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Author: Jamie Nast
Idea Mapping is a simple and profound tool that helps individuals improve planning, creativity, thinking and learning while simultaneously creating and producing incredible results. An idea map is a colorful, single-page diagram that visually captures issues we face each day. This technique gives people the increased ability to more competently plan, organize, communicate, remember, innovate, and learn — and accomplish these faster than ever before! By engaging both hemispheres of the brain, this approach frees us to think, see, and understand far more efficiently than when using a multi-page, linear document outlining the same information. The associative process that Idea Mapping uses is easy to learn and mirrors how the brain naturally and freely connects information. This book teaches readers how to create and read idea maps, describes the three keys to developing idea maps, and guides readers in overcoming potential obstacles when initially learning this skill. Idea Mapping includes a wide array of actual maps (and the stories behind them) created and used by 21 business people around the globe. Whether you’re an overwhelmed businessperson, an overworked entrepreneur, or someone who just wants to solve problems better and faster, Idea Mapping is a perfect guide for anyone who wants to work more efficiently—and achieve success in business and life.

1. Visualize ultimate success. Don’t dwell on negative thinking for doing so will block your creative energy. Instead, you should always revel in the fact that the answer is already within you. You simply have to pull it forward from your creative mind. Visualizing failure will block your creative energy and visualizing success will bring it forward.
2. Be still and know that the answer is within you. There is absolutely no need to fear that the problem can’t be solved. The answer will come to you if you stop worrying and take a more relaxed approach. Be quiet and still and allow the creative ideas to come forth. In addition, always be willing to just sit still and let your thoughts wonder freely.
3. Be patient. Don’t rush the creative problem solving process. It sometimes takes a while for your creativity to solve a problem so don’t become frustrated if the problem isn’t resolved right away. Instead, enjoy the creative process for what it really is, an internal process and be open and receptive to allowing those new solutions to come forward.
4. Create a positive environment. The creative mind flourishes in a healthy and positive atmosphere so if you are having a hard time creatively solving a problem then you may need to create a more positive and uplifting environment. This can be done by cleaning up, adding plants, burning aromatherapy candles, or doing whatever you can to create a creative and positive environment. For once you have a creative environment in place; your creativity problem solving skills will burst forward.
5. Take time away. If possible, take some time away to really allow your creative problem solving abilities to materialize.  Sometimes you need a change of scenery and other times you just need time away. However, you must be willing to give your spirit what it needs, a mini vacation to sort through your thoughts and come up with the perfect solution.
6. Engage others in the creative process. If you get stuck and can’t seem to get out of a rut, it may be a good idea to discuss your problem with others. Sometimes they can provide creativity problem solving techniques that will help you. They may also be able to solve the problem for you. The important thing however is to only enlist the help of like minded and positive people like you. You don’t want to ask someone to assist that will instill negative energy into your mind.
7. Meditate. Meditation is one of the best ways to engage your creative problem solving skills. By elevating yourself to a different level of consciousness you become more intoned with your thought processes and can truly see the connection better than when you are distracted. For this reason, meditation is a great way to engage creative problem solving. By following the above basic steps, you can and will creatively solve any problem that may come your way. You’ll solve problems with confidence and less stress than if you simply followed traditional methods. So, enjoy the problem solving process by using creative problem solving techniques now and for the rest of your life!

