Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life

I loved the book. I'm retiring, albeit reluctantly, from the work that I have loved doing for 40 years. This book comes at the right time for me since I have been struggling with what I can do with my time for this stage of my life other than be a greeter at Wal-Mart. I took Sir Ken's advice and began to take stock of my aptitudes and interests. At various times in my life, I have dabbled in cooking and art with some degree of success and I plan to pursue these interests now and after retirement. Having a passion in life, according to Sir Ken, feeds your spirit and ultimately this is what makes living an adventure. I love his sense of humor (for a first hand experience of a genuinely funny and entertaining talk, see Ken Robinson on the TED website ), his wonderful and realistic way of viewing the world, and sage advice on how to live a fulfilling life regardless of your circumstances. the real life examples were inspiring and thought provoking. This is one book that I will pass along to friends and family looking how to experience life to the fullest.

Where do I begin! Inspiring. Probative. Gnawing at your possibly "less than you had hoped for" life. Sir Ken shares the process to releasing the joyful life that you are meant to live. Without the "if only", "I'm too old" "I could never" "my parents would be disappointed" restraints, you will learn step by step how to make your tomorrow reveal the unique you. As a nearly seventy year old, I reflected with each question Sir Ken encouraged one to ponder, "Am I enduring my life?" "If so, let's begin to turn that around." This book will empower the reader to step out of the conformities that have become entrenched in our educational institutions of learning. I was an instructor of mathematics, music and physical education for forty plus years. As I was reading and rereading Sir Ken's thoughts, I imagined every educator implementing even one or two of them throughout her/his lessons. From the first page to the last, you will travel a journey of personal enlightenment. If you are one of the precious few who has been true to herself living the life of joyous fulfillment, you will celebrate your uniqueness with each page you turn. And, then, give this book to those you know and love who may be struggling with "where do I go from here?" This book is a gift every person must give her/him self, most especially if you are a professional educator.

I stumbled on to the books of Ken Robinson in the way that thousands of others probably have: through his wildly popular TED Talks. His easy-going speaking style and gentle sense of humor serve the topic of self-discovery particularly well. In Finding Your Element, you'll find a writing style that closely matches what you may have seen while watching those videos. Robinson has a genuine interest in sharing the wisdom of self-knowledge that shines through. Happily, this is not some airy-fairy self-help book that promises you that anything can be yours through the power of positive thinking or "communicating with the spirit of the universe" or similar new age fluff. Rather, this is a book about stimulating you to think about some very serious questions. What are you doing with your life? How do you feel about it? Would you rather be doing something else? What would that something else be? And, importantly, if you did do that thing, what would the consequences be? Most people believe that everyone has something that they're good at and many people dream of pursuing that thing as a way of making a living (or just living, period). Robinson provides a combined survey of world wisdom on this topic along with a series of helpful exercises that serve as mental "looseners" to get you in touch with what your personal thing is. Even if you already think you know what that thing is, these exercises are worth at least considering even if you decide not to follow them to the letter. So, if you're thinking hard about choices that you've made and regrets you might have about them, don't worry. You're in good company. There are lots of folks out there who are in the same boat with you. Ken Robinson's out to convince you that it's never too late. There's always time to make a big course correction...if you're willing to accept the consequences. Even if you're thinking about a small adjustment in your life that gets you closer to your passions in life, give this book a try. Think of it as an investment in your own well being.

While I had an inkling that I might have found my element already - I've been teaching high school math for 17 years and am still excited, proud and trying new things, love the kids and the subject - I wanted to read it after having heard Ken Robinson on a TedTalk. He is a very insightful, bright man. This book is well written, easy to read, and if you are open to it, helps you take a deep look at your inner self - your fears, your likes/dislikes, etc. - in an effort to help you find happiness. There are some exercises that he has you do to help guide you in the process. I didn't do any of them because I was reading the book out of curiosity.

I found this interesting, but perhaps not quite as "life altering" as I would have liked. There are some very good ideas expressed here, but there is also a lot of reader "exercises" to be completed and other external links, books, and articles to read. That's great, but I was hoping that this book might be a bit more prescriptive. I guess it could just be that making a journey to "find your element" is not something that you can do in a book; perhaps it takes a career/life coach also, or even a small "course". Bottom line: It's okay, but not sufficient to actually steer you to "finding your element".

