ABOUT IQ MATRIX


With the ever-increasing amount of resources and information at our fingertips, it is easy to become overwhelmed at the thought of keeping track and up to date with all the latest techniques, strategies and tools that we need in order to stay ahead of the game, on top of our emotions, and focused on areas of highest priority.

At IQ Matrix we strive to help you improve and maximize your potential through the use of a potent combination of mind mapping and life coaching principles that provide you with the guidance you need to overcome life’s toughest challenges. Now showcasing a catalog of over 400 mind map topics that can help you live life in a more optimal way.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LIFELONG LEARNING


It is a well known fact that those who are ahead of the pack — whether at school, business or in any professional career — have worked out a means of capturing, collating and organizing information that keeps them on top. These people know and understand the importance of having the ability to quickly learn, integrate and manage this overflowing amount of information every single day. They also have the wherewithal to gather feedback and immediately implement their learning’s in the real world.

If you are not one of these people, then an IQ Matrix might be exactly what you have been searching for.

THE PURPOSE OF AN IQ MATRIX


At IQ Matrix we condense and simplify self-growth topics and turn them into beautiful reference posters that you can use for daily guidance and inspiration.

On the website you can gain instant access to over 400 mind maps that explore a variety of self-growth topics to help you succeed in any field of endeavor. It’s like having an entire library of knowledge on a single sheet of paper available for easy reference at any time.

The IQ Matrix has been built upon life coaching principles that can provide you with the impetus you need to maximize your potential in key areas of your life. For more information about IQ Matrix, please download the Beginner’s Guide eBook.

This webinar was recorded for the Biggerplate Business Club. Save $10 on Annual membership using the code IQMATRIX. To find out more, visit Biggerplate Business Club.

ABOUT THE CREATOR OF IQ MATRIX


Adam Sicinski is a qualified life coach residing in Melbourne, Australia. His life coaching work is however somewhat unorthodox. It’s unique and a little different in the way that Adam uses mind maps and visual thinking principles. Over a period of 8 years, Adam has developed over 300 self-growth mind maps that he calls IQ Matrices. These maps have been used by thousands of people worldwide for life coaching and self-coaching purposes.

At the core of these developments is the MasterMind Matrix chart that helps unlock a road-map for personal achievement. Every one of the 300+ maps he has developed over the years has been seamlessly integrated into this massive visual chart.

Please keep reading below to find out more information about Adam and how the IQ Matrix concept came about. You can also listen to an Interview Adam did for the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast where he discusses how he got started with mind mapping and the numerous challenges he faced along the way.

AN UNEXPECTED MIND MAPPING JOURNEY

The following is a transcript from an interview Adam did with the editor of Using Mind Maps Magazine.


Can you tell me how you first got started with mind mapping?

It kind of all began for me in high school while I was undertaking my VCE studies in Melbourne, Australia. I wasn’t one of the most gifted or talented students, however, I had an insatiable curiosity and appetite to discover what it was that separated the brightest and most intelligent students from the rest.

I simply couldn’t understand how my efforts at school simply weren’t paying off. I was literally studying around the clock, being very attentive during class and I was passionate and motivated to learn and know more, but for some reason, I was getting poor results. It wasn’t until a couple of years later while at University that I finally figured out where I was going wrong.

The realization that dawned upon me was that students who struggle are not really very different than the students at the top of their class. They put in the same amount of time — if not more time — into their studies and they are certainly attentive and motivated to learn and develop themselves. So there was definitely a missing ingredient here.

While browsing the university library I came across a book about mind mapping written by Tony Buzan. This book opened my eyes to the possibilities. It helped me to get a better understanding of how to think flexibly and how to approach my studies more effectively.

From that point on I began using mind maps as a learning tool while undertaking a psychology and later a business degree at university. Back then the concept of making a living using mind maps never crossed my mind; nevertheless I was consistently experimenting with new strategies and techniques that could potentially cut down my study time and accelerate my learning ability.

I progressively incorporated these mind mapping principles into my study regime and discovered that they helped enhance my understanding of the material I was learning. My marks immediately improved and for the first time in my life I was able to recall the information I was learning quite effortlessly.

