The Mind Mapping Technique – Building Creativity Muscles For Success in the Economy of the Future
By Adam Chalker

Practicing creativity processes, such as the mind mapping technique, have become more important than ever.

Why? Because the rules of the economy are changing.

Left-brain skills, such as logic and analytical thinking, once drove successful careers and businesses. In the modern economy, however, these have become necessary, but not sufficient competencies.

Creativity, innovation, and holistic thinking have become king.

Think about the companies that have changed the world in the last five years: Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook, to name a few. These companies have all harnessed creativity to revolutionize the way we conduct business and interact with each other.

The good news it that everyone can be creative. Creativity is not just for starving artists, creative geniuses, first-graders, and masters of innovation at Apple.

To tap into your own creative reserves, you just need to learn a few techniques and practice them.

Mind mapping is an easy, accessible, and highly effective technique for generating divergent thinking and getting your creative juices flowing.

Organizations and people around the world have used the mind mapping technique for many years to generate new ideas for plans, products, services, initiatives – and anything else needing creative thinking.

But, it’s not just for work. You could use it for anything requiring a little out-of-the-box thinking, and the more you use it the better you’ll get.

There are two major “muscles” you will develop.

1. Divergent thinking – the ability to generate many options and ideas.
2. Holistic understanding – the ability to see the relationships among these ideas and options.

These muscles will play larger roles in the economy of the future. More importantly, these muscles create opportunities for you to express yourself, grow, and create new possibilities for your life. Research also reveals a strong link between creative activities and happiness.

There are lots of mind-mapping sites on the internet and lots of complex software exists to help you out. In general, however, for most projects you can keep it simple.

Find a place where you can focus and get creative, and perhaps put on some music to help you relax and focus. Grab a blank sheet of paper and some markers and get started.

Identify your main idea at the center of the page, and then identify related ideas as branches coming off of it. Next, add some sub branches, and a few more sub branches. Some of the branches on your mind map will contain brilliant ideas; others may be crazy. Just try to get all your ideas out.

Once you’re done, step back and take a look. It will look like a big sprawling spider, but the relationships between the ideas will make sense to you.

And, keep practicing because you’re not just creating a mind-map. You’re building creativity muscles that will prepare you for the economy of the future and bring fulfillment in other areas of your life.

Adam Chalker

Adam Chalker is a certified personal coach with a Masters in Education and Human Development. His website, www.best-personal-growth-resources.com offers instructions on how to implement the mind mapping technique.

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