1. BOOK SUMMARY

2. All around the
world, every
hour of every
single day,
people are
finding their
“Element” – the
place where
what they love
to do, and
what they are
good at, come
together.
“Ahhhh....
I love the
smell of
pleather
in the
morning.”

3. of
rag
e
Jo
fis e’s
t
am
I
When we see these people, the majority
of us have a twinge of envy and wonder “why
can’t life be that easy for ME? “. While we are
busy wondering this, the people who are in
their Element are busy doing the thing that
they love, and getting better and better in
every waking moment.

4. As Sir Ken Robinson would tell us,
“We can all find that
magical place where
time seems to fly by
because we love what
we do with every fiber
of our being – if we
only knew where to
look...”
This is a book about where to look
for your Element, and how to fight
against the forces that don’t want
you to find it.

5. Why finding
the Element
is so hard...
We are all blessed with talents and
abilities that if tapped, would allow us
to do so much more than we ever
thought possible. The first step
to being in the Element is to
find our own distinctive
talents. Although there
are many factors
conspiring
against us from
finding them,
you only
need to
look in the
mirror to find
the biggest......
you
rs
elf

6. The first limitation we place on
ourselves is that we don’t
understand the full range of
our capacities. As Sir
Robinson says, “we are all
born with extraordinary
powers of imagination,
intelligence, feeling, intuition,
spirituality and of physical and
sensory awareness.” Most of us
haven’t found our Element
because we don’t understand
our own powers. After all, it’s
hard to tap into powers that
we don’t even know are there.

7. The second limitation is in understanding how these talents and capacities work
together holistically. Our minds, bodies and our relationships with others are not
independent operating systems that we can treat separately, because one has an
impact on the other, which has an impact on the other, and so on. Understanding our
holistic nature brings us one step closer to being in our Element.

8. Lastly, we don’t
truly understand the human capacity for growth and
change, now matter how many candles are on your birthday cake. Most people
lament the fact that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and blame
missed opportunities on things outside of their own control. How many
times have you heard somebody in your life mutter that “Oh, I’m too old
for that”. While there are some instances where this might be true, there are
infinitely
more where growth
and opportunity await.
Now that we know what’s standing in our way, let’s focus on the things that
are necessary for us to find our Element.

9. I Get It
Unfortuntately, our society is set up to
look for and reward only one type of
intelligence – as if the SATs or other
standardized tests could be a good measure
for our aptitudes in becoming successful in
the world. But, as Robinson would tell you,
the question we should be asking is not
“how smart are you”, but rather, “how are you
smart”. Let me explain...
(Aptitude)

10. The book starts off with the story of a young girl
Iwho can’t seem to sit still in class and was a
Get It
constant disruption. Even worse, she handed in
(Aptitude)
her assignments late and had the worst
handwriting on this side of the
Atlantic. Her teachers and her parents
were concerned – enough so that
they decided that it would be best if
Gillian be put in a school with children of
special needs. They took little Gillian off to
the psychiatrist for an assessment to confirm
their hunch. What happened there was
remarkable. At some point during the visit, the
doctor turned on some music and then took
Gillian’s mother out of the room. They
watched from outside in amazement as Gillian
got up and moved to the music gracefully,
seemingly lost in the moment. The
doctor turned to Gillian’s mother and
said “You know, Mrs. Lynne. Gillian
isn’t sick. She’s a dancer. Take her
to dance school.” This story
would be remarkable enough if
it ended there. But as it turns
out, Gillian Lynne went on to
become one of the most
celebrated dancers and
choreographers of all time –
helping create classics such
as Phantom of the Opera
and Cats with Andrew Lloyd
Webber.

11. linguistic & musical
mathematical & spatial
kinesthetic & interpersonal
intra-personal
There are many types of intelligence beyond how well we can sit still in
class and how well we do on math tests. In fact, Harvard psychologist
Howard Gardner has identified many intelligences that we all possess:
These intelligences are pretty much independent of one another,
and none more important than the other.

12. Take into your own life
a
look
What aptitudes do you seem to
kid in class who could never seem
of a sign that you were a bad student
natural interpersonal intelligence? Maybe
have a natural ability for? Perhaps you were the
to shut your mouth – maybe that was less
and more of a sign that you had a
you were the kid who wanted nothing
else in the world but to lock yourself in a room and play the guitar – maybe that was less
of a sign that you were socially awkward and more of a sign that you had a strong
musical intelligence? The important thing here is to realize that no matter what
constraints the school system
or society seems to place on you, there is
more than one way to be intelligent, and if
you pay attention, you can find where
your intelligence is strongest. That’s where
you’ll most likely be “in” your Element.

13. passion
(I Love It)
That you should love what you do for a living isn’t a new concept. But platitudes alone aren’t
very helpful, so let’s explore how you can figure out what this means for you. Most people
make the mistake of deciding what they think they will love and then chasing that, rather than
understanding what they actually love. It’s hard to understate the impact that this has on
your life. Human beings are notoriously bad at guessing what will make them happy,
and deciding what you want to dedicate your life to is no exception. Perhaps you
may have been influenced by what your peers and family have done for
a living, and you see them living a lifestyle that you think you want,
and finally you decide that you should be a lawyer
too. What you don’t take into account is that for
most people, the day-to-day of
being a lawyer will
suck the life
out of
you.

