The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
By Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica
Reviewed by Sandra M. Dempsey, January 27, 2009
Ken Robinson describes the Element as “the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together.”
Some people discover their things the love, the activities and subjects they are passionate about at a very early age. Ray Charles discovered his love of music, especially the ‘boogie woogie’ sound at the age of three. Other people find their passions later in life, like Maggie Kuhn who helped start the Gray Panthers, a national advocacy group, at the age of sixty-five after she had reached mandatory retirement age and was forced to retiree.
They talk about the importance of mentorship, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of our children and how important it is to help them discover their own Element.
They profile people who have incorporated their Element into their work lives and built their entire careers around it, while also sharing stories of people who pursue their passions on the side or as ‘Pro-Ams’, professional-amateurs.
Discovering and pursuing the Element in your own life means living a happier, more fulfilled existence. When you are fully engaged in an activity that brings you joy and fulfillment, when you find yourself in ‘the flow’, you feel more alive and happy. These feelings carry over into all areas of your life; your family, your work, your community and the world at large.
Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica bring a host of stories alive to demonstrate the life altering and life fulfilling potential of discovering the Element in your own life. Jay-Z (Carter), Julia Child, Arthur C. Clarke, Eric Clapton, Jackie Robinson, Bob Dylan, Matt Groening, and James Earl Jones are just some of the people that are profiled in this easy to read and inspiring book.
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