Learn For Success Profit and Fun - David Thomas

LEARN FOR SUCCESS,
PROFIT AND FUN

SYSTEMS • MEMORY
IMAGINATION • LISTS
LANGUAGES • NAMES
THINKING • GOALS
TRAINING • TIME
PLAN TECHNIQUES
MIND MAPPING
KNOWLEDGE • READING
DEVELOPMENT • CONCENTRATION
The ultimate guide to

releasing your unlimited learning potential
DAVID THOMAS
DAVID THOMAS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
• Conferences
• Staff awaydays
• Corporate hospitality
EXPERT ON
ACCELERATED
LEARNING
• Company training
• Schools
• 1–2–1 with students
PRESENTATION SKILLS
COACHING
• Sales teams
• Customer facing staff
• 1–2–1 with senior staff
www.The MotivationSpeaker.com
LEARN
FOR
SUCCESS,
PROFIT
AND
FUN!
David Thomas
LEARN FOR SUCCESS, PROFIT AND FUN
Author – David Thomas

Guinness record breaker
At the age of 28, David bought a book on memory
improvement to help him pass his promotion exams in
the Fire Service. Within eight months, he went to the
1996 World Memory Championships and came fourth.
Since then, he has gone on to develop one of the most
powerful memories in history.
International speaker
David has spoken in 22 countries as diverse as
Iran, Iceland and India. His delegates have
included CEOs, firefighters, Olympic athletes
and Government ministers.
Number one bestselling author

David speaking in This is David’s third book. The other two have
Aix-Les-Bains, France.
sold in excess of 500,000 copies worldwide. The
second one was his autobiography that became a
London Sunday Times No.1 bestseller (the UK
equivalent of the New York Times bestseller list).
Media personality
To date, David has done more than 500 media
appearances. His biggest was appearing on The
Oprah Winfrey Show that went out to 17 million
Americans and more than 100 countries.
Learning how to use the amazing, incredible and

infinite learning potential that we all possess
has given me a quality of life I never even knew
existed. I now share my fantastic and highly
successful strategies with global companies to
give them the edge that cannot be achieved
any other way. See you soon for a memorable
experience.
4
Contents
6 Learn how Effective Memory
to learn
24 Principle of
7 What’s in it imagination
for you?
25 Principle of
Effective brainpower organisation
8 Brain structure 26 Journey
technique
10 14 Brain
skills 28 Memorising numbers
30 Memorising languages
Effective reading 31 Memorising names
12 Reading issues
14 Guide technique Applying the techniques
15 Practice 32 Revision frequency
33 Know your body and mind
Mind Maps 34 Thinking constructively
16 History & principles 35 Moving forward
18 Three stages of Mind Mapping
20 Mind Maps for note
taking/studying
21 Mind Maps for planning
22 Mind Maps for meetings
23 Computer Mind Mapping
Appendices
36 Effective reading: Appendix I
38 Effective reading: Appendix II
40 Acknowledgements
5
Learn how to learn

At school and in Harnessing the learning capabilities of staff is the path
the workplace, we to success and profit, both for the individual and the
are constantly organisation.
taught WHAT to
learn. But we are
never shown HOW
to learn.
Learning for Success

and Profit
Many companies
say they have a
learning culture but
I will show you
HOW to learn.
t h o r ’s
Au
✍
no
te
This is very different.

As I travel the world Learning can be a tremendously exciting process and
talking about this book will take you through it step by step.
memory and
learning, people
cannot wait to tell
me how bad their
memory is!
Almost every company has a
glaring gap in their ability to tap
into the unlimited learning
capacity of their staff.
They pay the faintest of lip

service to this crucial element
of professional development
without understanding the huge
financial loss from not harnessing the
intellectual capital of its workforce.
David Thomas
World renowned expert
on accelerated learning
6 Learn how to learn

What’s in it for you?

