Finding Your Element

Finding Your Element is a book by Ken Robinson, an international advisor on education in the arts to government, non-profits, education and arts bodies. Website Amazon

The book gives a nice framework that helps you find your way. I would recommend reading it if you feel like shaking things up.

As someone who already feels like I've been aligned to my element, I think the book Apprenticeship Patterns is a bit more to the point. Finding Your Element presents arguments from Ken's point of view and backs these up with stories from real people from a range of professions and backgrounds to make it more broadly relevant.

Below are some quotes that I liked:

On learning styles (p69): "Richard Felder is the co-developer of the Index of Learning Styles. He suggests there are eight different learning styles. * Active learners absorb material best by applying it in some fashion or explaining it to others, * Reflective learners prefer to consider material before doing anything with it, * Sensing learners like learning facts and tend to be good with details, * Intuitive learners like to identify the relationships between things and are comfortable with abstract concepts, * Visual learners remember best what they see, * Verbal learners do better with written and spoken explanations, * Sequential learners like to learn by following a process from one logical steps to the next, * Global learners tend to make cognitive leaps, continuously taking in information until they get it,

On well being (p124-125): "...well-being embraces five broad areas of life. They don't include 'every nuance of what's important in life but they do represent the five broad cadres that are essential to most people. 1. Career well-being: How well you occupy your time or simply liking what you do every day, 2. Social well-being: Having strong relationships and love in your social life, 3. Financial well being: effectively managing your economic life, 4. Physical well-being: Having good health and energy to get things done on a daily basis, 5. Community well being: Your sense of engagement with the area where you live,

For more about well being, there's a book by Gallup called Well-Being, The Five Essential Elements

On situation analysis (p174): "One commonly used way of taking stock of your current situation is through a SWAT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. The SWOT framework was developed in the sixties by Albert Humphrey, an American business consultant. Although it was originally designed for business, it's widely used by coaches and mentors to help individuals assess their own circumstances and to develop their own plans for personal or professional development. A SWOT analysis helps you assess the internal and external factors that may be helping or hindering you in finding your Element."

This quote reminds me of Planet Money's interview Tips from Spies (ep 791) discussing situational analysis.

The chapter on Finding your Tribe resonates with me particularly because it reminds me of earlier times in my career when I didn't feel like I was connecting with my workmates. I also have friends who are having trouble with this.