Looking & Seeing, Knowing & Understanding

Our mind plays very interesting tricks with us. Today I want to discuss with you things like unconscious expressions, looking but not seeing and mind maps. Just keep on reading. It may not seem to connect at first, but all will be well in the end.

Maybe you've seen the TV series "lie to me". It is based upon the works of Dr. Paul Ekman.

Dr. Ekman studied the facial expressions of people and saw that the way we express for example happiness, sadness and anger is the same all around the world. He also created the term micro expressions. These are expressions we unconsciously show for a very short period of time. You could say these express what we consciously don't want to reveal. I think it also shows what our unconscious knows/feels.

The way we unconsciously express our (true) feelings is something which fascinates me. I believe we can and need to benefit from this.

Very interesting stuff you should have a look at.

This morning I spent some time in a waiting room with some people. Next to me was a coffee machine. A lady tried to make a cup of coffee. She couldn't figure out where everything was. She couldn't find the sugar, milk and the trashcan.

Then something interesting happened. She received assistance from another lady. This lady sat a little bit further away and could oversee the entire situation. She saw where the milk and sugar were.

Out mind plays tricks with us. Oftentimes we are so busy doing what we think we are doing, that we miss important clues and information. For instance:

We often look but don't see

We say we see what is happening but we do not have the grant picture which explains what we really need to see. The result: we think we see when we only look at a small part of the picture.

We believe we understand when we only know

This is something many people do. They claim to understand what happens and what needs to be done. Yet, they only know a little and start talking too soon. Everybody has an opinion, most people don't know enough to really understand the implications.

We think we move forward while we just run around in circles

You probably saw this in the actions of many people. And they still don't understand why they are stuck in the same place all the time...

The Reason For All Of This

Most of the time, we experience the above because we assume things. We assume we see when we only look. We only know what happens instead when we want to understand what happens. We are so caught up in the moment that we don't see we are only running in circles.

Mind maps and visual overviews have been an invaluable tool for me in this. They allow me to create DISTANCE between myself and the situation. The mind map, my loyal assistant, helps me to see what the information is all about. Some people call this seeing the information from a 10,000 feet point of view.

Change The Perspective

I am (not yet) all knowing. Probably neither are you. There are so many ways of looking at a situation. All can be valid. Most of them are not effective or useful.

The same happens with mind maps people make. Sure, you can create a mind map and think you created an effective and productive overview on that topic.

But, when you take the same items of the map and move (or even shuffle) them around, you may end up with a wonderful new insight in that topic. The same pieces of information in a different perspective can change the way you look at it. A practical example of this is the judicial system. The Laws are set in stone. Yet one lawyer will find a way to have someone released from jail, while another lawyer can't get the job done.

Use this idea of creating a different perspective when you brainstorm, create a presentation, hold meetings, take notes, etc.

Your insight in the topic and information can become much more profound, interesting, powerful and productive if you allow yourself to SEE instead of LOOK and you UNDERSTAND instead of only KNOW.

My Advice:

Understand that your mind plays tricks with you
Learn to identify these tricks
Live a more conscious life
Question what you do and what others do (start small, start with yourself)
If you do that, you will see that your mind maps will start to change. They become almost dynamic overview of information. They show you the knowledge created by the information. The information starts to work for you. The mind map becomes your assistant who/which not just takes notes but offers answers.

This is the type of mind map which will help you move forward.

This is what you need to learn in order to become a profound visual thinker: A person who uses visual overviews on paper, via a computer or in your head.

Let your mind maps work for you!

Creating clarity and overview in your information will give you a clear mind. This is vital when you want to create success in your life. When you like to learn more on how you can manage yourself, your environment and how information influences you, have a look at http://MindmapsUnleashed.com