My research into mind mapping soon led me to other accelerated learning programs, techniques, books and courses. What I discovered was that there are two things that separate the smartest students from the rest. These two things come down to the questions they consistently asked themselves while solving problems, and the techniques they use that helped them remember and recall the information they were learning.

From that point onward, I started asking better questions, and I also began to make use of mind maps in ever increasing ways to help with memory and recall of information. Mind maps also became the primary tool I used to help me organize ideas and manage the information I was learning.


At this time did you draw mind maps on paper or did you use mind mapping software?

While at university I drew all my mind maps on paper. This wasn’t the most convenient way of creating mind maps, however it was all I knew at the time. There I was sitting in the lecture theatre, and all of a sudden I would pull out large A3 sheets of paper and some colored pens. And then as I listened to the lecturer I would mind map the content.

This curious approach to organizing information — as you might imagine — made me quite popular among my peers. I was viewed by some as a creative thinker, and by others as some crazy wacko who likes to write words and draw pictures within “spider web” type diagrams. Many people at the time really had no clue what mind mapping was about.

Although it wasn’t long before I came across MindManager. I immediately fell in love with the software because it just made mind mapping so much easier and more effective. It literally opened up a world of new possibilities that eventually led to the creation of the IQ Matrix concept.


Before we discuss more about IQ Matrix, did you use mind mapping in other areas of your life?

Ever since my university days I had been searching for answers that would help me achieve my life’s objectives, attain my financial goals, and develop my full potential. Over this period I spent tens of thousands of dollars engrossing myself in self-help books, listening to audio programs, purchasing home study courses, attending those big “once in a lifetime” live events, seminars and workshops that helped expand my knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of human behavior. I was in some people’s eyes addicted to personal development.

The knowledge I was acquiring was absolutely incredible, however the problem was that I became an “information junkie”, where I would literally collect all this great information that would help me succeed in probably any field of endeavor, however I didn’t act on what I knew because there was just too much information to work through.

I spent quite a number of years literally “sitting” in this phase of my life collecting, categorizing, and organizing everything I was learning into a personal development diary of sorts that I hoped to use one day to turn my dreams into reality. However, I had so many notes, and the whole process was just absolutely overwhelming.

It wasn’t until I started organizing all my notes into mind maps using MindManager that I found my feet again. I no longer collected pages and pages of notes. Instead, I was organizing mind maps around key themes and topics that suddenly made much more sense. Using mind maps in this way helped me to discover connections and make associations between various personal development topics that just weren’t evident before. Based on these connections I started to make more sense of my world, and as a result, I began to take positive action toward my goals and objectives. And of course one of those goals was to gain a life coaching qualification.


Life coaching seems very much intertwined with the work you had been doing up to this stage. Can you tell me a little more about life coaching and how you used mind maps for coaching purposes?

Yes, sure. Let me give you a little background just to set the scene for how I work with clients.

I obtained my life coaching qualifications in 2005 from the Life Coaching Institute of Australia. The course was wonderful and I learned a great deal about myself, about the coaching business and about how to work with clients. However, the moment I stepped into the industry and started coaching clients for “real” I quickly realized that I was missing something.

What I was missing was a framework for coaching my clients. In other words, I had very little idea of what I needed to do and how I needed to conduct my coaching sessions. And of course this became a major hindrance in the growth of my business.

I often spent a great deal of my time networking in an attempt to find quality life coaching clients, however after their first complimentary session many of them were very reluctant to come back for a paid follow-up session. I often wondered what I was doing wrong. Was I not asking the right kinds of questions? Was I not responding to their deepest wants and needs? What was I doing specifically that was scaring these people away?

Over time, what I realized was that it wasn’t so much something I was doing, but rather something I wasn’t doing, or in other words, something I was lacking.

My life coaching sessions had no structure or framework I could use for guidance. As a result I felt as though I was “drawing at straws”. Every life coaching session I would try to meet my client’s needs, however because I was so new to the coaching industry I simply didn’t yet have the necessary experience to adapt to the changing conditions and circumstances that all my client’s faced. And this is what ultimately let me down.

As a result of my frustrations I took a break from life coaching for about 18 months and dabbled in another business, which thankfully didn’t quite work out. However, over this period of time I had a chance to reflect on my coaching business and the mistakes I had made.

