It was a beautiful, sunny Tuesday in Dubai in November, 2009. I was entering Jumeirah Beach park, looking forward to take my flip-flops off and feel fine white sand between my toes. I walked up to one of the palm trees near the second shower and got large orange towel bought in Egypt out of the bag.
I had all I needed for the next 6 hours on the beach. Green bikini, suntan lotion, feeling that life is good and The Element – How finding your passion changes everything, new book by Ken Robinson.
Before I remembered to get in the water I was on page 90 of book.
WHAT IS THE ELEMENT?
Element is the place where things we love to do and things we are good at come together.
The Element is a meeting point between natural aptitude and personal passion.
Sir Ken Robinson states something I care about deeply: ”I’ve lost track of the numbers of people I’ve met who have no real sense of what their individual talents and passions are. They don’t enjoy what they are doing now but they have no idea what actually would fulfill them”.
I felt stuck for years and maybe you have too. This is the top reason I love every page of the book and recommend it to you.
People described in the book who found their Element are doing things they love and in doing it they feel like their most authentic themselves. They find that time passes differently and that they are ”in the zone” – more alive, more centered and more vibrant than at any other times.
One of the primary reasons why finding Element is vital for every person is that 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.
I like to provide resources, recommendation and guidelines on following your passion to help you achieve outstanding success. One of the great guidelines and inspiration is book ”The Element.”
In case of this book I’ll tell you first when you should not consider reading this book
Don’t read ”THE ELEMENT – HOW FINDING YOUR PASSION CHANGES EVERYTHING” if:
You have already made all your dreams a reality.
If you have a job where your talents and passion meet, time flies and you never wondered if there is anything else you could do.
You think you could not be happier with your work or life and don’t want to dedicate few hours to reexamine your beliefs.
You are not (or have never been) pursuing things you don’t care about just for ”financial security.”
If you consider your intelligence and creativity are 10 out of 10, never doubt it and think that is enough for your success and fulfillment.
If you are not interested how other people arrived to their success, fame and careers they could only dream about, although some of them seemed to be losers at the beginning and certainly not fitting in.
If you don’t need uplift, and don’t care about human diversities, extraordinary potential for growth and development.
If you don’t have kids or are not trying to figure out their futures, or if you already figured all out and know exactly where to start.
If you are a leader who understood and made full use of diverse talents of people in your team/company.
If you did not recognize yourself in ALL above points go and read Element.
HOW DO WE FIND ELEMENT IN OURSELVES AND IN OTHERS?
Is there a formula?
There is no rigid formula. The Element is different for everyone. We aren’t limited to one Element.
There are elements that provide framework for thinking about this and knowing what to look for and what to do.
Two main features are aptitudes and passion.
The conditions are attitude and opportunity.
The sequence goes something like this:
Aptitude (I get it),
Passion (I love it),
Attitude (I want it), and
Opportunity(Where is it)?
DO YOU HAVE TO BE LUCKY?
People who think they are not successful in their lives often say they’ve been unlucky. Don’t be one of those people. Get inspired to find your element and help others to find it as well. All of the people profiled in the book have taken an active role in ”getting lucky.”
This book is not about all those people who found their element. It is ABOUT YOU.
I don’t want to get stuck in an obscure and unfulfilling life and I don’t want you to have such life. I want you to feel lucky.
”Lucky people tend to maximize chance opportunities. They are especially adept at creating, noticing, and acting upon these opportunities when they arise.” says Robinson.
WHY IS THIS BOOK GOOD FOR BUSINESSES
Businesses everywhere say they need people who are creative and can think independently.
It is the best way to prepare ourselves for totally unknowable future. Finding The Element is a way of defining people’s potential.
This book provides specific examples and recommendations to help build environments in our school, home, and work, where every person is inspired to grow creatively and tap into their full potential.
But the argument is not just about business. It’s about having lives with purpose and meaning in and beyond whatever work we do.
DO YOU NEED HELP?
This book is not step by step manual one size fits all for discovering your Element. It’s about discovering how you’re creative, how you’re intelligent, finding your tribe and taking the steps in the right direction towards doing what you are meant to do, at any age. It’s never too late.
Often we need other people to help us recognize our real talents. Often we can help other people to discover theirs. You will see more examples about role of mentors in the book.
If you are thinking of getting help for you or your people, don’t wait too long.
This is the book you owe yourself to read. It’s up to you what or if you will think about it; it’s up to you if you will do anything about it. All else is up to you. Just read it. At worst it will rephrase what you feel, uplift your heart and mind. It might make you a little sad about life and what you could have been, but it will not let you believe you have thrown your life away.
Who Should (Not) Read ''The Element - How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything''?
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