Your brain is your very own necktop computer
and is the most powerful thing ever created.
Enjoy the adventure of uncovering its
astonishing possibilities.
Learn how to use techniques such as:

Mind Mapping
Speed Reading
Memory Improvement
Learn with greater effectiveness
Spend less time studying and reading
Apply the knowledge quicker
Increase your opportunities for learning
Retain more knowledge
Improve your concentration
Release potential in yourself and others
Learn a

transferable skill
Most exciting of
all, you can share Q u ic k Ti p
with friends and
family to help them The best way
gain an insight into to maximise your
their unlimited understanding and
potential. recall of a topic is to
show someone else.
Learn the strategies
in this book and
then immediately
become teacher.
Learn how to learn 7

Effective Brainpower
The brain is a Structure
powerful, complex, The brain has the texture of a hard boiled egg. The
beautiful lump of lower part, or cerebellum, controls movement, the mid
grey matter just brain, including the thalamus and hypothalamus relays
1.5kgs in weight.
sensory information and regulates body systems.
But what it can do
is beyond
The higher region of the brain – the cerebrum –
imagination.
controls more complex functions, including memory
and learning.
Cerebrum
Analyses data
about
sensations
Deals with
thought
processes

Fac t Fi le
Through evolution,
the brain has
developed into a
structure with Analyses data
multiple valleys and about sound
ridges.
This increases the
Cerebellum
surface area and in
controls balance
turn the number of
brain cells and
connections.
8 Effective brainpower
Connect and learn Dendrite receives

impulses and
Neurons are the basic unit of the nervous conducts them to
system and the cerebral cortex has the the cell body
largest number of neurons.
Synapse
Each cell has a
nucleus in the Axon carries
centre with impulses from
branches cell body to
other cells
called
Dendrites
coming off it.
Nucleus
SELF TEST
Neuron cell body
Get 10 coloured pens and work out how many

permutations there are using all 10 pens.
See the box for the answer – before your head

explodes! Me too!
than you though
t?
10x9x8x7 … mo
re
One big telephone Answer: 3.6m –
exchange
Your brain is like a vast exchange,
shuttling messages between its
billions of brain cells.
Imagine that everyone in the

world is talking on the phone at
the same time … but each person
is speaking to 10,000 other
people.
That’s the awesome and

unbelievable power of the brain.
Effective brainpower 9
Brain skills
At the centre of
your brain’s E
performance are A TIV eness
E r
the 14 Brain Skills. CR ial awa ming
t a
Our goal in Spa aydre ness
D ole
achieving Total
W h ur
o
Col m
Effective Learning is
to use as many of th
them as possible. Rhy ation
gin
Ima sion
L en
G ICA ce Dim
LO equen
S
rds
Wo is
lys
Ana mbers
Nu gic
Lo nes
Li s
List
Some of the brain skills are obvious but let’s

look at two of the more unusual ones.
Day dreaming
We often have great ideas when we are in a
highly relaxed state in the bath or chilling out
on the couch. Einstein came up with some of
his best ideas while day dreaming.
Wholeness
Think of doing a crossword.
You don’t focus on the 26

answers you got right: you
focus on the two answers
you could not get. You
want to complete it and
make it whole.
10 Brain skills
Brain skills in learning

Books that teach young kids use images,
words and lots of colour, skills from both
sides of the brain.It is fun and the kids love it.
High school books use words, lists, little

colour and few images, almost
exclusively logical skills. This
is boring and the kids
struggle.
As we get older, we use less

of the creative skills side of
the brain and so find it
hard when we have to.
SELF TEST Au
t h o r ’s
✍
no
te
1. You write the word As an eternal child,
Camel
my aim was to
make this look
like an adult’s
kids book.
2. Now draw a camel!
Drawing the camel should

feel ‘harder’ because it uses
more brain skills.
Writing the word camel
uses two logical skills but
drawing a camel uses 10
Maximising use of the 14 Brain Skills from both sides.
makes learning easier, more fun and it But it is only harder because
taps into more of your awesome brain we are not used to doing it.
power. You will see this principle applied The more we use our
all the way through the book. creative skills, the easier it
becomes.
Brain skills 11
Effective reading
We understand Reading is a skill that everyone learns and masters at
the value of an early age. But the mystery is that as we get older,
organisation and our reading speed does not get any higher and many
process in our daily serious issues creep in.
lives but never
think of applying
Benchmark
this to our
SELF TEST
Let’s find out your current reading level.
reading.
Get a watch with a second hand and go

to Appendix I on page 36. Read the
article and time how long it takes
you. The number of words is
indicated and you can then work
out your reading speed in words
per minute.
Reading Issue No.1 – poor concentration

