"The existence of forgetting has never been proved: We only know that some things don't come to mind when we want them." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

We've all had that annoying, frustrating feeling (which can also be sometimes embarrassing), having something at the tip of your tongue, something that you, at one time, absolutely knew, but no longer have access to. It could be a historical fact, a personal anniversary (which might have the added bonus of putting you in the doghouse) or it could be something as crucial as the name of a valued client who you've had many interactions with, but are drawing a total blank on. (I hate it when that happens!!!).

Our cognitive abilities seemingly decline over the years. But is this a given? Or are there things we can do to lessen these 'senior moments' (regardless of whether or not we are seniors)? By using our brains in ways that might not always be easy, we allow them to be all they can be.

Some people keep their brains agile with crossword puzzles or Sudoku or 'brain twisters' or play games such as Scrabble if they like the more social aspect. These are all great activities to "aerobically exercise" the mind.

Studies have shown that older adults neither see, hear, taste, nor feel as accurately as younger people do and this is partially due to the fact that once people retire, they tend to do things that they are good at, things that don't challenge them incredibly. So part of the key to keeping your brain agile is giving it new, different activities and problems to challenge it.

There are also biochemical responses that are vital to stimulating the mind and inspiring people to keep learning. When we are young we have the freshness of everything, a novelty in the unexplored that keeps us engaged in the process of learning. The other thing we have going for us, which when you're a kid is a huge motivator, is the concept of being rewarded for what we do.

So what does this have to do with persuasion? Well, through the study of persuasion you are, as an extra, added bonus, enhancing your brain power and engaging in the activity of challenging your mind to think in new ways.

In studying things like the 36 Chinese stratagems, or the 24 Doorways of the Magical Objection Mastery, we are flexing, swinging from the macro to micro. It can be thought of as looking at problems with a telescope, a broad overview, and then alternately taking a microscope and really hashing out the details.

What is this doing? And why is it so hard? It's challenging us to use different parts of our brains. It's getting us to view one issue or problem or objection, from a number of angles. And isn't it great that this has the added bonus of keeping our minds agile and our memories accessible?

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Kenrick Cleveland teaches techniques to earn the business of affluent clients using persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in persuasion techniques.