What I realized was that I needed more structure and maybe even a framework for coaching that would help guide me throughout each one of my coaching sessions. I of course now had all these wonderful electronic mind maps I produced over the years using MindManager. However, they weren’t quite as refined as I would have liked them to be. I guess they weren’t refined enough for me to make use of them for coaching purposes. I needed to develop a framework for coaching, and fast. And to do this I needed to restructure these MindManager maps in a way that would make them more usable and practical.

At first I found it extremely difficult to piece this framework together. I had good knowledge, but a lack of experience as a coach was still hurting me. And what I needed to do was intertwine the knowledge I already possessed with the practical experience of a life coach. That’s the only way these maps would be of most value. And so I jumped into the deep end and just started doing more coaching so that I could gain more practical experience and refine these maps.

Over time, as I coached more clients and picked the brains of other life coaches who had been in the industry for many years, all the pieces started to fall into place. Then eventually the time and effort I put into the framework started paying off. I was now at a point where I had produced about 50 maps that I could use as a basis to coach clients. Yes, these maps were still in MindManager format, however that would soon change.


Can you tell me about how you progressed from life coaching to the development of the IQ Matrix concept?

Yes, of course. This is actually a point in my life where two paths kind of merged into one — giving me the inspiration I needed to develop the IQ Matrix concept.

The first path along this journey stems back to my life coaching work. While coaching my clients, I was literally living through their life experiences each and every day. I, of course, had my own personal concerns and problems however I was also engrossed in my clients’ concerns and problems. And what I realized at the time was that my clients were missing something — something that would help them “help me” to coach them more effectively.

Most of my clients had read many self-help books, listened to audio programs and attended seminars and workshops, however they still didn’t have the required confidence or self-belief to overcome their life’s challenges by themselves. Yes, they already had all the necessary knowledge and resources within to achieve their goals, however what they were missing was a framework for living — a kind of step-by-step plan of action that would get them the results they were after.

Without this framework they were emotionally paralyzed, overwhelmed and couldn’t take action on what they already knew, which is why they turned to a life coach for answers.

Discussing this at length with some of my clients I realized that what they needed was something tangible they could use and reference daily that would help guide them through their life’s challenges. They essentially needed a framework that would help them manage life’s biggest problems.

At this time, I of course had a framework for coaching. This framework came in the form of about 50 MindManager maps that I used for reference. However, this was for my purposes, and not something that I could confidently share with my clients. I needed something else. I needed something more simple, practical and visually enticing. What I figured I needed was to provide my clients with an overview of a specific topic or area of self-growth that they were struggling with within an eye-catching reference poster that was simple and practical. However, I couldn’t do that using MindManager or any other mind mapping software.

At the time I thought to myself: what if all my coaching clients had access to eye-catching visual maps that they could use as reference tools before, during and after a coaching session? Would that help me help them more readily? Or could it even help them to “help me” to better understand them, their concerns, issues and problems more effectively? Of course, it could… I mean it was certainly worth a try. I could, for instance, have a poster about overcoming procrastination. I could hand this poster out to my clients and we could potentially work through it together during our session. They could then take it home with them and reference it in between our sessions in order to keep the most important ideas about how to overcome procrastination at the forefront of their mind. It could potentially work, I thought to myself.

While I was trying to figure all this stuff out, one of my entrepreneurial friends saw a MindManager map I had created for my coaching business. He absolutely loved the map and asked me if I could possibly create more of these maps for his customer base. His customer base was high school students who were looking for effective study materials to help them prepare for their examinations. What he needed was for me to summarize English Literature texts in a mind map format that he wanted to turn into a poster that students would hang on their walls for easy reference.

I reluctantly agreed to put something together for him. I was reluctant because I had no idea how to create these maps. MindManager was fantastic as a personal mind mapping tool, however I wasn’t so sure I could create maps with enough visual appeal that would entice students and their parents to purchase them. I needed something else that provided me with more flexibility and allowed for creative design.

It took me a couple of weeks of research and testing, however I eventually came across a piece of software that was easy enough to use and that allowed me to create visually appealing maps. I used the software to create the very first Study Map (this is what my friend called them). This Study Map summarized the text “The Wife of Martin Guerre” written by Janet Lewis. To my relief he loved the map and immediately contracted me to create about 20 more maps that first year. I followed through with the work, and to my surprise within a few short weeks he was selling these maps through schools around Australia. This was amazing! I personally thought the maps were really good, but I didn’t think that others would find them of value as well. So it was a big surprise for me.

