I also use mind mapping when I ingest information. It is a way to take non-linear notes, engage the whole brain and create one easy visual that allows me to remember what I read with a single glance at the completed map.
“Normal linear note taking and writing will put you into a semi-hypnotic trance, while mind mapping will greatly enhance your left and right brain cognitive skills.” – Tony Buzan
As I start to read, I write down main points and let them interact with each other, one leads to the next, one might direct you to another area etc.
Once I get the overall main points, then I add more detailed notes (this can evolve overtime), and though from your point of view, the result may look chaotic… for me, the map makes sense to me as I remember physically creating the whole map. In one glance, I can recall ALL the material that I read.
Then I gather related material to develop and enhance.
Keeping the mind maps for future reference is useful! For example the business plan mind map I created in 2013, which helped my daughter and I produce a highly praised business plan, is being pulled out this week to utilize it on another project. IT ALL RELATES and EVOLVES.
Last time we consolidated our mindmap- stripped it down to key components.
Today we focus on each component and ENHANCE.
This is similar to the stream of consciousness mapping but now you are more focused. Think ACTION PLAN. You are building a structure. Research a bit. Make a to-do. (We will ADDRESS the items in more detail tomorrow).
Mind maps integrate both right-brain and left-brain thinking by capturing your stream of consciousness in a structured way. This method is perfect for brainstorming goals and organizing related ideas. – Jennifer Lee
Tomorrow:
Part 6- ADDRESSING
—
Recommended reading:
—
If you are finding this blog series helpful, please consider a small donation so that I can continue to provide free tutorials.
Right-brain entrepreneur Jennifer Lee is a certified coach, writer, artist, yogini, and the founder of Artizen Coaching. Before pursuing her own passions full-time, she consulted for ten years for companies such as Accenture, Gap, Sony, and HP, helping leaders and organizations manage change. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and her website is www.rightbrainbusinessplan.com. source
Utilizing Jennifer Lee’s BIG-VISION VISUALIZATION SCRIPT, I encourage you to write about your ideal future, to think big, to see abundance and success in work, in relationships, in spirit.
Personally, I find it very empowering to write about an abundant future. It’s an ENLIGHTENING experience and a good anxiety-decreaser during those familiar dark and anxious times.
It is also fun to compare the big vision entries over time. For example two of my entries two years apart:
May 2013:
Despite my default setting of envisioning myself in a magical little cottage down by a little lake, what do I actually envision for myself when I really concentrate? My stream of consciousness writing shows:
a beautiful workspace
intimate corners
cozy couches and blankets
a library of books
supplies
airy and sunny
hardwood floors
garden, outdoor patio
kitchen, open space
coffee and fresh pie smells and fresh fruit
the pets
easy to have visitors and family over
but also private
a place to store my art
more income than expenses
time for me
time to enjoy
ease of mind
mortgage fully paid
lots of savings
blissful and at peace
the smell of fresh basil
flowers in vases
candles
online presence
ease of blogging and lots of followers
my art has a distinct vision and people are responding with ease and delight
I keep pushing the envelope and make new groundbreaking work
I have time to craft and explore new ways of manipulating art
there is an ease to waking up in the AM with a sense of acceptance and accomplishment
my books are best sellers and I mainly work on my own art which the world is hungry for
July 2015:
You now stand fully naked, fully present, fully you. Gone are the shackles that pulled you downwards into self-doubting, crippling anxiety. No longer do you hesitate before expressing. But most importantly, no longer do you collapse in shame and doubt after you expressed yourself.
Speaking your truth used to cause you to feel like you were choking on amniotic fluid. Felt like it came at a price.
Now you can breathe in and breathe out with open mouth, open nostrils, open sinuses, open throat, open heart, open eyes, open mind without fear.
You release your truth, your art, your work onto and into the world and receive back the conversations/communications with an open and fearless heart- a heart that is ready to dialogue.
Your work used to require boundaries. Your life used to comprise of self-imposed boundaries to protect your heart from rejection and loss. But now you are boundless. And so the work you have built on awakening creative expression in others- a gift you truly were born with and have worked so tirelessly to deliver- takes on a new level on a global scale. You are not in need of accolades. You are simply expressing, thereby allowing others to feel the same freedom. It need no longer be frontline work (in person), it is a new principle and way of living.
Full presence.
You have taken all the heartache, all the joy, all the blood and guts of life and built a mission and vision that has created true abundance.
You will never be anxiety-free and you will never not have heart-shattering challenges, but you now have a giant delicious toolbox with which to meet those challenges and easily process, die into them and rebirth from them. You are truly living with ease.
All is as it should be.
I find the BIG VISION process a cleansing experience. It is the opposite of processing the now or the processing of yesterday. It is a way to ease the heart and soften the belly.