Everybody should have the lucky to encounter this book sooner or later during his personal life's path. Some wonderful british humour, it enlightens the tough topics. Only the stature of Ken Robimson could stand such a difficult task - finding its own element - in this womderful way.

Lo elegí porque me encuentro en una etapa importante de mi vida en la que debo tomar decisiones con grandes consecuencias para mi futuro próximo. Lo recomiendo porque pone sobre la mesa muchas evidencias, que por serlo, son constantemente apartadas de la vista y por tanto no son tenidas en cuenta en nuestra vida cotidiana.

I have read an earlier version of this and highly recommend it. The author has credibility and great insight, such things ought to be incorporated in business school for HR education and in teacher training. I was a teacher and on reflection I found his observations and insights accurate and highly significant.

“Being in your own Element is like that. It’s about doing something that feels so completely natural to you, that resonates so strongly with you, that you feel that this is who you really are.” “The quest for your Element is really a two-​way journey. It is an inward journey to explore what lies within you; it is an outward journey to explore opportunities in the world around you.” “Although no one else has lived your life before, there are signposts from many others who set out before you that can guide your way.” “I did it because I’ve always believed that you have to move toward your fears and not away from them. If you don’t exorcise them, they can haunt you long after they should have faded.” “Being in your Element gives you energy. Not being in it takes it from you.” “You only know the outer world through your inner world. You perceive it through your physical senses and you make sense of it through the ideas, values, feelings and attitudes that make up your worldview. To find your Element, you have to explore both of these worlds. You need to fathom your own talents and passions and you need to look creatively at opportunities in the world around you to fulfill them.” “To find your Element you have to get to know yourself better. You have to spend time with yourself, apart from other people’s opinions of you. For many of us, this is easier said than done.” “Like everyone else, you are bound to be affected by how other people see you and by how you want to be seen by them—by what they want for you and what they expect from you.” “You’ve probably found in your own life that some things you do come easily to you and others do not. We’re all the same in this respect. There are activities and processes that we’re naturally good at and others that we struggle with.” “There is a difference between aptitudes and abilities. Aptitudes are part of your raw potential. To realize that potential, you need to apply and refine them. For example, human beings have a natural aptitude for language. But learning to speak is a cultural process that depends on being exposed to other speakers, especially in infancy. Abilities often require a considerable amount of education and apprenticeship to develop.” “This is true of your own life. If you open yourself to new experiences, the odds improve exponentially of one of those experiences changing your world in a profoundly positive way.” “I discovered that self-esteem was a critical factor in the career assessment and planning equation. People rise to the level of success that their self-esteem can absorb. Those with low self-esteem don’t feel worthy of the rewards that come with success, however they define it.” “Few of us need to deal with as many obstacles to get to our passions as Noppadol did. Yet we sometimes face a different kind of blindness. We don’t see what we’re capable of because we don’t see our own possibilities. You may assume falsely that certain paths are closed to you or you may not know where to look for them. Either way, you may be missing ways to be in your Element.” “All cultures smile or frown upon different particular activities and lifestyles. What’s accepted in one may be beyond the pale in another. Finding your Element may bring you up against these conventions.” “Often when people have a disability, it’s the disability that other people see rather than all the other abilities that coexist with their particular difficulty. It’s why we talk about people being “disabled” rather than “having a disability.” One of the reasons that people are branded by their disability is that the dominant conception of ability is so narrow. But the limitations of this conception affect everyone in education, not just those with “special needs.” These days, anyone whose real strengths lie outside the restricted field of academic work can find being at school a dispiriting experience and emerge from it wondering if they have any significant aptitudes at all.” “The key to making the most of your capacities is celebrating how you learn and using that learning style to explore as many interests as possible. Once you accept that how you know things is a critical component of what you know, you’re free to apply this to as many disciplines as suits your fancy.” “To find your Element you may have to challenge your own beliefs about yourself. Whatever age you are, you’ve almost certainly developed an inner story about what you can do and what you can’t do; what you’re good at and what you’re not good at. You may be right, of course. But for all the reasons we’ve discussed, you may be misleading yourself. Part of making sense of where you are now is to understand how you got here.” “Our everyday metaphors express this sense of connection with other people’s spirits. We talk about being on the same “wavelength” with someone. Your energy may resonate so beautifully with them that you finish each other’s sentences. Conversely, you may be so “out of tune” with someone that you misinterpret everything you say to each other. This feeling of connection or lack of connection with others is at the heart of being human and