Forget?

The most successful people aren't those who remember everything, but those who know what to forget.

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Dear unlearner.

Today I forgot to write my daily essay. Just kidding. I've been working overtime on my business, and only finally got some time at 11 pm. Sorry for the late post. Which makes me think - why don't we talk about forgetting?

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"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." — William James

Schools have been selling us a big lie: that having a good memory makes you smart. Our education system rewards kids who can recite facts like human computers. It's as if we're preparing for a world without Google, where we all need to be walking Wikipedia.

But here's the truth: knowing the wrong thing is far more dangerous than not knowing at all.

Let's break it down:

• About 99% of what you learn is useless.

• Less than 1% might come in handy someday. (Like knowing how to calculate a tip without your phone.)

• Only a tiny fraction is truly life-changing.

How many "facts" you learned in school are now outdated? How many historical heroes have turned into villains? How many scientific theories have been revised? Yet, we still cling to this old knowledge.

The real world doesn't need memory champions. It needs people who can forget, unlearn, and relearn. People who can adapt to new information and let go of outdated ideas. We need people who actually change things.

Great learners aren't walking encyclopedias. They're master forgetters. They've got more half-remembered concepts than perfectly memorized facts. And that's exactly what makes them brilliant.

Our education system is missing the point:

• Kids spend hours learning SAT words they'll rarely use.

• We drill historical dates they'll soon forget.

• We teach math formulas they can easily look up.

All while neglecting the skills that truly matter. It's like teaching someone to drive by making them memorize the car manual instead of practicing on the road.

Every useless fact you force yourself to remember is stealing brain space from the next big idea that could change your life. Every boring statistic you cram is mental energy you could've spent on something actually worth knowing.

Forgetting isn't failure. It's your brain's way of making room for the good stuff. It's like Marie Kondo for your mind, tossing out anything that doesn't spark joy oris useful.

We're preparing kids for a world that no longer exists. In an age where any fact is just a quick search away, we're still acting like memorization is the holy grail of intelligence.

Instead of asking, "How much can you remember?"

Maybe we should start asking, "How quickly can you forget the outdated and learn the new?"

Because in a world that's always changing, the ability to forget, adapt, and relearn isn't just nice to have. It's essential for survival.

And if you forget half of what you read here? Perfect. You're already on your way to becoming an unlearner.

Keep forgetting and growing,

Cammi

P.S. Don't forget to unlearn something today!

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