Our brain can read a word in 1/500th of a second but
we take on average ¼ of a second to read it.
What is the brain doing in the meantime? It gets bored
r '
and distracted, thinking about other things.
L
be r Wh
R e me m f o r at ’s
MOT lunc Call
h?
Sheila
WORD WORD WORD WORD
Reading Issue No. 2 – low speed

Our reading speed potential is 500 words per second
yet the average is just 250 words per minute.
12 Effective reading
Reading Issue No. 3 – subvocalisation

30,000
At 4 or 5 we are taught to read using our human
speaking ability, learning one word at a time potential
t
and saying it out loud.
This is called VOCALISATION. Cat

As we get older, we carry
on saying the words – not
out loud, but
[
in our heads.
CAT!
This is called
SUBVOCALISATION.
We are never shown

how to advance our SCALE
reading past 10 years OF
old so subvocalisation READING
keeps us reading at our SPEED
speaking speed! (wpm)
4,550 `
world
record
Reading Issue No. 4
– poor retention
Because we read so slowly, the information
does not get into our Working Memory
span – 15–30 seconds – which is essential for optimum
retention and comprehension. 1,500
author
So we get to the end of a page and end up going back

and reading it again. 250
average
Effective reading 13
Guide technique
All the reading
issues on pages SELF TEST
12–13 can be
overcome by Part one
reading more Draw an imaginary circle in front of you with your eyes.
quickly. This is Make it about the size of a dinner plate, 1 metre away, and
easily achieved keep your head still.
through technique,
practice and
Part two
application.
Draw the circle again but this time put your hand out and
use the tip of your finger to guide your eyes.
I am guessing your circles looked something like this:
Circle One –just with

the eyes
Jagged and not

very circular
Circle Two – with the finger

Smooth and round
Q u ic k Ti p
Do this exercise
with someone Using a guide is the way to making a huge leap in your
else and watch speed and overall reading ability.
their eyes.
14 Guide technique
t h o r ’s
Guide technique in practice Au
✍
no
te
Stage I: Choosing a guide
I always use my
You can use your finger, pen, knitting needle or finger. It is always
whatever takes your fancy. With practice, you will with me and I like
decide a preference. my finger ;-)
Stage II: Using the guide

This could not be any simpler. As you progress along
each line run your guide underneath the line of words.
This will force your brain to move on to the next

group of words so taking away the chance to loiter
on a section.
As you become more proficient your brain will learn

to do this very efficiently breaking down the
material into key words and reducing the focus time
on each fixation.
Stage III: Applying the guide

Begin using this with low risk material. A
newspaper or magazine is a great place to start.
Then move on to other material.
Don’t be confused by its simplicity – the Guide

Technique is awesome in its power to increase
speed and remove issues.
SELF TEST Use the Guide

Now go to Appendix II
on page 38 and time Technique for
10 minutes a
yourself again
day and you
using a guide.
will be reading
at 1000 wpm in just one month.
Guide technique 15
Mind Mapping
Most information History
is presented in a Back in the 1970s, Main cause
Main cause Level 2
cause
A
way which makes many people in Level 1
cause
it difficult to business used Level 3
cause Problem to be
read quickly,
spider and resolved
(effect)
comprehend and
fishbone diagrams
retain. Mind
as a way of
Mapping is the Main cause Main cause
answer to all these expressing

issues. information.
Tony Buzan identified areas where he thought he could

improve these and so Mind Mapping was born.
Mind Mapping is a unique process of expressing

