Earlier this week, I watched an excerpt of a conference in which a number of well-known speakers were talking about the accelerating rate of change today, fueled by compounding developments in technology and science. At one point, the keynote speaker talked metaphorically about a fork in the road between “What If?” and “If Only” – the difference between embracing change and our opportunity to develop big ideas, versus putting our heads in the sand like ostriches, and then regretting we didn’t jump at these opportunities when they were first emerging. This really stuck with me, and I quickly mapped it on a Post-it note as a simple, right-facing visual map, with the two paths converging.

As I thought about these two paths over the next several days, it occurred to me that “What If?” is the path of bold exploration, of considering a wealth of futures and possibilities. It is the path of creativity, of dreaming up the Big Ideas that will help bring about a better future for ourselves and others.

The other path, “If Only,” is one of regrets, of possibilities never explored out of fear or simple inertia. It’s the path of opportunities overlooked and chances not taken. It is the way of the risk averse, of the person who has tremendous gifts and ideas, but habitually fails to utilize them – or lacks the drive and discipline needed to bring them to fruition.

Finally, I got to thinking this morning about the role of mind mapping software in this process. Among other things, it is a powerful tool for thinking about the future – for exploring what ifs and possibilities. You can use it to lay out potential future scenarios and map out their likely implications, such as:

• What if we had access to 100 times as much information as we do today?
• What if energy was so abundant, it was essentially free? What would that mean to our business?
• What if our supply chain could instantly react to changes in component availability, shipping delays and other factors beyond our control?

What is YOUR tool for thinking about the future of your career and your organization? Do you have one? I know what mine is!

It seems like the world is filled with uncertainty lately. The global economy seems to be stuck in neutral. Unemployment remains high in much of the western world. People are getting frustrated. The climate for business in many industries is starting to look slightly better, but it’s still very challenging. Customers are running scared, and are afraid to buy. Governments are enacting more regulations, which makes it harder to do business in many industries. We face bigger problems and challenges than ever before. All of this leads to a mountain of uncertainty.

What’s the antidote for uncertainty? Brainstorming, planning and action with mind mapping software. The chart above explains, in a very simple, direct way what the problem is, and what you can do about it – depicted visually, of course. Faced with complex problems, our brains have trouble coping. We can’t see the entire scope of the problem clearly. We can’t envision how to solve it. Our brains are a jumble of half-formed thoughts and ideas. In the words of time management expert David Allen, our “psychic RAM” is full. And that leads to uncertainty and inaction.

Now imagine taking that same challenge and putting all of your thoughts and ideas on screen, using mind mapping software. As soon as you do this, it frees up your brain – your mental RAM – to think more deeply and creatively about the problem at hand and potential solutions for it. Uncertainty disappears, and you quickly reach clarity about the ideas and plans you need to activate – despite all of the uncertainty that surrounds you.

So don’t be paralyzed by problems and uncertainty. Within nearly every problem lies the seed of an unseen opportunity, some element that can be turned to your advantage. You just need to be able to dig deeply enough to find it. And mind mapping software is the tool that can help you to do just that!

In this report, we’ll analyze what this mind map does well, how it could be improved – and how you can apply these lessons to your own visual maps.

This report is only accessible to Mind Mapping Insider members. Why not make a commitment to become a more effective mind mapper – which will enable you to become a better planner, problem solver and project manager? Sign up today to join the growing group of MMI members who have made the decision to be more influential and creative in their jobs.

PEST stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological. PEST analysis is an excellent forecasting tool that can help you to forecast key trends and developments in your industry or profession. Typically, the results of a PEST analysis are integrated into an organization’s strategic planning process, to help ensure that it is aligned with these forces. This planning is especially well-suited to mind mapping because it gives you a valuable “at a glance” look at the trends and forces affecting your business enviroment.

To create a PEST mind map, simply place each of the four major forces – political, economic, social and technological, each on its own first-level branch. Then, spend some time brainstorming around the mega-trends that are occurring in each area. For example, some of the predominant economic forces may include unemployment, consumer confidence, energy costs and taxation. Technological forces may include automation, shrinking product life cycles, production technology and the growth of social networking as a communication tool.

As you identify trends for each major topic, add them to your map, and explore them in depth. Next, identify which of them are likely to have the greatest impact on your business and highlight them for emphasis. Also, consider any connections between any of these forces, and use relationship lines to depict them.

Many businesses spend too little time trying to understand the forces that impact them. At best, a handful may look at the threats and get really nervous. But imagine the opportunities you could uncover using this method – the “distant early warning” signs of emerging trends that, if you capitalize upon them in their early stages, could really pay off for you in the years ahead. So why not use your mind mapping program to perform a PEST analysis on your organization today?

(This post was inspired by a description of PEST mapping in Tony Buzan’s and Chris Griffith’s new book, Mind Mapping for Business)

One of the themes that has come through loud and clear is that you want someone to deconstruct real-world mind maps, to give you greater insights into what works and what doesn’t.

Here is my first attempt to create such a report, which analyzes a personal organizer map that I found on BiggerPlate.com. In this “Effective Mind Maps” report, I will walk you through each part of the map, explain how it was created, what’s good about it and what could use some improvement.

After you read this report, please give me your feedback. I’m trying to determine if this type of report is valuable to you – and if I should go ahead and produce an entire series of reports like it.

I look forward to your feedback!

• Map your customers and identify the most promising ones for targeted sales campaigns
• Develop new products to sell
• Create a map to clearly and more completely understand the evolving or unmet needs of your customers.
• Analyze and improve your company’s business model
• Identify opportunities to reduce waste in your business – the savings go straight to the bottom line.
• Map your current market segments, and identify adjacent ones with similar needs into which you can expand your marketing and sales.
• Brainstorm the content of a white paper or information product (e-book) that will help you to dramatize your product’s or service’s unique selling proposition to potential customers.

In what other ways are you using mind mapping software to grow your business?