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lost.
The concept of Mind Mapping is based on a central idea written in the center of a page, then related
ideas are added on branches that radiate from this central idea. Because of this structure, it requires all
ideas to be connected to the centre and allows connection to one another, providing opportunity for
convergent thinking, fitting ideas together, as well as thinking up new ideas. And by focussing on key
ideas written down in your own words, and then looking for branches and connections between the
ideas, you are mapping your thoughts and ideas in a way that will help you understand and remember
the information.
The importance to goal setting is that by using the Mind Mapping concept, you can cover all of your life
aspects on the same page instead of traditional brainstorming where you ll end up with a separate list for
each life aspect you want to consider. And since we all know that life aspects are heavily connected,
using a Mind Map gives you a considerable advantage.
www.achieve-goal-setting-success.com [Goal Setting Workbook Rev 0] Page 27
© 2007
JaiperJAM
How to do a Mind Map
So let s just get started you ll see how easy it is when you give it ago. All you need is a large piece of
clean paper. Make sure there are no lines on it (as that will impose a structure on your thinking, which
we don t want) or if there are lines, turn the paper so that the lines are vertical.
Now in the center of the page, draw a circle and write in it in capital letters something like My Life . This
is the key thought for the Mind Map. Now, draw lines radiating out from this circle and at the end of each
one of lines, write the name of a life aspect you want to consider. Leave lots of space so you can start to
fill it in. Your Mind-Map Skeleton or starting point should look something like this [but with your own life
aspect preferences]:
Family
Career Health and well-being
My Life
Financial Spiritual
www.barrysclipart.com
Figure 4 - Mind Map Skeleton
From here it s just a matter of jotting down whatever comes into your mind for each of the life aspects
this is the brainstorming bit! The thoughts and ideas you need to get down in this Mind Map for each life
aspect are:
The things you don t like about your life as it is;
The things you like about your life;
What you want to happen/ have;
What you don t want to happen/ have.
The gap between your current life and your perfect life
As you jot down all your thoughts, you will see some common threads connect these with lines and
arrows (use colour so it s easy to follow). You may want to reflect back to the section on personality
profiling and Maslow s motivational needs to give you some mental triggers. Do these indicate a need or
desire to add to your Mind Map?
Keep the following points in mind when creating a Mind Map:
Don t think too much about structure as you re preparing the map just let it flow as you work
through the process
Work through it quickly to keep up the flow of ideas
Keep the points brief you can expand them later
When you get a new idea, add a new branch line
Use sketches, images and pictures (if you can) it makes it easier to remember and more
personal, but make sure it doesn t slow down the brainstorming flow. ClipArt is great for this!
An example of a Mind Map is provided in the worked example available in TOOLBOX on the website.
www.achieve-goal-setting-success.com [Goal Setting Workbook Rev 0] Page 28
© 2007
JaiperJAM
Activity 4.1&
Give it a go! Draw your Mind Map now!
Make sure you incorporate the 5 life aspects you ranked as most important from the previous chapter,
and for each aspect consider:
The things you don t like about your life as it is;
The things you like about your life;
What you want to happen/ have;
What you don t want to happen/ have.
The gap between your current life and your perfect life.
Once you ve got it all down, stand back and take a look. What s missing? What are the recurring
ideas? Where are the connections between life aspects? Are there any other life aspects that are
more or less apparent after this process?
Repeat this Mind Mapping process for the other 5 less-important life aspects to see if there are any
thoughts and ideas that you didn t originally appreciate as being important to you.
Well wasn t that fun! I really like this stage of the goal setting process as it s an opportunity to reflect on
where your life is and better still, get excited about the things you want to do and where you want to take
your life. That s the whole point of effective goal setting by making it personal, it really IS interesting
and you should get a real buzz just thinking about the endless opportunities that await.
It s important to keep your Mind Map handy after all, it is a map of your inner most thoughts and
desires. Keep it in a prominent spot next to your key message list and big-picture list would be a
good location and refer to it regularly.
Side Note:
Mind Mapping is a useful tool not only for goal setting but for planning of any home or work project. If
you haven t got the knack of drawing the map yourself (don t worry, a bit of practice and you ll get there),
there are a couple of Mind Mapping software packages you can obtain, such as NovaMind, which
includes a FREE Video E-Course on how to do mind mapping.
4.2 So what can you really ACHIEVE?
The Mind Mapping process should have given you a really good idea of what you really want, but what
can you really achieve?
Well, hypothetically, you can achieve anything you set out to achieve but we know that s not always the
case. Resources, natural skill and ability, time these all factor into whether we can achieve something
or not. The aim of goal setting is to set achievable goals, even if that means taking a larger goal or
dream and breaking it down into bite-size chunks.
A tool you can use to help identify what is achievable is the SWOT analysis [yes, another tool, but
hopefully by now you ve figured out that tools are a great way to prompt you for the answer you re
looking for]. Dr Heinz Weihrich introduced the earlier version of the SWOT analysis, the "TOWS Matrix"
in 1982. TOWS stands for Threats|Opportunities|Weaknesses|Strengths SWOT is simply a
rearrangement of these, reflecting the need to assess your current situation and reflect internally (ie your
strengths and weaknesses) before you can look to the future and explore externally (opportunities and
threats).
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