Last month I gave you my first three secrets to how I boosted my own creativity. I hope you have been taking full advantage of the information. Now I will reveal three more secrets that will bring your creativity up another notch. Are you ready?
Unlearn your creativity blockers. Our parents and teachers taught us what they thought was good for us and what they thought we needed to succeed. And most of the time, they do a great job. However, we live in a society where conformity is valued, and so in preparing us to succeed here, they also imparted lessons that block our creative spirits. So, if you want to boost your creativity, it’s time to unlearn some of these.
1. It’s good to be practical and sensible
Starting from early childhood, most of us have been trained to be sensible and practical. Now it is time to unlearn some of these lessons, especially if you want to become freer in your creativity. When you are working on coming up with a creative new idea, or a creative solution to a problem, you must suspend whatever judgment you have been programmed to make regarding the practicality of the idea until much later. A corollary to this point is to also ignore judgments of others while you are in the process of creating.
Do you wonder if people questioned Edison’s sanity when he started working on the light bulb? What do you think would have happened if Edison paid attention to what others were telling him? I am convinced that Edison himself at times doubted the practicality of his idea. But he didn’t give in to that judgment, and because of that, we are not still sitting here reading by candlelight.
You don’t have to boost your creativity to the level of Edison’s. However, I would not be the least bit surprised if you’ve had some pretty darn good ideas in the past you dropped because you felt they were impractical. Start giving these ideas some time to incubate and see what happens.
2. Be serious and productive
In his book, Roger Von Oech wrote: “If necessity is the mother of invention, play is the father. Use it to fertilize your thinking.” Obviously then, the advice is to allow yourself to play with ideas.
Did you think you were more creative when you were a kid? I certainly thought that of myself. Recall the wonderful games and stories you came up with while playing with friends when you allowed your imagination to run free? It wasn’t hard to be creative then, was it?
I am not a computer game fan, but I have seen examples of some of them, and I believe the images in these games are definitely some of the most creative designs I have ever seen. There is just something about play that sparks our creativity. So, let yourself play with ideas and problems. Don’t ignore the fact that some of the most inventive ideas came from playing around with something and adapting it to a new application. So, take my advice, and spend time playing. You can be serious later.
3. Follow the rules
I am not advocating that you abandon all protocol and act irresponsibly. However, our training to automatically follow rules all the time is detrimental to the creative process.
Have you ever considered that most rules are made up in the first place and that the situation and conditions might have changed so much that certain rules don’t apply anymore? Question your assumptions and the rules you unconsciously apply to your situation and/or challenges and see what happens to your thinking.
What rules did Dell break? What about Google? If the leaders at these companies stuck with the old rules of business, would they be as successful today? So, don’t worry about breaking a few rules when you are focusing on creating something new and exciting.
This installment is focusing on unlearning lessons that block our creativity…be silly, play and break a few rules.

I have professed to be the ultimate left-brained nerd. For years I saw myself as the analytical automaton, sorely lacking in creativity. And creativity is something that I really valued. Think about it – being creative is defined as “having or showing imagination and artistic or intellectual inventiveness.” Who wouldn’t want that quality?
As I am also a professed personal growth addict, I have worked hard on boosting my own creativity. And I am happy to report that I do consider myself much improved in that area. If you can identify with me, don’t despair. It really was not as hard as I thought. How did I do it? Here are some of my secrets to help you get started.
1. Exercise your creative muscle regularly
There have been lots of studies on the human brain and evidence shows that our brains works very much like a muscle, which means that the more we use it, the stronger it becomes. In order to boost your creative muscle, start using it every opportunity you get, especially when it is just for fun.
Here are some things you can do: • Pick up some brain teaser puzzles and work on those • Instead of reading from a book, choose a toy from your children’s collection and make up a story about it at bedtime • Play games that engage the mind such as mah jong or chess • Approach things differently – instead of writing down a list of words, try using pictures or symbols
2. Identify your Creative Environments and Schedule Time There
Do you know where you do your best thinking? For most of us, it is not sitting at our desks. My best ideas come to me in three places: the shower, on my long walks, and in the car. There is something about the isolation and the relaxed state I’m in while engaging in these activities that allow my mind to come up with solutions to problems. So your assignment is to figure out where your best creative environments are and schedule yourself to spend time there.
A word of caution though – once you have identified what these environments are, don’t spoil it for yourself by expecting that you will be doing creative thinking every time you are there. Look for it as a special bonus, like a prize you get when you open up the right bottle of Coke. If I went for a walk specifically because I need some creativity, it doesn’t come as easily. But if I just let my mind wander to whatever it wants to think about, the ideas start to come. Learn to relax into your creativity.
3. Adopt a “the more the merrier” attitude
One of the books that has helped me develop my creative muscle is “A Whack on the Side of the Head” by Roger von Oech. It is a fun little book and I highly recommend it. In it, he talks about the “right answer” and the “second right answer”, and the next right answer. His point is that while we are in school, we are trained that there is only ONE right answer to test questions. And we adopt that same approach to everything else in life.
In order to boost our creativity, we have to remember that there is often more than ONE right answer. So, don’t just stop after you have one answer, keep going and see how many other ones you can come up with. Make it a challenge. It doesn’t matter how outrageous it is. The most significant inventions seemed completely preposterous at the time they were first considered. Don’t start judging when you are in the brainstorming phase. That can come later.
When you start using these suggestions, I think you will notice an improvement in your creative ability, as I have. I must admit that now I really enjoy my creative activities, like writing these articles, brainstorming with clients, and just letting my imagination run wild. And if you stay tuned, I will have a follow up article on this subject as there is much more great information I want to share with you.

