3

Maps in Your Mind

“The human brain does not think in toolbars and menu lists. It thinks organically like all natural forms. To think well it needs a tool that reflects that organic flow. The Mind Map is that tool.”

Tony Buzan and Chris Griffiths, Mind Mapping for Business

If you have ever been on an underground or subway system, without even thinking about it consciously, you navigated your way around using a map.

If you were familiar with the subway, you would have been carrying the parts of the map that you needed in your head. If you are like me, this would even include details like which carriage to get on so you had to walk the least distance to the exit or interchange when you got off.

For an unfamiliar subway, you might carry a physical map or refer to one on the train or platform. What you may not have appreciated about this map is that is doesn’t necessarily correspond to the actual layout of the tracks underground. That said, the color coding and equi-distant spacing of stations makes it easy to grasp.

The London Underground map we use today was created by Henry Beck back in 1933 and has been copied by subway and overground systems around the world, such is its usefulness.

So, for example, imagine you had never been to Tokyo but I gave you a map with both Narita Airport and Akiabara circled. If I told that Narita is where you will fly into and Akiabara is where to buy the cheapest electronic goods, I reckon you could easily make your way there and pick up a bargain - all without knowing a word of Japanese.

Such maps though, only have limited usefulness as they are only metaphors. If you are in London and want to go from Waterloo Station to Covent Garden using the Underground, you might take the Northern Line to Leicester Square and the Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden. Apart from this costing you some money, and necessitating a crowded journey underground, it’s actually as quick to walk across the footbridge, take in a great view of London and be a little fitter into the bargain, and on a sunny day, it’s a lot more pleasant too.

We store maps in our minds for more than just navigation around the world. I have a map in my mind of where the keys on the keyboard are as I am typing these words.

I have another map for how to take my thoughts on light bulb moments and string them together in what I hope are logical and easy to follow steps.

We have maps for how to tie a shoelace, how to make spaghetti bolognese, how to drive a car, and how to light a fire. If we don’t know how to do any of these things, we have another map that tells us where to find the information or how to watch someone else do it and copy them.

If all else fails, we have another map and a strategy with which we may look up a tradesman and call them up for professional help, or ask someone who knows how to help us or show us how do it .

The map to mimic and copy others is something we are born with. This map is in the very fabric of our cells. Our cells in turn have maps that allow them to replicate and become neurons, blood, organs, skin, bones and muscles. These groupings of cells then store maps for how to unconsciously breathe, regulate blood sugar and to keep our heart beating.

En masse and in concert, they also give us the ability to think and be self aware.

You can also see these maps disappearing in people who are suffering from dementia. They might not recognize a family member or fail to know what day of the week it is. Their internal sat-nav has become corrupted

Maps are also embedded into the very fabric of space, time and inorganic matter. The mass and behaviors of sub-atomic particles act as maps from which complex molecular structures form and either remain stable, decay or react.

This is the ‘stuff’ we are made from. The most complex molecule we know about, DNA, even contains the map to replicate itself and to create life. Single celled amoebae have a map of how to replicate. Plants contain a map to tell them their roots should go down into the earth and their leaves should point at and follow the Sun. Spiders are pre-programmed to weave intricate and functional webs.

Animals such as parrots, cats, dogs and horses can be taught to replicate complex routines and even invent new ones themselves.

Whales and dolphins navigate using their own natural global positioning system using a combination of ocean currents, salinity, temperature and magnetism as their guide. Birds also use the magnetic flux of the Earth, and some experts think they even use the stars, to help them literally come home to roost after migrations of thousands of miles.

Such repetition over many generations, along with the new learnings and discoveries, also gets embedded in that same DNA that creates life in the first place. Thus the whole circle of life completes, self-replicates and extends itself.

You can see an example of this in microcosm. My generation born in the 1950s and 1960s found it easier than our parents to pick up driving, computers and using remote controls. The current generation leaves many of their parents cold with their seeming ability to multi-task and incredible speed on a computer keyboard or texting a message on their phone.

The maps with which we navigate our way through life and around our physical world are embedded in neural pathways. Some pathways and patterns can be destructive like the gestalts mentioned in the last chapter. A glass half empty pathway will tend to pessimistic outcomes and a glass half full mentality will lead to invention and creativity. Just imagine what a glass overflowing mentality would be like.

Without perhaps appreciating it, in the Illuminations in the last two chapters you were drawing Mind Maps.

As you will see, Mind Maps are one of the best tools ever invented for creativity, learning and memory retention.

They are the brain-child of Tony Buzan - quiet literally the progeny that came from his brain. Incidentally, intentional use of hyphenation to concatenate and fragment words and phrases, like brain-child, is something that is really useful for illumination and illustration.

While there are many great software tools available on the market, the best way to be truly creative with Mind Maps is to hand draw them. At least, that is, until the creation of the map is second nature and embedded such that using a computer doesn’t interfere with your creative flow.

On my creative writing workshops, computers are banned, even though I am a technophile.