information using many of the accelerated learning
principles in this book.
1. Radiant structure
Everything natural has a radiant structure. So a
Mind Map starts in the centre of the page and
radiates out.
2. Colour
The brain can
differentiate between

millions of different
Fac t Fi le colours.
Colour on a Mind Map is

500 million people a significant aid for
use Mind Mapping –
nearly 10% memory and
of the world. comprehension.
16 Mind Mapping
3) Key words
Information does not have to be written out in full
for us to understand what is being said.
We can take out up to 80% of the information and

use just the key words that are left.
This reduction in volume is central to us being able to

handle the information overload that many people
SELF TEST
complain about.
Read the above paragraph again but just the words in red and
bold. You can probably understand what is being conveyed
just by reading those 14 words out of the 57 in total.
4) Powerful connectivity
The branches on a Mind Map flow from one
section to the next in an organic flowing form
that mimics the way we think.
There are no boxes either as this restricts the flow

of ideas.
5) Images
We think in images not in words. A Mind
Map is one large image. Good Mind Maps
also use plenty of images on the branches.
Why Mind Mapping works

Mirror image of your brain
The structure of a Mind Map is a direct
reflection of your brain’s thought processes
about the topic. A Mind Map even looks like
a brain cell with a nucleus in the centre and
branches coming out in a radiant structure.
Mind Mapping 17
Mind Maps – 3 stages

Stage No. 1
Take a piece of A3/A4 paper and place it down in a
landscape format.
Draw an image in the centre depicting the

subject matter.
Q u ic k Ti p
• CAPITALISE
letters.
• Add drawings to
help visualisation
and recall.
• Only one or a
few key words to
be used on a line.
• All writing should
be above the line.
Stage No. 2
Draw primary branches away from the centre.
These are the main topics within the subject.
Each branch has its own colour.
18 Mind Map stages

Stage No. 3
Continue the flow of information subdividing further.
Mind Map stages 19

Mind Maps – applications
Application No. 1 – Note taking/studying
Drawn by Elaine Colliar

5 times World Mind Mapping Champion.
20 Mind Map applications

Application No. 2 – Planning

Mind Map applications 21

Application No. 3 – Meetings

22 Mind Map applications

Computer vs. hand drawn

Mind Mapping can also be done using software.
It is down to personal preference whether to
use software or to do it by hand.
Computer Mind Mapping has the benefit

of being able to amend Mind Maps on
the fly using click and drag or cut and
paste.
Of course you can also email them to

other people.
t h o r ’s
Au
✍
no
te
Author’s computer Mind Map of the

VERY IMPORTANT!
benefits of Mind Mapping.
If you prefer to do
your Mind Maps by
hand, that is just
as good.
Mind Map applications 23


Effective memory
There are only Memory Principle 1 – Imagination
SELF TEST
two types of We think in images not in words.
memory – trained
and untrained.
Developing a
If you heard the word breakfast, which of the two below
powerful memory
would you be thinking of?
is a question of
technique, system,
training, practice
and application.
Breakfast
Almost everyone thinks of the image breakfast and not

the black word.
Improving your memory is about taking information
and turning it into fun creative images.
The more weird and ridiculous the image, the better.
We forget the mundane and everyday, but remember
the extraordinary.

Images we remember the best:
Weird
Q u ic k Ti p Animated
Three Dimensional
Use the acronym
Colourful
WATCHES
to learn this list. Humorous
Exaggerated
Sensory
24 Effective memory
Memory Principle II – Organisation

Imagine going into a library and asking for
a book.
The librarian says they have it but every
book is in a pile on the floor.
You might find it straight away or never at all.
This is how most people learn. They pile information
into their heads and then wonder
why they cannot find it.
Now imagine going into a
library that is organised as it
should be.
You ask for the book, you are
told where to find it and
away you go.
This is how we should learn.
SELF TEST
Look at the sets of dots below. Which is the easiest one
to count?
Of course, it is the set on the right because they

are organised.
Using both Imagination and Organisation helps
Q u ic k Ti p
The Journey
Technique on p. 26 is
develop a powerful memory.
a particularly effective
way of doing this.
Effective memory 25
The Journey technique

This technique is Stage 1 – create a journey
based on the library
analogy on page 25. We create a journey round a familiar building.
We place the
information at a
Author example:
location where we
Stage One Hallway
can go to retrieve
Stage Two Living room
it. This is a 3 stage
process. Stage Three Dining room
Stage Four Kitchen
Stage Five Bedroom
Stage Six Bathroom
Now your turn

Do the same as above.