You will find that mindmaps are a way to envision and put into practice your intention. This intention is thereby transformed into fruition. The process is not just an idealistic visualization but an actualization.
Inspired by Caroline Myss’s book, SACRED CONTRACTS- awakening your divine potential, I am exploring/developing journaling exercises around awakening creative expression and tapping into the magic that makes you flow– that passion that fuels you, that call to action to step up and truly live a fulfilling life.
Have you ever wondered what your mission in life is supposed to be? … Your Sacred Contract allows you countless chances to grow and change, dependent only on your willingness to pick up the subtle clues and cues that appear along the way. Dreams, intuitions, apparent coincidences, and “chance” encounters are just a few of the cues that will lead you on the path to genuine transformation.
– Caroline Myss
Some of you may call BULLSHIT. But hey- does a little magical thinking hurt? Bullshit can be fertilizer, right? Fertilizer to encourage growth.
As my sister-friend, Patti, would say- sometimes you have to sit in your own shit to move forward.
For 10-15 minutes, write freely about your vision of your fully abundant future and success. Don’t censor or hold back! Follow Jennifer Lee’s BIG-VISION VISUALIZATION SCRIPT (p. 34-36)
This used to be hard for me. The anxious little girl in me would challenge any positive thoughts I had. But with practice, I have found it easier and easier. Now the words flow freely. Hell, I’m not even embarrassed by it anymore. TRY IT.
This time I wrote (unedited):
Where do I see myself the future? Now? Is it here? I am fully successful having integrated my facets (my multi-faceted interests and talents) into one vision- awakening creative expression. This awakening is both in myself and all those around me. My curriculum development is a huge success locally and globally, bringing in revenue that allows me to live fully and freely and abundantly. I no longer worry about money as all my ideas, projects and mission/vision have been implemented locally and globally in a sustainable business model that keeps me energized. I illustrate books. Molly is a huge success and her story engages the audience fully. Her story expands into a full colour book at [dream publisher] and I am honoured with speaking engagements, exhibits and awards. My next books flow easily. 2084 is fully illustrated and a huge success, reawakening the world to the illustrated book. Anna works globally to engage cities in the BPS vision and we are sought after globally for our curriculum events and art. We expand easily, keeping the model simple and manageable and sustainable. I thrive in my airy light gorgeous apartment and work from home. I wake worry free every morning and love life. The hard work I have done all my life has led to my current success. It just expands on itself. All my bills are paid, my savings account builds rapidly each month, my entire family is thriving and I travel as I like and need and reconnect fully with my roots in Sweden. I implement and oversee and enjoy watching people expand their lives with my program.
STEP 2:
Now create a mindmap– start with yourself in the centre and without hesitation write in bubbles as you contemplate where you are right now. It could mean where you are at this very moment or where you are this year and this place in your life. Write and draw freely, allowing the connections to happen easily. See where your facets and aspects relate into ONE YOU.
Stay tuned for Sacred Contracts Journaling Exercise Series, Part 2 of 8: where are your energy leaks?
“Life skills” are defined as psychosocial abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. Life skills generally include 3 broad categories of skills:
• cognitive skills for analyzing and using information
• personal skills for developing personal agency and managing oneself, and
• inter-personal skills for communicating and interacting effectively with others.
During a successfully implemented creative arts program, participants generally:
Engage in the program from beginning to end.
Respond without physical or verbal aggression.
Communicate effectively with instructors and peers.
Cooperate with others in the group.
Demonstrate ability to accept redirection.
Demonstrate ability to share and take turns.
Demonstrate appropriate use of equipment.
Respect personal boundaries of peers and adults.
Demonstrate creative solutions for problem solving.
Demonstrate initiative and leadership skills.
REVIEW OF LIFE SKILLS/ EMPLOYMENT SKILLS TO BE ADDRESSED IN CURRICULUM IN A USER-FRIENDLY, REPLICABLE WAY:
Learning and Problem Solving Skills, including: listening to understand and learn; reading, comprehending and using written materials; thinking critically and acting logically to evaluate situations, solve problems and make decisions; learning to access and apply specialized knowledge from various fields; and continuing to learn for life.
Social Skills, such as: anger management; resolving conflict; addressing attachment, connection, peer awareness; working well with others; and developing a positive self-image.
Personal Management Skills, including: creating a budget; money management; ; managing stress; and managing time.
Development of Positive Attitudes and Behaviors, including: self-esteem and confidence; honesty, integrity and personal ethics; a positive attitude toward learning, growth and personal health; and initiative, energy, and persistence to get the job done.
Personal Responsibility, including: the ability to set goals and priorities in work and personal life; the ability to plan and achieve goals; accountability for actions taken; adaptability; a positive attitude toward change; and the ability to identify and suggest new ideas to get the job done–creatively.
