball game as a field player.

What would you like to win at?

Learn Smart,
Basti

My LinkedIn posts for further exploration

Live has not limitations except the ones you make Les Brown

Holistic Learning in 5 dimensions