Understanding the potential hidden within the subconscious mind can be invaluable.    To truly effect worthwhile and long-term change toward achieving what matters most to you, your affirmative thoughts must reach the subconscious mind.  It is said that as much as 90 percent of ones behavior and beliefs are the result of what the subconscious mind accepts.   Author Michael J. Gelb, a recognized pioneer of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and innovative leadership, writes: Brain researchers estimate that your unconscious (subconscious) data base outweighs the conscious on an order exceeding ten million to one.  This data base is the source of your hidden, natural genius.  In other words, a part of you is much smarter than you are.  The wise people regularly consult that smarter part.   When you tap into the subconscious mind with your new behavior or change of habit, this very special place will work amazingly well for you.  While this process does require commitment and a consistent pattern of repetition of the right thoughts the benefits are enormous.  Think of it as a treasured storehouse of knowledge and wisdom which is constantly supporting you and attracting ways to help achieve your desires, even though you are not always aware of it.   It has been shown that if you earnestly practice the exercise of feeding your mind with well-chosen information for at least 20 to 30 consecutive days you will have an excellent chance of impacting the subconscious mind for positive change.  This concentrated effort on a given change of thought will reward your discipline and conditioning.    Rather than letting your environment control your life, you will be astonished at how your subconscious mind can energize and support you when you learn to consult it and nurture it with the information that serves you best.   As a result, you soon discover a significant change in the way you think, feel and act.  For some people this is a subtle process and for others it is blaring quantum leap, but either can reveal successful effects.

Author:  Will Drapcho

Mind mapping is a great tool you can use to improve the flow of information in your life. It structures together information in a way that makes it easier for you to comprehend, analyze, and come up with new ideas and goals as well.

With mind mapping, concepts are graphically represented, allowing you to actually picture the ideas and goals. It’s a very simple method of organizing thoughts and ideas.

Mind Mapping 101?

To illustrate mind mapping, let’s start with a typical handwritten list of goals. Now add action steps to this list and draw lines to show how one action relates to another. All of a sudden your list mushrooms into a map and you need more paper to write on! That’s a basic mind map.

Mind maps work well with your brain because you’re using a structure that’s very close to the way your brain works. It includes artistic and analytical activity, getting your brain more involved in the information. You may even find mind mapping to be fun!

As you see how things on your list relate to each other through mind mapping, you will figure then be able to prioritize better.

Benefits of Mind Mapping

* Mind maps jog your brain’s creativity and make information easier to learn, remember, and work with.?
* Mind maps allow you to envision the big picture and how each part contributes to it.
* Mind maps help you focus on the important projects and tasks that are most beneficial for your business or career goals.

Various Uses for Mind Mapping

Mind maps are a new way of formulating a list of ideas into a visual plan. They’re excellent tools for brainstorming, whether it’s for personal, work, or educational purposes.

Mind maps are great for taking notes as well, making notes much easier for students to visualize and remember. Because of mind maps, your job or task can be easier and less time consuming due to memorization and studying information.

Problem solving and planning are simplified by mind maps. They work wonderfully for presenting information, from simple to complex. A mind map can be the perfect solution when trying to find a way to get your creative juices flowing.

You can gather information from different sources, and a mind map can help you consolidate the information.

* Mind maps come to life as you add in the details. They help you form action steps and timelines to reach your goals and bring you the success you desire.

How to Make a Mind Map

Making a mind map is easier than you may think. Have a large piece of blank paper, and something like a pen or pencil to write with. You’ll want to start out in the middle of your paper so that there’s room to expand in any direction.

Here are the steps to creating a mind map:

1. Draw or write down a specific idea.
2. Around the main idea, illustrate or write out different subtopics or tasks that relate to it.
3. Draw lines to connect your subtopics to the main idea.
4. For each subtopic, you can go on to develop more details and ideas, drawing lines to them as well, until everything is connected together.

There are also various mind map software tools freely available online. Once you start putting your ideas into a mind map, you’ll be able to see your projects with clarity and accomplish your goals with ease.

Marcel sits alone, at his workstation with his head in his hands. It is Monday morning and he cannot believe he is here, in this same situation yet another day, another month, another year. He had sworn to himself that this year would be different. But it wasn’t. It was the same. He is not sure which is more soul-destroying: the problem that causes his unhappiness, or his sense of powerlessness to change it. He knows that if he could just solve this one problem, everything else would fall into place. The trouble is, no matter what he tries nothing seems to work. Marcel doesn’t need money to change his world. What Marcel really needs is a bit of creativity.