The reason Mind Maps work so well is that they mirror the way the brain operates. The brain ‘thinks’ radially and by association. So say we want to invent something that is quicker, smarter, faster and cheaper. We don’t start from scratch, we take an example of what works already, then we study its limitations and improve on it.

Where light bulb moments come into the equation is when a giant leap is made. Perhaps taking one solution and applying it to great effect in a completely different field. Velcro, Teflon and even the now ubiquitous text message are examples of this.

Text messaging, for example, was invented as a way for engineers to communicate with each other when debugging the early mobile phone networks. It has now grown into one of the most used services and biggest revenue generators for mobile phone operators.

So the light bulb moment doesn’t just come from linear extrapolation but as a step change from seeing new applications which come along from new associations.

The light bulb moment comes from that amazing near-instantaneous feat performed by our brains, that of pattern recognition. We store patterns of images, sounds, smells, tastes and touch. A whiff of a few molecules of carbolic soap is all that is needed to take me back to primary school which, in turn, might conjure up a memory of a teacher, a school bully or a cast iron radiator. These three are in no way connected, by the way.

The strength of the light bulb moment has a correlation to the number of neurons that actually ‘light up’. This has been seen on functional MRI scans.

As our brains are physical forms made of much of the same stuff as our muscles, it may come as no surprise that they perform better when exercised and fed regularly.

Our brains constitute only 5% off our body mass yet they consume 20% to 25% of our energy. They take nutrients from our blood which in turn is primarily fed from oxygen.

So it will come as no surprise therefore that correct breathing is something that affects our brain power and we will explore that later. We also tend to ignore the fact that the chemistry of our bodies affects our thought processes. Being intoxicated or under the influence of drugs is a prime example of this. The food we eat also affects our mental performance as does the state of mind that we are in when preparing and consuming it.

Indeed predisposition is vitally important in this regard. A drunkard may literally stare at a glass half empty whereas a wine connoisseur will see the smallest amount of liquid in a glass as nectar. The way we think is wrapped up in its own circle with our body chemistry. If we have positive thoughts, we will think positively and we will largely experience positive outcomes.

In the same way, if you follow the steps in this book, you cannot fail but to have light bulb moments. This will affect others around you.

My intent is to show you how to enjoy unlimited creativity. Hopefully this will rub off on you and you will in turn spread this to others.

It will come as no surprise that I have not made all of this up from scratch. I have taken some exoteric (ie. known stuff), mixed it with some esoteric teachings (ie. largely unknown) and made 1+1=3 or even more.

So now you appreciate the value of a good map, the remainder of this book is devoted to giving you a navigation system to tap into light bulb moments on demand.

This is why Mind Mapping is a great starting point from which to operate, where many light bulb moments will occur.

To get the best results from Mind Mapping, it’s best to follow some simple rules.

Firstly, as you have seen, it’s best to use an image to depict the central theme of the map. If you don’t have one in mind, then a stylish question mark, an image of a light bulb or a smiley face will do for the purposes of this book. The image acts as a seed for the mind to start its journey of association. As such choosing one that puts you in a positive frame of mind is beneficial.

The map spreads from the central image in radial branches which are ideally of different colors. These branches act as placeholders for words or more images still.

The colors can also convey meanings. For example, green for growth or red for danger, or pink for a loving thought. The true power of the map lies in these semantics and metaphors, as it is these that stimulate the unconscious mind to bring ideas to our conscious awareness. We are also better able to remember the map in this form.

When placing words on the branches, it’s advisable to use one word per branch as it makes free association easier, as per the diagram below where I mapped out associations that came to me from the phrase ‘light bulb moment’.

Note too how the shape and direction of the line can also convey meaning. Like the downward, black spiral of depression. If I had used the complete phrase “light bulb moment” as the seed for my map, it would have restricted where my mind could go. From this diagram, you can see how I can generate ideas for chapters of a book or spin off ideas.

For example, recalling that light splits into a spectrum made me wonder if light bulb moments themselves had different ‘colors’ or ‘flavors’. This was something I hadn’t fully considered until I did this map. It spawned a new train of thought that in turn led to at least one whole new chapter in this book - and a sequel. Such is the power of a good map.

Illumination 3: Your Life Journey

So, before you set off into an amazing future full of inspirational moments, it’s worth looking back on your life so far.

It may surprise you that you’ve almost certainly experienced many light bulb moments in your life already. They are a natural phenomenon which we can choose to embrace or ignore. This is the benefit of having free will.

So taking another piece of paper, draw an image in the centre that represents the essence of you.

For the branches this time, you can have a bit more creative control and feel free to draw sub branches with as many levels as you like.

Bear in mind the basic guidelines below to making this Life Map which you will find helpful.

What you want to capture in this map is all the highlights of your life so far. Examples include:

Purposely I have not included an example of this map as an image as I don’t want you to be influenced in any way.

Flashbacks

We navigate our way around our complex world using maps.

Our very existence is built on a map.

Mind Maps are the most useful tool you will come across to foster light bulb moments.

Having some sort of map is useful for most journeys.