It is now 2014, and I started producing these Study Maps back in 2007. I’ve been producing them every year for TSSM (tssm.com.au) and the company keeps selling them, and so I keep producing new maps on an annual basis.

This is now the point where the two roads kind of merged into one. The success of these Study Maps gave me the confidence I needed to create my own maps that I could hand out as reference tools for my clients. And so the foundational building blocks of IQ Matrix started to come together.

After producing a few maps, I realized how powerful they were. I even started using them myself as a reference tool. The maps helped keep the main concepts and ideas about certain topics at the forefront of my mind all day long. I therefore had a framework for overcoming procrastination, eliminating fearbeating overwhelm, and so much more. It just couldn’t be any easier. Yes, of course I still had my MindManager maps, but these new maps were just so much more visually appealing. I just felt inspired reading them. However, it was mainly because my clients found them of great value that I saw potential in creating more of these maps.

I now no longer just wanted to use these maps for coaching just my own clients. I instead wanted to share these maps with other coaches and people who might want to use them to improve their own life. I figured that the best way to share this concept would be online. I therefore, launched a website (original name studymatrixart.com) and posted these maps on the web in late 2008. However, it wasn’t until about a year later when I changed the name to IQ Matrix and launched IQmatrix.com that I started to take this business more seriously.


What makes your IQ Matrix maps different or unique when compared to the standard form of mind mapping?

Before getting into that, I would just like to mention the huge influence that Tony Buzan has had on me and the development of the IQ Matrix concept. Without his influence, I would probably be scribbling words in a notebook instead of designing mind maps. His methods of mind mapping have been of incredible value and I’m just eternally grateful for the wide body of work he has produced over the years that has given me so many points of reference and guidance.

I guess what’s different about IQ Matrix maps when compared to the standard form of mind mapping introduced by Tony Buzan is that my maps use a sentence style structure that makes them read very much like a book. Yes, there are keywords used throughout the map, however, I also use phrases, short sentences and questions to explore ideas, topics and key themes. And this structure works well for the purpose that these maps are designed for.

The structure of each IQ Matrix makes the maps easy to read and understand because the process isn’t much different than when reading an article for instance. It’s of course much more visual, and the fact that you can make associations and get an overview of how each topic is interconnected, is obviously very helpful. Also the use of images makes a lasting impact on the brain.

Each IQ Matrix is in some ways a reflection of how I go about thinking through a certain topic. Whether this way of thinking also works for others or not is obviously the big question. I do however think that the principles presented within each one of these maps are very universal and make a lot of common sense.

It’s important to mention that some people will find it helpful doing something one way over another way, while others will find value in something completely different. Therefore there is no right or wrong when it comes to personal development. Likewise, there is no right or wrong when it comes to developing mind maps. Tony Buzan’s style of mind mapping forms the foundation of all mind maps. He is the father of mind mapping and his process of mind map creation is ideal for a majority of people. The IQ Matrix process of mind mapping is a little different, but it’s still built on the same principles and foundations. And we all have Tony Buzan to thank for that.


I would just like to quickly ask you about the MasterMind Matrix. It’s my understanding that this is a large chart that you put together over several years that kind of pieces together all the individual IQ Matrix maps. Can you tell me more about this chart and how it was developed?

The MasterMind Matrix chart essentially reveals my personal understanding of how our perspective of reality shapes our daily decisions, behaviors and actions. It does as you say piece together just about all the individual IQ Matrix maps into one massive chart that explores the psychology of achievement.

The development of this chart was a very long process that takes me back to the years when I was feeling very insecure about myself; a time when I had many fears, broken dreams and the like. In fact, this takes me back to a time when I was an “information junkie”. I wanted life to get better, and I felt that I needed to fill that void by collecting as much information about my problems as possible. In short, I was looking for answers. However, I was nothing more than an “information collector”.

Taking action on what I was learning was just not part of my psychology. I just wanted to collect, organize and gain as much knowledge about everything that pertained to the psychology of success as was humanly possible; so that one day I could achieve my goals. I figured that if I knew everything that there was to know, that I would eventually one day act on that knowledge.