One of the joys of adulthood is that as time passes we gain more and more experience from which we can draw upon to solve our problems. We learn through our experience for example, what is the best strategy for getting the kids to school on time (most days!), what is the best way to approach our partner on a sensitive issue, what is the best day of the week to fill up the car, and what is the best time of year to plant the petunias.

By contrast, in childhood we have relatively few experiences on which we can draw from. Creativity is the force that enables children to solve problems for which they have no experience. Children practice creativity daily because they depend on it to navigate through the multitude of novel situations that they experience in the world. However, as we grow older, we have less need to rely on our creativity as our primary problem solving method. Despite the popular notion that “everyone is creative”, unless it is practiced, developed, nurtured and cultivated, our creativity becomes latent.

The shift from creativity to experience is not a bad thing. It is arguably far more economical for us to be able to draw from our experience and get it “right” the first time by predicting the consequences of our actions, rather than relying on the trial and error approach required to turn a creative vision into reality. We learn that there are certain rules and laws, norms and expectations that will help us solve the given problem much more efficiently. Much of our problem-solving becomes automatic, highly efficient and relatively painless as a result.

Invariably however, we come across a problem-solving challenge that our experience has not prepared us for. When the answer cannot be found by searching back through the experiences we have had, or the lessons we have learned, there is a tendency to define the problem as “unsolvable”. War, global warming, increasing interest rates, price of fuel or changing market economies are all examples of problems that are “too hard” and have become unsolvable. For others the “unsolvable” problem is how to simply get through the day against the backdrop of internal turmoil, depression and sadness. For others, it is not single problem but the sheer number of them, and the seeming futility of one person’s action, that overwhelms us. It may not even be a “negative” problem, but a vision for which we simply have no familiarity with the ways that it might be translated into reality.

Interestingly, it is in the face of these types of challenges and problems that children – whose creativity has not yet been squandered or squashed – offer us the most promising solutions. By calling on children we can discover the possibilities for our so-called unsolvable problems:

“We don’t like it that our fathers must be soldiers and shoot other children’s fathers.” (Engbrottsskolan, Ctvidaberg, Sweden).

“There comes an army; here comes another. They meet in the middle and declare PEACE.” (Holy Cross Primary School, Western Cape, South Africa)

“The war is not around him but trapped inside his head. War is not battles; it is struggles without end.” (Friends School of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, US).

“The condition of the heart can alter the perspective of a person. The condition of the hearts of a nation can alter the state of mankind-PEACE.” (Walnut Ridge Middle School Library, Walnut Ridge, AR, US).

Creativity is therefore essential to all people. More than merely a good artistic ability or an active imagination, it is a combination of process, product, thought and action. It combines trial and error, imagination, and freedom that ultimately reconfigures what used to be, into something new. Creativity therefore matters not only to dancers and painters, but to any person who – like Marcel – longs to see something change, to experience the hope of new possibilities. Whether we want to make a difference in our world, in business or simply in our own lives, creativity is deeply needed in many homes, communities, hallways and offices today. To be asked to change the world and to confront the “unsolvable problems” is to be asked to cultivate the habits of creativity and foster them in ourselves and our children.

The good news is that even the most latent creativity can be reawakened. One of the pioneer researchers in creativity – E. P. Torrance – extensively studied creativity in both children and adults. He found that people with a highly creative approach tended to have particular styles in their approach to problems, situations and relationships, such as a certain type of flexibility and fluency. Many other researchers (particularly in early childhood education and in business) have also studied what it means to be creative, and there are some remarkably consistent themes. Here’s what the research says about habits that build creativity:

Habit #1: Take delight in deep thinking

Creativity requires us to not accept things at face value. Like the child who becomes engrossed in watching an ant struggle against a bread-crumb five times its size, deep thinking allows us to ponder and observe rather than judge. By suspending judgment and allowing ourselves to become completely absorbed in our curious, to contemplate “what is?”, “what else?”, “what if?”, “what about?”, and “why not?”, we begin to see beyond the standard answer and open ourselves up to new possibilities.

