I Just Did Something BIG in the Steem Memory Game Challenge🎉🎊💃🏽

_{Hit a milestone 4x in a row. Now I'm ready to take it a step higher.}

---

The first day I wrote about my actual struggle with the Memory Game was eight months ago where I talked about aiming to beat my long-overdue 1580 average score. To be candid, I feared this would never be possible.

We have many brilliant people here who score 1600+ points regularly. So clutching that medal isn't that easy. 😄

However, yesterday, after the long day of hustle, I turned on my device with the sole aim of hitting a >1650 score and ranking 🥇 on the leadership board after some months of being away. What I saw broke my heart.

_{My first correct match after 3 moves (6s) and 8th correct match after 22 moves (45s)}

There were different world flags that I simply couldn't recognise. What broke my heart even further was that I had randomly practised recognising similar world flags on Tiktok about a week ago, yet looking at them again, I couldn't recognise any single one, except for Canada and the US. It looked like I had studied those flags with my eyes, not my brain.

I almost gave up on the dream of ranking 1st on the leadership board
One secret to scoring higher in the memory game challenge is increasing your speed and training the memory so you flip less cards.

Now, you'd flip more cards if you can't remember the exact information on each card and the positions they are placed.

This has nothing to do with your IQ but everything to do with your active recall ability. So I had to do something.

Operation No-Mercy

I decided to study these flags one last time and this time, with my brain, not just eyes. With the help of Gemini and Chrome, I quizzed myself multiple times on the unique features on each flag.

_{The quizzes}

The brain can't interpret information if it can't identify the object. I had to go back to the basics: truly understanding the flags. That's the ONLY way to make the information stick.

My first attempt was a mess. But Gemini helped me with the analyses. Gradually, I was able to understand that the "Sun of May" is a prominent national emblem of Argentina and that the United Kingdom's flag is a combination of three different patron saint crosses (St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick).

As I progressed, the process got smoother. I moved from hitting 1597 during my first attempt to scoring 1600+ four consecutive times and ranking 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th on the leadership board.

_{Tried to beat @mini80's 30-second move multiple times but I have to give it to you for raising the standard. Twale! 🫡}

Highest score	1613 points
Quickest move	15
Shortest time	31.79 seconds
Date	25-03-2026

The secret to excelling is just what I've demonstrated above.

• Structured reading
• Quizzing yourself, and
• Regular practice

There's no one who is born exceptionally intelligent. What makes students end up as "high-flyers" is their ability to retain and retrieve information.

Reading alone is not enough. According to the learning pyramid, you only remember about 10% of what you read. But with practice and spaced repetition, you'd be able to scale that retention up to 75%. Apply this technique if you wish to become an academic weapon.

---

Got inspired so I wrote a short inspiring piece for this video _{Pixabay music}

Spanish transcription:
Lo que antes solía ser extremadamente difícil, ahora se siente completamente fácil. Ese es el beneficio de practicar con constancia. Hace ocho meses, estaba estancado en un promedio de 1580 puntos y empecé a creer que alcanzar los 1600 era imposible. A menos que, por supuesto, fuera algún tipo de genio. Pero ayer, me demostré a mí mismo que estaba equivocado: superé los 1600 puntos cuatro veces seguidas.

Algo que he llegado a comprender es que aprendemos a través de la práctica. Y a medida que aprendemos, crecemos. Antes de que te des cuenta, lo que parecía un muro empieza a sentirse como algo natural.

A menudo nos aterra cometer errores, pero esos mismos fallos y fracasos son la clave para mejorar. Entonces, ¿por qué negarte la oportunidad de crecer y mejorar? ¿Por qué elegir la seguridad de quedarte igual cuando una mejor versión de ti te espera al otro lado del miedo?

Estoy aprendiendo a ser más compasivo conmigo mismo. He dejado de castigarme por las partes caóticas, frustrantes o humillantes del proceso. Ahora las acepto plenamente. Sé que si sigo adelante, mejoraré. Si mantengo la valentía, no solo sobreviviré al desafío: lo dominaré. Así es como encontramos nuestra fuerza. Así es como, con el tiempo, las cosas difíciles finalmente se vuelven fáciles.

---

I'd love to compete with more people this week. If I find enough motivation, I might even explore the paid challenge as well. Who is up for this challenge? @bossj23 @josepha @yhudy @pandora2010 @precious9 @davidmarkgeorge and @imohmitch.