■ Choose a building you know very well.
■ Imagine walking around that building.
Q u ic k Ti p ■ Note down all the different areas.
■ The journey must be logical so you can get from
Stage 1 to 2, Stage 2 to 3, etc.
Make every
stage of your
journey separate Make your journey 10 stages long round
and distinct. the building.
26 The Journey technique

Stage 2 – insert the objects
The author is going to use a simple list of things that

might be needed for a holiday. The first three are
placed on his journey.
Now your turn

List the following 10 everyday objects next to the 10
stages in your journey.
1. Egg 6. Towel
2. Wardrobe 7. Football
3. Telescope 8. Computer
4. Elephant 9. Dog
5. Pencil 10. Mobile
Stage 3 – use WATCHES
Use WATCHES from page 24 to create

weird images at each stage.
Author example:
Stage 1 = Hall: Suncream. I imagine
there is an animated bottle of suncream
with arms and legs squirting it all over
the walls. Ridiculous but memorable.
Now your turn

Go through your journey and create
fun and ridiculous images from the 10
objects at each stage using WATCHES.
Do all 10.
The Journey technique 27

Memorising numbers
All memory Learning styles
techniques perform
the same task – Before we look at individual number techniques, it is
they take generic worth mentioning learning styles.
information and
turn it into specific
There are various different types:
and personal
images. This is
exactly how it is Visual learning style
with memorising If you have a visual learning
numbers. style then you are more likely
to say “I see what you mean”.
A visual person would be best

placed to use the Number
Shape system.
The Number Shape system

Each number 0 – 9 is changed into an image
that looks the same shape as the number.
0 – Football 5 – Fishing hook

1 – Walking stick 6 – Elephant’s trunk
2 – Swan 7 – Saxophone
3 – Handcuffs 8 – Earrings
4 – Boat sail 9 – Balloon
28 Memorising numbers
Auditory learning style

If you have an auditory learning
style then you are more likely to
say “I hear what you mean”.
An auditory person would be best

placed to use the Number
Rhyme system.
The Number Rhyme system

Each number 0 – 9 is changed into an image that
sounds the same as the number.
0 – Hero 5 – Beehive
1 – Nun 6 – Sticks
2 – Shoe 7 – Raven
3 – Tree 8 – Gate
4 – Door 9 – Wine
Application of number systems

Imagine your credit card PIN is
1928 and you are using the
number rhyme system.
You create a fun and silly image where a NUN 1

is drinking WINE 9 while wearing some red
clown SHOES 2 and leaning against a GATE 8.
Crazy image? Yes. Memorable? Absolutely!
And to make it stick even better, place it

at a bank ATM as we know that location
works well.
Memorising numbers 29
Memorising languages
Learning Learning French
languages is a Take the word book. In French it is livre. This sounds
question of creating and looks like the English word liver.
images from both
the English and We then create an
foreign words and image of book and liver
putting them
together. In this case,
together
this is a book with
pages made of liver.
SELF TEST
The German word
for newspaper is
zeitung. Can you tell
how this produces the
image on the right?
Answer below.
Did you know that just 100 words constitute 50% of most
foreign languages?
Learn those and you are half way there!
Gender
Use colour for gender.
Livre is male gender –
le livre – so add red to
the image. Add a
different colour for
female gender words.
tongue outside a newsagent!

because they sound similar. Thus, the image of Simon licking a newspaper with his
Zeitung is split into zei and tung. These create the English words Si (Simon) and tongue
30 Memorising languages
Memorising names
Forgetting names is constantly the number one
memory problem quoted in polls. Change the name
into an image
But let me ask you a question: If my name was Tony

