When I got the prompt from Small Box, “mind map a project and tell us about it” I knew it was going to be a challenge for me. I have tried to mind map, it looks fun, but it confuses me. I have judged myself as inferior to those who can do it. I have tried it over and over again, after all I am as smart as anyone else.
I have taken several workshops on mind mapping and my friends are really good at it. Unfortunately it just does not make any sense to me at all. I even bought a huge artist sketch pad and color markers, only to find myself more than lost in the project. So I decided that I would do something simple for this prompt, like schedule lunch with my friend Tony. Wow, lunch with Tony suddenly became way too complicated, and I was ready to say the heck with it, I don’t need to have lunch with anyone ever again, if I have to map it out like this, and I only got half way through the project.
Ok, ok, for some of you this is simple. But I think I will stick to the linear fashion of my planing.
- Open calendar and call Tony for a date to have lunch
- Choose a date – write it on the calendar
- Choose a location for the lunch
- Meet at that location on the date and time
- Order food and beer, talk and enjoy
- Back to work – give reciepts to bookkeeper
Seems simple compared to my mind map!
What I have learned as I labored over this seemingly simple post is this; try new things, get good at them if you can and if not stick to what you are really good at. Don’t compare your abilities with that of others, we are all different and that is what makes the world go round.
Happy mind mapping to those of you who love it, I am just going to stick to what I know.
Hazel