of being with and not just in the world around us.” “The aim is to go beyond the daily chatter of your mind, and the endless agenda of tasks and anxieties that often drive it, to a deeper sense of your own being and purpose.” “Ultimately, the two most important questions to ask yourself in the search for your passion are: what do you love, and what do you love about it?” “often our images of what will make us happy are illusions, not visions.” “One of the most important things you can do as you try to find your Element is to pay careful attention to your emotional states. Is there something you do that consistently elevates your spirits? When do you experience stretches of real joy?” “He identifies three different elements of happiness: positive emotions, engagement and meaning.” “We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways,” Frankl wrote: “(1) by creating a work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; and (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.” “TO BE IN your Element you have to be willing to do what it takes. Finding your Element is not only about aptitude and passion. It’s about attitude.” “In chapter five, I suggested that the two major factors in being happy are your natural disposition and your actual behavior.” “This is a process, not a test, and if you persist, you will get closer to what you’re looking for. Everything depends on how much this matters to you and on how determined you are in your quest. If you know what your Element is, you need the self-belief and determination to pursue it. If you don’t know what it is, you need to feel entitled to look for it.” “What Jef Lynch learned relatively early in life is that the things that are stopping you often exist only in your mind. “I don’t see the barriers that other people see. With Tektronix, I just walked in the door and started talking to people. Everything I do, I do like that.” “I assume he’ll be as successful at these pursuits as he’s been in every other because Jef has always understood at a fundamental level where he was and where he wanted to go.” “How you respond to the world around you deeply affects how the world responds to you.” “she’d been shuttled through the educational system far too quickly. Because she was academically bright, she skipped two full grades. While she was up to this challenge intellectually, she was not up to it emotionally, as she was surrounded by people who were at different levels of maturity than she was. “My whole education was just botched,” she said. “It’s taken my whole adult life to recover from my education.” “As Joseph Campbell says, if you move in the direction of your passions, opportunities tend to appear that you couldn’t have imagined and that weren’t otherwise there.” “Tribes aren’t always a perfect fit. But they do need to be good enough to sustain your connection.” “But for his interest, we would never have known of the Temple’s existence. But for the abbot’s welcome, James would not have developed his interests to such a deep level. His connection with the monks illustrated for all of us the great power of tribes in validating and inspiring personal commitments and their roles in providing mentorship and support. Discovering the temple was also a vivid illustration of the resources that may manifest in the least likely places, when you turn your attention to finding them.” “Tribes that work together can achieve more than individuals acting alone because they stimulate each other’s creativity and sense of possibility. In The Element we called this “the alchemy of synergy.” “One of the things that a tribe offers is support and peer review.” “This is one of the most valuable traits of a tribe: the love for the pursuit tends to outweigh the instinct to protect one’s turf.” “The principle is always the same: you create new opportunities by taking the ones in front of you.” “One important reason for keeping your options open is that you’re not limited to one Element for life. Some people find they love several things equally; others that their passions shift and evolve. Finding your Element for now doesn’t mean that you’re locked in to it forever. In fact, when you ask, “What’s next?” the question can easily become, “What else?” “Once you start to get too comfortable with a job, watch out, because you might be freewheeling and not all using all of your mental and physical assets to your best advantage.” “A good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure. You are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare? And then, if you do dare, the dangers are there, and the help also, and the fulfillment or the fiasco. There’s always the possibility of a fiasco. But there’s also the possibility of bliss.” All quests involve risks and you can’t anticipate them all. They involve opportunities too and you can’t foresee all of those, either. You can only set a direction and take the first steps. You then need to stay open to risks and to possibilities and be willing to respond to both. This is how the creative process works and how organic processes take their shape. Martin Luther King had just this in mind when he said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” “Someone once said that whenever you see the dates of someone’s life the most important part is the dash in the middle. What did they do to fill the dash?” “It’s important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way.” “VALUE YOUR OWN LIFE AND FEELINGS You can’t control the reactions of others. Although people may initially react badly when you speak honestly about your feelings, in the end it raises the relationship to a new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.” “Finding your Element is about discovering what lies within you and, in doing so, transforming what lies before you.” “And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ________

I don't know what the other reviewer, giving one star got from this book, maybe not their native language. Inspiring. Brilliant. Thought provoking.