Blair, would you be more likely to remember my
name? Of course!
Why? Because you will have an image of Blair that you Attach image
will subconsciously attach to me. to person

That is the strategy for memorising names.
Embellish with
WATCHES
Name: Greenwood
(p.24)
Image: Branches coming
out of the body

Name: Culvinder
Image: Colander on head ily f u
am
n
F
Create images
for names with
the kids on a
Name: Julie long journey.
Image: Wearing
lots of shiny
jewellery
Memorising names 31
Effective revision
Learning without Dramatic loss
the correct revision Up to 80% of information is lost
timetable is like within 24 hours of learning it.
training for the
100m sprint then To maximise learning, we must
running it with your review the new information
ankles tied
within that period.
together.
Then we must continue to

review before the rate of
recall drops.
After the first review, the

gap to subsequent reviews
lengthens.
100
80
Recall %
60
40
20
0
1 hour 1 day 1 week 1 month 3 months
Frequency of reviews
Great news!
Learn the information using Mind Maps and memory
techniques and the review time is very small.
Information that took one hour to learn can be

reviewed in just five minutes.
32 Effective revision
Know your body and mind

Biorhythms
Everyone has a biorhythm, a fluctuation in
their system that leads to performance peaks
and troughs.
Ideally, you would match your studying to

your peaks.
Sleep
Sleep deprivation causes disorientation and lack
of focus, affecting our ability to learn and recall
information effectively.
But similarly, too much sleep is not good either.
Aim for 6–7 hours a night.

Breathing
Most people sit
down to study. Q u ic k Ti p
This reduces the Feeling pressure is a

quantity of oxygen real barrier to
getting to the brain, learning and studying.
one of its key If you find yourself
performance getting worked up
requirements. over something, take
time out and do
Learn deep some deep breathing
breathing exercises. exercises for
five minutes.
t h o r ’s
Au
✍
no
te
Of course, I am not
suggesting that you
study standing up ;-)
Know your body and mind 33

Thinking constructively
Your attitude will Obstacle or challenge?
be as important in Do you see the glass of water as
reaching your half empty or half full?
studying goals as
any of the other Your response will dictate your
techniques in this learning potential.
book.
You will face challenges as you

apply the strategies in this book
but a positive outlook will
mean that you do not fall at the
first hurdle.
Learn to do what others won’t

or can’t
Students who learn to go the extra
mile are successful because there is a
lot less traffic.
Most people are simply not prepared

to put in the extra to move ahead of
SELF TEST
the pack.
Think of a time when you went the extra mile. Shut your
eyes and relive that experience. How does it feel?
Fantastic? All warm inside? Well, you can achieve that

feeling again with your studying by making this opportunity
work for you.
This book will not increase your learning ability.
What it does is give you some strategies that tap into the
potential that you already possess!
34 Thinking constructively
Moving forward
The right tool for the right job
This book contains a multitude of
strategies and techniques to help you
improve your learning.
With time and practice, you will

learn which is the best tool
to take out of the box for
the specific study task
at hand.

Practice
Using these techniques is like going to the gym.
Q u ic k Ti p
No-one goes on their first visit and walks out in
fantastic shape. But if you keep going…
Start with the
technique that you
like the most.
Gradual integration is 1. PLAN IT AND
START NOW!
the best way for ward
Decide immediately
how you want to
move forward.
2. Get a diary or a
learning log and write
exactly what actions
you are going to take
– and WHEN!
Moving forward 35
Appendix I
A journey into the land of Guinness Part I
Read this article
By late 1997, I was in a great position in the memory
ONLY after reading
field having come fourth and third in the 1996 and
page 12. But before
1997 World Memory Championships and becoming
you do, get a watch
with a second hand one of only a handful of people in the world to achieve
so you can time the title International Grandmaster of Memory.
yourself.
But I wanted to raise the bar, so I looked to the
∏
Guinness Book of Records. In there was a record that
stood out as a major challenge for memorisers for
decades – the recital of Pi.
It has been calculated to billions of places, has no

