A few months ago, I started working with Adam Sicinski’s amazing mind map diagram called the “MasterMind Matrix.” I’d like to tell you a little about it, since I think it is a very interesting and useful self-coaching tool.
At first glance, I felt that Adam’s work was impressive – this is one of the largest and most comprehensive mindmaps I have ever seen. You see, Adam is a Life Coach, but is also a guru/student of self development. He set out to find a way to allow himself and others to answer questions like:
• How do my emotions interact with my beliefs, values and other building blocks of my personality?
• What influence do other people have over the development of my personality?
• How does my Brain interpret what I do? And how does it consequently influence my future decisions & actions?
• How do each one of my choices and decisions influence all other aspects of my personality and life?
• How do I know if I am on track moving towards fulfillment, or off-track moving towards disappointment?
The result is a terrific tool that helps you drill down on various challenges and strengths so you can improve your performance and break through bottlenecks by better understanding how your strengths, blind spots, and emotional tendencies interact. It’s tough to describe without experiencing it yourself, but I found the process to be very intriguing and invigorating.
You can get a PDF version of the file (that’s what I’m using), or you can order a wall poster. I am thinking about going for the wall poster, since I can’t interact with the PDF as easily on the screen (though I’m glad I have the PDF for use on the road).
If you want a taste of what this tool is like, you can download the accompanying MasterMind Matrix mind map for free. This is kind of like an index that can guide you to the right places on the bigger map.
I recommend you read Adam’s “Journey through the MasterMind Matrix” for his perpective on this tool.
You can find out even more about the matrix at the IQMatrix site, or get your own copy at the IQMatrix Shop.
Read MoreSeveral months ago, I wrote about the top 3 things that I felt were missing from the iPhone. This week, version 3 of the iPhone OS was released and I’m using it now. I don’t have the new iPhone 3Gs hardware – I’m running on the “old” iPhone 3G hardware, but since that’s the bulk of the installed base right now I figured it might be useful to share my findings here.
| Gripe | Status |
| I couldn’t cut & paste. | Fixed – and it works very well in iPhone OS v3. |
| I couldn’t invite others to appointments (i.e. initiate meeting requests). | Fixed – it works fairly well. Would like to be able to check the availability of other attendees, but at least I can invite people to meetings. |
| I couldn’t attach / forward contact information to others. | Fixed – it is now possible to “Share” contact, which opens an email and attaches the contact as a .vcf file, which is fairly standard. |
The v3 OS update is free for iPhone owners (iPod Touch owners must pay $10 for some reason) so it should be an automatic for you if you have an iPhone.
Killerest feature
The “killerest” new feature (my opinion) is “Spotlight Search,” which provides the ability to search for things on the device. It was very painful to find things in old emails before – it was all manual and time-consuming. Now you can search for items, messages, songs, appointments, etc. and find them in a jiffy. The only limitation I’ve found is in searching email folders other than your inbox: if you haven’t opened the folder on your iPhone, or you haven’t opened it in a while, you won’t find recent emails in the search – you’ll have to open the folder so it will sync.
To make this slightly easier, each folder now has a Search field at the top of the folder so you can easily find things within that particular folder.
…And the rest(ish)
Some other improvements I’ve noticed in this version (not a complete list – there are even more):
- Support for stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) so you can use wireless headphones
- You can now sync Notes between Outlook and the iPhone (not wirelessly – only when you dock with iTunes)
- Better rendering of HTML in the browser
- Addition of a Voice Memo application (ideal for those “notes to self”, though I still prefer Jott)
- Better support for clicking on links, phone numbers, etc. in appointments if you’re syncing with Microsoft Exchange (though for some reason, you can’t click on any of these if they are in the subject of the appointment – only in the body, and only if they aren’t inside an attachment)
- This capability, along with cut & paste (which also won’t work in the subject line for some reason) will save a lot of idiotic instances of needing to write down meeting phone numbers and passcodes
- This also means you can put addresses inside the notes part of a meeting, click on the address, and it will automagically look up the address in Google Maps – again, don’t put it in the location field because it won’t be clickable there – put it in the notes
- The podcast controls, which I mentioned in my last post
- Lots of cosmetic/usability improvements in the recent calls, favorites, and other phone-related lists
- The ability to rent movies from your iPhone
- Better support for seamless password storage when using WiFi networks that require account names & passwords
- Support for saved passwords and autocomplete on web forms
- Improved VPN support
That’s my list off the top of my head, and I know I’m forgetting a few things. If you’re lucky enough to be able to get an iPhone 3Gs (the new hardware) you’ll get all of that plus a compass, faster processor, and the ability to film and edit movies on the phone (and you get a higher-res camera).
Hope that helps update you on the iPhone.
If you don’t care about iPhones: this isn’t an iPhone fanboy site but I will post something about them from time to time, particularly around big releases.
Read MoreI'll be comparing my top 5 "missing features" to what's shown up in the iPhone update soon, but wanted to share a pleasant surprise from today's update: more podcast controls!
With the new update, you can email a link, speed up / slow down playback (1x, 1/2x, or 2x), and skip back 30 seconds. Very handy - and may even make the update worth 10 buck for iPod Touch owners who listen to lots of podcasts. Stay tuned for more (and yes, cut & paste works great). -- Post From My iPhone
Read MoreI was just reading Kare Anderson’s thought-provoking post on daily affirmations, where she discusses some research that indicates that positive affirmations aren’t as powerful as we’ve been led to believe.
We’ve all heard the “positive self talk” pitch before – repeat the affirmations, become more like them. (“…I’m good enough, and smart enough. And doggone it, people like me.”)
Turns out, the conventional wisdom around affirmations may not be entirely accurate (read Kare’s post for more).
I thought about that one for a while. Why don’t these affirmations work that well? What works better? I’m no expert but I do have some thoughts on this.
- Maybe the affirmations can create too much dissonance inside us. In other words, even though we say the right things, perhaps some part of us (and even deeper inner voice) remains skeptical. Could be.
- Maybe some affirmations work better because the don’t define us, they merely inspire us. For example, maybe we’re more apt to believe an “I can do this.” kind of affirmation before we believe an “I’m a good person.” affirmation. There is a subtle difference – one encourages us to succeed, while the other places more of a subjective label on us.
Perhaps this is why setting bold goals works for so many of us: we are more likely to be inspired and motivated to do something than we are to be something.
What do you think? How well do affirmations work for you, and what works best in getting you through challenges and tough times?
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The last week has been busy and very inspiring. I spent 4 days at a "boot camp" kind of training, in which I had the opportunity to do some formal & informal benchmarking with other organizations on a variety of topics.
I'd like to share one particular aspect with you, which I gleaned from a company that has really "nailed it" in terms of how to make your job your own, and enable you to market your value to your organization.
In this organization, there are 7 core principles they use as guideposts:
- Don't allow for any ambiguity.
- Distill your work down to simple objectives.
- Manage your time against those objectives.
- Know precisely what success looks like.
- Understand manager and peer expectations.
- Systematically review how you are doing.
- Publish your progress.
I think these are right on the money, and worthy of taking to heart.
What do you think? Anything to add to the list?
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