Habit #2: Demand imperfection

Creativity is not simply a thought, but requires an action. The most imaginative visions are not creative until they are translated into being. However, particularly in Western cultures, there is an increasing emphasis on achieving individual perfection with little tolerance for getting it wrong. To foster creativity, we have to be willing to place a higher importance on immersing ourselves in the world, than we do on being perfect. Whatever we define as “perfect” is highly specific to cultural and historical contexts. Because perfection depends on the achievement of these arbitrarily constructed rules, and creativity depends on something beyond the rules, we can never be truly creative whilst in pursuit of the perfect. We tend to tolerate imperfection in others more readily than in ourselves and our children. Therefore, freeing ourselves from the chains of perfectionism requires, above all else, the cultivation of self-compassion, laughter, and a bit of perspective.

Habit #3: Get to know yourself

Our world is filled with barriers that limit our opportunity to cultivate our creativity. Social judgments and expectations, dogmatic rules and bureaucracies, and simply the need to curb our passion so that we can earn a dollar and put food on the table are all common creativity inhibitors. By far the most significant personal cost of “being creative” is the risk of become alienated from the community to which you belong. History is filled with creative geniuses who are pathologised as “eccentric”, “mad” or – as increasingly the case of highly creative children in schools today – a nuisance, a problem, oppositionally defiant, or learning disabled.

Practicing creativity therefore requires that we also cultivate our acceptance that – in working toward something new – we are likely to challenge the comfort zones and expectations of those around us. For most people, the practice of creativity as an all-or-nothing endeavor is profoundly costly in personal terms. To practice every-day creativity requires that we learn to discern when to push and when to pull back. Every person has different thresholds for alienation, isolation and criticism. Knowing ourselves and our limits allows us to take risks, but always ones that we can live with. Make your creativity energizing, sustainable and for the “long-haul”, rather than isolating yourself and making your creativity a source of misery.

Habit #4: Use your strengths

Creative people are usually interested in everything with a particular focus in one area. Discover a strength you have and immerse yourself in it. Explore it from every angle. Pull it apart. Put it back together. Contemplate, play and challenge everything you can about it. Be curious about everything, and consider in what ways and contexts your strengths could be applied and connected to other areas. Give yourself permission to change your mind. Discover every possible use for what you’ve got. Use it. Reflect on it. Use it some more.

Habit #5: Find a Creative Role Model

Creativity is one of the key learning strategies we have to survive our early childhood. The difference between someone who is creative, and someone who is not, is simply whether creativity has been allowed to flourish or wither beyond the early years. Instead of sitting back in the hope that creativity will discover us, we need to actively seek out sources of inspiration for creativity. Surrounding ourselves with people who navigate through their own lives with creativity provides valuable insight into the genuine nature and nuance of creativity (rather than the sanitized and contrived Hollywood version). Observing, discussing, and sharing stories with (or about) the people who inspire our passions can help to identify the core values and strategies that might be useful in our own creative development. (It also helps to strengthen and buffer us against the criticism that can sometimes be directed toward creative action).

Habit #6: Challenge the myth of independence

In a culture obsessed with “making” children independent from birth we do great damage to our creativity. Creativity is a collaborative process and everything that is created is simply a new version of what was before. The creation of a new person, for example, comes from the splicing and reconfiguration of its parents’ DNA. Likewise, to approach any problem creatively, we have to be able to connect all parts, to be able to discover unexpected interactions and inter-relationships that we might not otherwise have seen. People who are creative tend to have a tendency to see most things (including themselves) as one part of a bigger whole, where they can actively influence and shape the world they live in. In order to be creative we need to challenge ourselves to see interdependcies, rather than seeking to be alone and isolated in the world.

Habit #7: Maintain a strong Play-Ethic

A strong work-ethic is a highly valued quality by many. However, it is in play that all the parts and pieces flow into the totality of creativity. Businesses whose bottom-line depends on high levels of creativity  such as soft-ware developers and advertising agencies – understand this principle extremely well. These workplaces more closely resemble a child’s playground of color and freedom  rather than an office  where a genuine Play-Ethic and culture is actively fostered and encouraged.

Play (which is distinct from competition and sports) enables us to let go of pre-imposed dogma. In play we are free to move in multidimensional and illogical ways (mentally and physically), to try out different combinations and roles, to laugh at ourselves, to act without fear of failure, shame or measurement, and to be wholly led by our curiosity and our sense of discovery. In play, we can truly connect to each other, to the problem at hand, and to our hearts. Far from being limited to games and children, introducing a sense of play into any context that we want to change is the most direct way to be creative.

With the possibility that as adults we may re-learn to play creatively we have the greatest hope of solving the unsolvable and changing the world in the process.