{3:45 minutes to read} After having completed some great assignments this past year, I’ve been thinking it may be time to once again reinvent myself. I’ve become more of a general strategic consultant for a number of different businesses, including smaller tech companies, craft brewery start-ups, as well as for complex projects such as Grand Central Terminal and the World Trade Center.
So I’ve begun reflecting on my life a lot lately: What is my purpose? What goals am I meant to achieve? Within this reflection, I’ve looked at several different areas of my life:
- Family and personal relationships;
- Career and professional pursuits; and
- Community and the world around me.
Friends and colleagues have asked what motivates me in these areas. Are my goals mainly emotional, financial or both? And do these rewards bring better health or help increase my confidence?
A tool I’ve used to help uncover the answers to these questions is called Mind Mapping. The basic idea is to put your main concept or idea in the center of the circle and then draw whatever comes to mind as spokes emanating from the original concept. For example, if your main concept is getting your child off to college, you could branch out with “tour campuses, “submit applications,” or “secure financial aid.”
In many ways, mind mapping can:
- Help prioritize your goals;
- Identify what skills you have and how those skills might be valuable to others;
- Show you what areas of your life are going well and what things need improvement; and
- Help you identify goals you wish to achieve in your life and the pathway to achieving those goals.
By following this exercise to create your own mind map diagram, you will find that you live more intentionally. The key is to identify as many ideas as possible and then find connections between these ideas. If I made a mind map regarding my business, I would include the concept of branding myself in the center of the circle and one of the branches I might include would be “become a subject matter expert by securing media interviews and public speaking opportunities.”
When you’re done, you’ll have a better idea about the subject matter and all of its intricacies – almost like a stream of conscious or “self-brainstorming.” This allows you to stay on track to make a difference in your life, as well as the lives of those who you care about.
What would your mind map look like? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
PS. I use an online tool available at www.XMind.net. This is a free resource to help you get started with developing your own mind maps and ensure you’re on the path to a fulfilling life!
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I am a HUGE proponent of Mind Mapping and have been using it as a tool for brainstorming, creativity, problem solving, team building, creating presentations – the list goes on! I’ve learned from Tony Buzan, who is considered the inventor of Mind Mapping.
Great Resource Curt! Thanks for sharing!