#4: Explore your mind and everything else using “Mind Mapping”

 Introduction

MIND MAP – two simple words yet a very powerful concept used for hundreds of years for brainstorming, visualizing concepts, solving problems and helping relationships. Many times we use it while not being aware of it: by drawing flow charts, diagrams and random pictures. Mind mapping is not an answer for all but if it works for you, you will get another tool to work with and to improve your life. Will it help you to get through tough times ahead? It all depends on you.

Foundation

A mind map is a radial diagram for representing your thoughts around a central key word. The different paths in a mind map are arranged intuitively as different ideas or concepts visualize in your mind. The three rules are simple and are easy to follow:

Step 1: Start on the center of a page with a single concept or word

Step 2: Draw branches and connections between words and ideas and pictures

Step 3: Enjoy the process and use as many colors as you can and make it look nice (Mind Map Examples)

This fascinating tool can take you places you have never seen before and the only thing you need is a pen and a paper. Explore relationships with your wife, your children, your relatives or any one you associate with. Define a project and all possible outcomes as you map your way through endless combinations. Chart your business and its future with possibilities and outcomes. Investigate decision making process and its effect on your day to day activities.

Regardless on how you draw it, the results will be the same, better understanding and visualization of any concept you decide to mind map. To help you out, there are few software packages available on the market. The one I'd like to focus on is called FreeMind. It is a free software, it is Java based and will work on many different platforms. There are only three things you need to know about this software to make it useful:

1. Enter key – Insert a Sibling branch

2. F2 Key – Edit text on the selected branch

3. Insert Key – Insert Child branch

Now download the FreeMind software, place cursor on a node and start exploring everything imaginable in your universe. If you never used this approach before, you are in for a fun ride. Just to get little creative, I mapped out our COPA organization, and I think it looks grrr..eat!

Set browser full screen and click on the image to enlarge it.

Conclusion

There are many organizational, motivational and relationship building tools available to help us to succeed in business and in our personal life. FreeMind is one of these tools. Try it, learn it, use it and set your mind free to explore your life.  Here are some hints for trying out FreeMind: Mind Map your Cirrus airplane, Mind Map your family, Mind Map your holidays. The list is endless. Send me a note about your success story!

Usefull links:

Download FreeMind

Wikipedia article

Mind Map Examples