As previously mentioned, I would religiously take notes about everything I learned and came across. I kept a diary about my daily interactions with others. I even studied television shows and took notes about people’s psychological tendencies and how they interacted with the world around them. Reality television shows and documentaries brought forth some of the greatest insights. They allowed me to see people in a “real world” environment, — well… sort of — dealing with the challenges and pitfalls that life threw their way.

I also applied the same observations in the real world while interacting with others. However, as you can imagine it was a little more difficult to take notes while conversing with another person. I couldn’t politely, in the middle of a conversation press the PAUSE button and say; “Could you just hold on a second? I want to note down your facial expression…”

It was around this time that I decided to become a life coach. My studies at the Life Coaching Institute of Australia gave me practical experience and confidence to begin applying what I was learning, and putting that knowledge into action for the first time in my life.

The development of the MasterMind Matrix began — in my head — as I was undertaking my studies at the Life Coaching Institute. What I learned at the Institute was extraordinary, there were, however, many gaps within this knowledge-base and also many gaps within the information I had collected over the years. This often left me feeling very frustrated trying to figure out how all the pieces of our psychological puzzle fit together. What I was looking for was a diagram of some kind that would piece everything together in a structured way.

One night in 2006, I was sitting on my computer at home, and decided to try my luck creating a simple diagram that pieced a few key components of this information together. The original chart was composed of only 30 to 40 pieces (the bottom image shows version 0.5), however, it presented me with a starting point and gave me something to work with.

I would spend the next 12 months — mainly evenings, nights and the very early hours of the morning — plowing through my notes and piecing the MasterMind Matrix together step-by-step. I had all these questions I needed answered about the psychology of being human, and it was just so frustrating not knowing everything; not knowing why I was stuck; why I lacked motivation; why I sabotaged myself; why I felt inadequate and incapable at times, why… why… why? I was so exhausted.

So as I continued to expand the MasterMind Matrix, I came to the realization that many pieces were still missing. I, therefore, undertook further research, read more books, listened to just about every self-help program I could get my hands on to ensure that no stone would remain unturned.

I instinctively believed that the information these self-help Gurus were sharing with me could be compressed into an easy to understand format that would effectively lay down the building blocks for high levels of achievement in any field of endeavor.

By early 2007 the MasterMind Matrix had literally grown out of control and became a dominating part on my bedroom wall — presented in A4 sized chunks that were stuck together with pieces of tape.

I posted the MasterMind Matrix right on the wall beside my bed so that it would always be at the forefront of my mind as I went to sleep at night and then woke up the very next morning. The chart was still rather rough around the edges, however, the main pieces were certainly in place.

Over a period of two years — moving through to 2009 — I updated the chart with new snippets of information from books, NLP courses, personal experience and through working with life coaching clients. Every piece of new knowledge I acquired seemed to fit seamlessly into the chart, and so it kept growing and expanding — sometimes in very surprising ways.

Over this period of time, many of the individual IQ Matrix maps available through the website have evolved from segments of the MasterMind Matrix chart. And as a result of this, the MasterMind Matrix has probably become the most valuable tool because it gives me a big picture overview of the psychology of human achievement and provides me with insights about why I do the things I do each and every day. And then on the flipside, you have the individual IQ Matrix maps that provide even deeper insights into segments of the MasterMind Matrix. It’s kind of like a balancing act, where these elements work together to help explore the world of personal development and the psychology of achievement.

The MasterMind Matrix has now been evolving over many years. I don’t think it’s yet finished, and I don’t think it will ever be completely done. Let’s just call it a work in progress.

MasterMind Matrix 4.0

I often look back at the MasterMind Matrix and wonder how it all came together. The answer I get is one very small frustrating piece at a time.


Can you tell me how you go about using IQ Matrix maps in your own life for overcoming problems, emotional blocks, fears, etc.? Is there something specific you do with them?

Yes, sure. I think the biggest thing for me when it comes to these maps is that there are many ways to use them. Everyone seems to have their own way of referencing the maps that works best for them in terms of what they are trying to accomplish.