Teamwork Skills, including: understanding and contributing to an organization’s goals; understanding and working within the culture of the group; planning and making decisions with others and supporting the outcomes; respecting the thoughts and opinions of others in a group; exercising “give and take” to achieve group results; leading where appropriate; and mobilizing the group for high performance.
Project Management, including: project planning; group management; client relationship building; social media management; product photography; advertising; documentation; supply management; project execution; project delivery and project evaluation.
I am about to embark on a full-time art career as in-house artist for by post street, illustrator, writer, street artist, and art facilitator for youth/adults. This means moving away from frontline youth coordination to focusing 100% on the art. It is extraordinarily exciting.
Art for me is not just about being in the moment and in the heat of the creative process. My right brain ways certainly thrive on that. But as a right brain enterpreneur, I am ready to embrace DISCIPLINE. Ready to focus on business, sales, marketing, numbers, grant applications, networking etc.
And all this left brain stuff would only be daunting if I hadn’t designed (along with my daughter and by post street‘s creative director) a weekly schedule. It will no longer be about trying to fit in the art around the work schedule but defining myself as a working artist.
Each day has a theme and specific foci that include:
Product, Branding, Customers, Operations, Illustration, Writing, Research, Personal
Time sensitive, Proactive, Arty, Inaction
Sticking to it is key. Including “off” times. Ironically, my new schedule that reflects fluidity and flexibility will be more rigid and disciplined than now. And double ironically, the more I work on art, the more my left brain is awakened and fearless!
Allowing the temptations of distractions and answering to the needs of others above my own is no longer an option! I have to weigh requests and take a breath before saying yes. Before saying no.
Within the new “limitations” though lies absolute freedom and a fulfilled heart!
I have been experiencing chronic anxiety [or more than usual] of late. I am better able to sit with it [not perfect by any means, for at times I am debilitated by it] and to ride through just the physical symptoms.
Many changes are happening in my life- there are new developments in my art career [including GREAT STUFF with by post street] but I am still working on everything else I’ve been working on until I can transition fully into self-employment. And I carry a caseload of youth I care deeply about but that weighs on my mind. So, no doubt, I am overtired. I never stop.
Besides having physical issues that cause anxiety, and a schedule that hasn’t allowed for down time, and an over-loaded brain and fatigue etc- what I have is debt. Financial fucking debt. This is from years and years of insufficient income. It’s been a lopsided exchange of energy. And admittedly at times I feel I am drowning. Giant sums of debt. No wonder I feel anxious. Duh. I accept this and allow it.
A person with Generalized Anxiety Disorder gets tricked into trying to stop the unwanted “what if?” thoughts, rather than accepting them and taking care of present business as thoughts come and go. [source]
I am getting there in bettering my relationship with money. A long journey ahead for sure, but the right brain business plan demystified so many things and as a result, my daughter and I created a tight, well-received document. There are great new things happening now, the moment has arrived and great new things just around the corner, but holding on till then and juggling trying to survive is taking its toll. My heart feels cheese-grated. I am tired of the juggling.
But luckily, I have my tools. And I am learning self-acceptance. And I have my ART. When I draw, I am free. When I sew I am free. And when I do both, I am working on the career, which is remarkable. I accept that Molly will unfold as she needs to. I don’t force it, nor can I worry about it. I find solace in my journal…
I find strength in allowing my weakness. And I remind myself to take micro-steps towards my goals when I am overwhelmed. This is not about “I don’t want to be like this anymore.” It’s about “This is me. I accept who I am and I am ready to embrace and work with it and rise out of debt into a balanced relationship with money.”
So yes, I am in debt- inDEBTed to the gift of having a creative, artistic soul. ART is my greatest asset, my greatest strength, my ticket out of debt, my ride to freedom.
“And then my soul saw you and it kind of went: Oh there you are. I’ve been looking for you.” – ANON
Kat, do you ever stop? I mean truly just stop? Just taking a day and doing nothing, just drinking tea in pjs and doing nothing?
– Maryellen to me
I have to say the answer is no. Or more accurately, yes- sometimes– but when I do, I feel my body reacting. I feel the migraines come on- migraines that can start in the chest and move down to the stomach. I get the doubled over mom-stomach. Or it starts in the shoulders and moves up the back of the neck. That’s my genetics.
Many migraine sufferers complain of headaches on weekends, vacations, or after a period of stress. Researchers at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx… found that patients had 20% higher chance of developing a migraine 12 to 24 hours after their mood changed from “sad” or “nervous” to “happy” or “relaxed”.
So hmmm. It’s weird for me to stop. And as a single mom trying to keep up with debt, as an artist following her passion, as a self-employed and as a youth coordinator navigating the needs of an at-risk population, and as someone who always needs to feel productive… I can say my mind never does stop.
I am driven to follow my artistic vision and passion, but I am crippled sometimes by overwhelming anxiety and the need to stay on task, to keep at it. I use my journaling and anxiety tools and when I am in the creative process, I flow. I find peace . A reprieve from the debts and anxiety.
