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Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML: The Element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the Element, they feel most themselves, most inspired, and achieve at their highest levels. The Element draws on the stories of a wide range of people: Paul McCartney, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Meg Ryan, Gillian Lynne, who choreographed the Broadway productions of Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, journalist Arianna Huffington, renowned physicist Richard Feynman, and many others, including business leaders and athletes. It explores the components of this new paradigm: the diversity of intelligence, the power of imagination and creativity, and the importance of commitment to our own capabilities. With a wry sense of humor, Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the Element and those that stifle that possibility. He shows that age and occupation are no barrier and that once we have found our path, we can help others do so as well. The Element shows the vital need to enhance creativity and innovation by thinking differently about human resources and imagination. It is an essential strategy for transforming education, business, and communities to meet the challenges of living and succeeding in the twenty-first century..… (more)
User reviews
Recommended for someone who is well aware of his/her strengths and passions but needs a push to go for it. Skip chapter 11 and the afterword unless global/educational issues are of interest to you.
Robinson never mentions this, but I believe that finding such an "element" for each and every person on Earth would be a good argument for the existence of a personal, omniscient and ever present God. Who else could organize the world in such a way that every single person would born with such a perfect fit to one or more pursuits? The evidence is not in favor of this hypothesis, though, as Thoreau has pointed out. Very few people ever find an "element."
Robinson uses examples, such as Paul McCartney, Julia Child and one of my favorite people, physicist Richard Feynman, to illustrate his thesis. Each of them did find something to do that was eminently suitable to his talents and each of them enjoyed his job immensely, not to mention making a pretty good piece of change at it. These very talented, very lucky people were able to take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves and they all created careers for themselves doing what they loved doing. Most of us are just not that talented, or that lucky.
Dr. Robinson wants to encourage each of us to find our "element" and to help our children find theirs.I found his argument against the emphasis on standardized testing in schools, the core of "No Child Left Behind," to be highly cogent. As Robinson says, "I doubt there are many children who leap out of bed in the morning wondering what they can do to raise the reading score for their state." His basic thesis, however, I find to be messy, new age claptrap. Not that I am against people pursuing their dreams, but I think it's important to have a fallback position in case it doesn't work out.
After reading The Element I am ready to quit my job in order to pursue my dream of becoming a rock star. Or maybe not. He did mention being good at it.
I'll Never Forget The Day I Read A Book!
Ken Robinson promotes the existence of an ideal occupation for
Towards the end, the book gets somewhat repetitious. It would have been more enjoyable either as a more condensed or greatly expanded version; as it is, it struggles between being an analytical work (problems with schools and education) and an inspirational one (the importance of finding your element). It also falls short as a self-help book. Nevertheless, a fluent and interesting read.
EJ 02/2013
Most of Robinson's success stories involve people who found their element seemingly by chance. I'm left to wonder what happens to the would-be dancer who is never taken to the ballet studio and thus never discovers this latent gift? Robinson doesn't address that, although he does give examples of people who find a passion later in life, or in a unorthodox context.
I spent most of the book also wondering who would drive the garbage trucks if everyone is out looking for their creative element. Surely some tasks are necessary but unlikely to elicit much passion. Zen Buddhists tackle this reality by urging mindfulness and reverence when performing every task, no matter how mundane. But Robinson doesn't seem to be coming from the "be here now" school of thought. However, he does indirectly address the question in a section titled "for love or money," noting that some people pursue their passion as a hobby while working a job to pay the bills.
Robinson's stories are engaging and inspirational, and every now and then even those of us in our middle years can benefit by renewed attention to this question of, "what are my dreams and am I pursuing them?"
The Element was an inspirational introduction to Robinson's concept the Element which is "the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together." Filled with with examples of how successful people discovered their own Element it's a great jumping off
Quotes that jumped out at me:
"What is true is that if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original (p. 15)."
"The Element has two main features, and there are two conditions for being in it. The features are aptitude and passion. The conditions are attitude and opportunity. The sequence goes something like this: I get it; I love it; I want it; Where is it? (p.22)"
"You can think of creativity as applied imagination (p. 67)." Imagination is internal; creativity is actually doing something with that imagination.
"Activities we love fill us with energy even when we are physically exhausted. Activities we don't like can drain us in minutes, even if we approach them at our physical peak of fitness...When people place themselves in situations that lead to their being in the zone, they tap into a primal source of energy. They are literally more alive because of it (p.93)."
"It turns out, " Dr. Henry Lodge says, "that 70% of American aging is not real aging. It's just decay. It's rot from the stuff that we do. All the lifestyle diseases...the diabetes, the obesity, the heart disease, much of the Alzheimer's, lots of the cancers, and almost all of the osteoporosis, those are all decay. Nature doesn't have that in store for any of us. We go out and buy it off the rack. (p.197)"
Very Recomendable book
I was not disappointed. It’s easy to read, full of examples for every point Robinson makes, and dotted with humorous references in every chapter. My students mostly liked it too (most gave it 4-5/5 stars. My only criticism is that most of the book is filled with anecdotal examples, and it isn’t until the last chapter that Robinson actually offers some very doable suggestions for making changes.
The book is filled with some very relatable sentences that make sense and offer good advice or bring the reader to an epiphany. For example, Robinson says, “Creative insights often come in nonlinear ways, through seeing connections and similarities between things that we hadn’t noticed before. Creative thinking depends greatly on what’s sometimes called divergent or lateral thinking, and especially on thinking in metaphors or seeing analogies.”
A few pages later he writes, “We don’t just see the world as it is; we interpret it through the particular ideas and beliefs that have shaped our own cultures and our personal outlook.”
My favorite chapter is the last one, “Making the Grade.” It makes reading the anecdotes worthwhile as Robinson describes ways in which we can transform our current educational system into one that encourages creativity and happiness. I highly recommend this book for all educators, from teachers to administrators, and to policy makers, parents, and students. As Robinson says regarding life and education, “we can always try to think differently.”