For me personally, I use the maps as a reference tool. Say for instance I would like to overcome the fear of making mistakes. I would first spend some time reading over this map. But it’s more than just reading. I would read, and then I would stop and reflect on key areas of the map to get a sense of what those “key ideas” mean to me and to my life. I think this is really where the maps shine because the meaning I get from the map will probably be very different to the meaning you might get from the map. And this is a good thing, because what’s relevant to my life may not be relevant for your life. Therefore reading through each map helps me gain unique perspectives and insights that are relevant for me.

Because the maps use keywords that are chunked into groups of ideas, it’s easy to gather unique insights about a topic, and it’s these insights that become the foundations of your thought process.

So I would read and reflect upon the content of the map and ask myself questions about how this may be relevant to my life, and how I might be able to use this information to help me overcome the fear of making mistakes.

Having now gone through the entire map, I jot down some notes. Within these notes I list down the main things I will now focus on over the coming days and weeks that will help me to overcome my fear or making mistakes. I then grab these main takeaways and add them to a habit tracking app I have installed on my phone.

So what I’m doing is creating a set of habits that I must now focus on over the coming days and weeks. The great thing about this app is that you can set it up so that it reminds you about the habits that you need to focus on each day. And there are many apps that do this. Simply search for “habit tracker” app within the app store or on Google Play. Once installed use the app as an accompanying tool for the maps. The maps provide you with a “big picture” overview of the topic where you see how things are interconnected and associated together, while the app allows you to focus-in on specific things that you must give your attention to throughout the day to ensure that you establish the appropriate habits that will help you achieve your ultimate goal. And that’s essentially how you move from knowledge to action to results.

This is certainly not a process where someone holds you by the hand and leads you to the Promised Land. This is all about taking initiative and taking full responsibility for making positive changes to your life. Therefore if while reading through a map something isn’t quite clear, then it’s important to do some more research about that part of the topic, or to visit the IQ Matrix Blog where I provide detailed summaries of the maps. For some people the summaries will be of great value, while for others… well they will prefer to just use the maps by themselves and make their own interpretations. And I guess that’s the great thing about them.


Can you tell me how you go about using IQ Matrix maps in your own life for overcoming problems, emotional blocks, fears, etc.? Is there something specific you do with them?

Yes, there are over 30 free IQ Matrix maps available for download from the IQ Matrix website. There is no registration required, and your readers can download them all there on one page. Popular topics include how to overcome obstacles, how to eliminate fear, how to eliminate self-sabotage, how to develop resilient willpower, how to avoid making excuses, how to think big, and many more self-growth topics can be downloaded in pdf format.

NOTE: These maps are no longer available. You can, however, access 90+ Visual Tools, Mind Maps and Resources when you register to become an IQ Matrix Member.


So what’s next for Adam Sicinski? Are you going to continue expanding IQ Matrix in the coming years? Are there any related projects on the agenda?

Yes of course. I’m certainly committed to expanding and growing the number of self-growth maps available through the IQ Matrix website in the months and years ahead. As long as there are topics to be mapped and I’m able to keep creating them, then I will certainly continue along this path. I feel like I have a duty to my Infinity Members to churn out at least a couple of new IQ Matrix maps every month.

And as for other paths… well I’ve been dabbling in the art of visual thinking that has been heavily influenced by incredible teachers such as Dan Roam, Christina Merkley, Sunni Brown, Mike Rohde, Dave Gray and others.

A few years ago I launched an experimental website called Visual Thinking Magic (as of 2018 it now redirects to IQ Doodle School). The website explores how to use the process of visual thinking to overcome any problem; to think creatively and critically, and to make better decisions. This is all very closely intertwined with IQ Matrix; therefore, I am covering similar areas, but presenting them in a very different way using a myriad of visual thinking approaches.

This path through the world of visual thinking is progressively becoming a major area of focus for me. I plan to launch another visual thinking website shortly (IQ Doodle) and I hope to explore the intricacies of this field in yet another way that I hope can be of value to others. But it’s still in its early stages and certainly a work in progress.


VISUAL THINKING SKILLS FOR DEVELOPING YOUR CREATIVITY

This is an introductory webinar I conducted about visual thinking and how it may be used for self-growth purposes. Please do bear in mind that the visuals are several seconds ahead of the audio. I apologize that they are not in-sync.



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