patterns in it, the numbers seemingly random, which
makes it perfect as a memory challenge.
∏
At the time, the official Guinness record stood at
20,013, held for 18 years by a Mental Health Nurse
from Middlesbrough called Creighton Carvello.
Cracking name, cracking bloke, cracking record.
I had to have a go. I started to practice and set the date

for the record attempt as 30 April 1998. I organised all
the logistics including the invigilation that was
∏
necessary for the record.
Come the day, everything was ready. I was nervous,

excited and confident. I got off to a flying start, reciting
15,000 digits in two hours, twice the speed that
Creighton had done. Then I took a break. I had a
coffee, relaxed and chatted to everyone, looking
forward to celebrating in the pub at lunchtime.
∏ After 15 minutes, I sat back down and carried on. I

immediately got back in the zone and the numbers
continued to flow again. I reeled off another 3,000
digits in little more than 30 minutes.
36 Appendix I
Then, at more than 18,000 digits, the invigilators

uttered the immortal words ‘Stop!’
I asked what was wrong and they told me I had got

one wrong and had to start again. In a heartbeat, my
confidence disappeared down the drain. We took
another break and I calmed myself down. Everyone
was very supportive, telling me how well I had done.
Then I realised that I had done very well. I had just
recited Pi to more than 18,000 digits. What a fantastic
success! Now I needed to put that behind me and get it
the second time.
I started again and got within 500 digits of the record

when I heard something in the background. I looked
up and sure enough, once again, the invigilators had
said ‘Stop’. Their faces told me I had failed for a second
time, making another mistake so close to the finishing
line. By now, my confidence had completely
evaporated. I had a couple more attempts but to no
avail. I was gutted.
At the end of the day I sat down with the invigilators

and they explained that my strategy was wrong and
needed changing. I had been practicing and developing
a strategy for six hours a day for six months but in a
few minutes we adopted a totally new one.
I decided I could not leave it there. We agreed to

reconvene the following day. But what would that day
bring? More heartache or the Guinness record that I
so deeply coveted?
End. 524 words

Note your time and go back and read pages 14–15 to
learn how to improve your reading speed.
Appendix I 37
Appendix II
A journey into the land of Guinness Part II
Read this article
I did not sleep well after my first unsuccessful day
ONLY after reading
trying to beat the Guinness record for reciting Pi. I
pages 12 and 13
woke early and went to get the room ready, focusing
and reading
Appendix I on the my mind on the task ahead.
previous two pages.
Again, you will need The recital started well, and again I set off faster than a
a watch with a train going off the end of a cliff, reciting the numbers
second hand so you fluidly and at speed.
can time
yourself. By now, they were like poetry to me and I could feel
the beautiful rhythm and cadence of this incredible
number flowing out of my mouth. Then disaster
struck. Once again, just 2500 numbers in, I made a
∏
mistake. I could not believe it.
I sat there with my head in my hands. My dreams

were falling apart, like sand running through my
fingers. This was turning into a living nightmare. All I
could see was that six months work was going to come
to nothing.
But now it was also becoming a logistical issue. We
∏ knew that a successful recital would take four to five

hours but the guys had trains to catch, which meant
this would be my last shot. It could be many months
before I would get another chance. I settled down for
my sixth and final attempt.
I began more cautiously, building up my confidence.

Then it happened again. I got to more than 18,000
∏
digits and forgot a number. But this time was different.
Previously, when I was unsure of the number, I had
gone with instinct and blurted out the first number
that came into my head.
Not this time. When I got to this one digit that was a
38 Appendix II
little fuzzy, I adopted a different approach. I took a

break for five minutes, removed myself from the
pressure cooker of the recital room, found a quiet spot
and went through the numbers in my head. With one
of the invigilators of course, as per the Guinness rules.
After much thought, I went back in the room and

settled down in the chair. I paused, looked them
straight in the eye and recited the number that I
thought came next in the sequence.
There was a moment of silence while they checked –