But since finding the right brain business plan, I find my wake-ups easier, my mind on task, my directions making sense, my confidence increasing– despite the continuous debts and hurdles. The toolbox is streamlining.
Chaos, control… you like, you like?
[Six Degrees of Separation]
I started using the right brain business plan book with my daughter as we created our business plan for by post street. Life-changing. There is a new sense of confidence and excitement that lifts me above the chaos of financial anxiety.
Now I am doing a new business plan as I work on my DRAWN TOGETHER workbook/workshop series that builds on my belief in the healing power of art and its ability to build connections. I am going deeper into the right brain business plan book by doing the online course and the process helps not only the project but my entire life.
So DO I STOP? No. But I can release. And decrease the stress. So that those moments where I may find myself in my fantasy cottage and just sitting, I may actually breathe in the springtime and allow the stillness to soothe me, and my stomach is quiet, my belly soft, my heart gentle, my neck flexible, and my mind still.
I think of [rest and sleep] as one big ball of goodness. The most important ingredient for either is to apply without guilt or shame. So many people rest or sleep secretly, or feel like they need to explain or justify it! Think of sleep and rest as pure goodness multipliers, and don’t let anyone else’s opinions in.
– SARK
My previous posts re my right brain business plan adventure:
Right-brain entrepreneur Jennifer Lee is a certified coach, writer, artist, yogini, and the founder of Artizen Coaching. Before pursuing her own passions full-time, she consulted for ten years for companies such as Accenture, Gap, Sony, and HP, helping leaders and organizations manage change. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and her website is www.rightbrainbusinessplan.com.
Last Thursday, I led a group through the process of mindmapping using my usual techniques and incorporating tips from the right brain business plan.
[I look forward to actualizing a to-do on my current mindmap: taking the right brain business plan online course and then hopefully taking it even a step further and becoming a licensed facilitator!]
I shared mindmaps made by my previous students and also relayed how mindmaps have helped me for years to organize my life. I keep all my mindmaps as they are reminders of how far I’ve come and reminders for where I need to focus. They make everything relate to everything.
Mindmapping and the right brain business planhelped my daughter and I create the ultimate and ever-evolving business plan for our new business, by post street. It helps us stay sane as we maintain vision and keep moving forward on a miniscule budget.
Inspired by Jennifer Lee’s BIG-VISION VISUALIZATION SCRIPT (p. 34-36), I encouraged the group to write about their ideal future, to think big, to see abundance and success in work, in relationships, in spirit.
Personally, I found it very empowering to write about an abundant future. It’s a LIGHTENING experience and a good balance as I tend to write during dark and anxious times.
Despite my default setting of envisioning myself in a magical little cottage down by a little lake, what do I actually envision for myself when I really concentrate?My stream of consciousness writing shows:
a beautiful workspace
intimate corners
cozy couches and blankets
a library of books
supplies
airy and sunny
hardwood floors
garden, outdoor patio
kitchen, open space
coffee and fresh pie smells and fresh fruit
the pets
easy to have visitors and family over
but also private
a place to store my art
more income than expenses
time for me
time to enjoy
ease of mind
mortgage fully paid
lots of savings
blissful and at peace
the smell of fresh basil
flowers in vases
candles
online presence
ease of blogging and lots of followers
my art has a distinct vision and people are responding with ease and delight
I keep pushing the envelope and make new groundbreaking work
I have time to craft and explore new ways of manipulating art
there is an ease to waking up in the AM with a sense of acceptance and accomplishment
my books are best sellers and I mainly work on my own art which the world is hungry for
I found the process of envisioning an ideal future a cleansing experience. It is the opposite of processing the now or the processing of yesterday. It is a way to ease the heart and soften the belly.
And mindmaps (and visionboards) are a way to envision and put into practice [that cliché of] intention. This intention is thereby transformed into fruition. The process is not just an idealistic visualization but an actualization.
Right now I am organizing the massive amount of info in my graphic novel research using charts and mindmaps and magic markers.
On this rainy Saturday, it’s time to re-focus on the projects I am working on by using:
I am getting clearer as to the multiple directions in my life and how they actually all relate nicely to each other and feed each other into A LIFE OF ART. Each category needs full attention to come to fruition, but by relating them all to each other through imagery, connection and layout, I keep it simple.
To make the task more ME and to make me energized, I tend to collect images I love and draw them out.
For a visual learner and do-er like me, it’s the perfect way to stay on task and to have a check in and to ease anxiety.
Then I add notes and analyze and type out… It’s just SO MUCH MORE FUN doing it as a piece of art… Plus I practice drawing at the same time!
I keep all the boards and check in on all of them daily. Just a glance is enough to remind, to create inner dialogue, to stay on course, to trust.