then an almighty roar. I had got it right! We took
another small break while they congratulated me. But I
had not got the record yet.
Reciting the last 500 digits to beat the record was a real
challenge. I could barely speak, stuttering in a
breathless voice. Then eventually, I staggered over the
line. I took a moment to gather myself then carried on
to my predetermined target of 22,500 digits.
Upon finishing, I felt utter relief. I had looked the

dragon in the eye and come through. I was also
exhausted. I had spent 18 hours reciting nearly 80,000
digits, getting just six wrong in the process – a
significant mental challenge.
I was now a Guinness record breaker, a massive and

momentous occasion in my memory career. But even
though it did feel amazing, I definitely knew one
thing for sure. I was never going to go back to
those numbers ever again!
End. 524 words

Note your time and compare with your time from the
article in Appendix I.
Appendix II 39
Acknowledgements
Book published in the UK by DMT International
Website: www.TheMotivationSpeaker.com
Email: david@themotivationspeaker.com
Book Author David Thomas

Book Designers Sheldrick Rose
Cartoons Mossy Caricatures
Copyright details
Copyright ©2011 David Thomas

Text copyright ©2011 David Thomas
Mind Maps
Copyright ©2011 David Thomas

Copyright ©2011 Elaine Colliar (Note taking,
Planning and Meeting)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in a
form or by any means electronical, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior
permission of the copyright owner.
40 Acknowledgements
LEARN FOR SUCCESS,

PROFIT AND FUN
Train your memory, accelerate your
reading and organise information to
make it easier to learn.
Improve concentration, sharpen your

brain and keep your mind agile with
these easy-to-follow techniques.
Apply to everyday situations to help

make you more productive and better at
using your time.
But most of all, grab the

opportunity to improve your
learning skills to become more
successful, earn more money
and have more FUN!
About the author: David Thomas is one of the world’s

leading experts on accelerated learning, a number 1
bestselling author and has developed one of the most
powerful memories in history. He has broken a Guinness
record for reciting Pi to 22,500 digits and was 2007 US
Memory Champion.

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LEARN FOR SUCCESS,

PROFIT AND FUN

The ultimate guide to

Author – David Thomas

Number one bestselling author

Learning how to use the amazing, incredible and

Learn how to learn

Learning for Success

This is very different.

They pay the faintest of lip

6 Learn how to learn

What’s in it for you?

Learn how to use techniques such as:

Learn how to learn 7

Connect and learn Dendrite receives

Get 10 coloured pens and work out how many

See the box for the answer – before your head

Imagine that everyone in the

That’s the awesome and

Some of the brain skills are obvious but let’s

You don’t focus on the 26

Brain skills in learning

High school books use words, lists, little

As we get older, we use less

Drawing the camel should

Get a watch with a second hand and go

Reading Issue No.1 – poor concentration

What is the brain doing in the meantime? It gets bored

WORD WORD WORD WORD

Reading Issue No. 2 – low speed

Reading Issue No. 3 – subvocalisation

This is called VOCALISATION. Cat

We are never shown

So we get to the end of a page and end up going back

I am guessing your circles looked something like this:

Circle One –just with

Jagged and not

Circle Two – with the finger

Stage II: Using the guide

This will force your brain to move on to the next

As you become more proficient your brain will learn

Stage III: Applying the guide

Don’t be confused by its simplicity – the Guide

SELF TEST Use the Guide

answer to all these expressing

Tony Buzan identified areas where he thought he could

Mind Mapping is a unique process of expressing

Colour on a Mind Map is

We can take out up to 80% of the information and

This reduction in volume is central to us being able to

There are no boxes either as this restricts the flow

Why Mind Mapping works

Mind Maps – 3 stages

Draw an image in the centre depicting the

Each branch has its own colour.

18 Mind Map stages

Mind Map stages 19

Mind Maps – applications

Application No. 1 – Note taking/studying

Drawn by Elaine Colliar

20 Mind Map applications

Application No. 2 – Planning

Drawn by Elaine Colliar