14. Instead of looking for what you think will make
you happy, take a look at what you are doing in
your spare time. When were
in class and you were
daydreaming, what were
you daydreaming
about? When you
should be doing
your homework
or completing
those TPS reports,
what are you doing
instead?
For P a u l
McCartney,
that thing
was studying and playing rock
music when he should have been
doing his algebra homework.
M u s i c c o n s u m e d h i s e ve r y
thought, and he let it extend to
his actions.

15. However, finding the thing that
you love to do might not even
be enough to figure out
what will put you “in”
your Element. The other
thing you need to be
on the lookout for is
what Robinson (and
every single sportscaster
on the planet) would
DROP
c a l l “ T h e Z o n e ”. A s
Rob i n s o n s ay s , th e
Zone is deep within the
heart of the Element.
INTO
When we are in the Zone
we get lost in the
moment of whatever it is
that we are doing. Time
YOUR
seems to stand still,
although we can go for
hours and have it feel
like minutes. Without
ZONE
this euphoria to keep us
going through all of the
other “stuff” that comes
along with doing what
we love (studying,
prepping, etc), we will
never last. Most
importantly, when you
are in the zone you are doing whatever you are doing for it’s own sake.

16. I WANT IT
(attitude)
So you’ve found what you are good at, and you know what you love to do
and what puts you in the Zone. However, we are only half of the way there.
It seems trite to say this, but you have to really want this to be a permanent
part of your life in order to succeed. For
certain, you shouldn’t expect the entire
world to line up and try to help you
get to where you want to go. In
fact, you’ll face three sources of
resistance along the way:
CULTURAL
PERSONAL
Robinson calls these the:
SOCIAL
three circles of constraints

17. First, get ready to face all sorts of resistance from the last person you’d expect to
receive it from: yourself. This shouldn’t be news to you. In fact, as you are working
your way through this summary, you’ve probably been listening to a voice in your
head telling you that “you shouldn’t be so foolish”, or “you’re not good enough to
do that”, or some other put down that would seem
devastating to you if it were coming from the lips of
Wow, now
that’s a pretty cool idea.
Even for me. Wait, what?
ourselves, without even noticing. You’ll have this
Zero hits on Google? Can’t
battle on a daily basis, and each and every one
be. Must be something wrong with it.
Legal? Ethical? Gotta be a reason. Who am
of those days you are going to have to feel the
I kidding. I can’t invent anything new. I’m
over the hill, didn’t go to school for this,
fear and do it anyways.
not paid enough. Really Gonzo, that’s the
worst idea I’ve heard this month. No, wait,
this millennium. Knew I should’ve stayed
in bed this morning.
somebody you love. It’s incredible how hard we are on
“Is this a good idea?
Is it even original? Oh god,
all the good ideas have
already been taken. I knew
it. This is a crap idea.
I’m doomed.”
Surely, if the other
guys are pivoting
their synergies, it
must be right. We
should copy them.
If I don’t say
anything, maybe
they won’t notice
I’m here.
“Is someone
frying bacon?”
“At least
these pants
make my ass
look hard”

18. Second
you aren’t the only one who doesn’t want to see
yourself succeed. Everyone around you is going to
have an opinion on your crazy dreams. Many times
these people can and will give you good advice. But on
many occasions, and in this one in particular, you are
best advised to ignore them. One of the most common
phrases you are likely to hear is “it’s for your own good”,
or “I’m only saying this because I love you”.
Take the example of Paulo Coelho, whose parents had
him committed to a mental institution on three
separate occasions because he wanted to become a
writer. You see, his parents believed that he had an
excellent future ahead of him as a lawyer and couldn’t
have their beloved Paulo wasting his talents on
something as trivial as the arts. Luckily for Paulo and for
the entire world he persevered even through this. He
went on to write The Alchemist, which sold over 40
million copies worldwide and he became the bestselling Portuguese language writer of all time.
Understanding these forces, and being willing to break
through them, is critical if you want to find yourself
in your Element.
STUPIDEST
OF ALL
STUPID IDEAS
CLUB
NEW MEMBERS ALWAYS WELCOME.

19. Where is It?
(Opportunity)
Where is the opportunity in this world? This is a question that all people in search of
their Element must ask. There are two answers. The first answer is everywhere. People
who find their Element are much more likely to be of the “glass half full” variety. In fact,
Sir Ken Robinson himself had what many people would consider to be a crushing
blow to their dreams when he was a child. Growing up in Liverpool, football wasn’t a
pastime, it was a family passion. His family had aspirations for him to play
professionally one day, and his talent
seemed to match the dream. One day,
however, he came home and
was in so much pain that he couldn’t
move. It turned out that he had
Polio, and he never regained the use
of his right leg. Some people
might have viewed this as the end of a
dream, but Robinson viewed it as
the beginning of another. He found his
Element in working in the
creative and educational fields and
through giving presentations
around the world to groups of people
who have been tasked with
transforming those disciplines. People who
find their Element are not more or less likely to come up against trials and tribulations
in their lives. But they are more likely to find the good in these events.

20. `
The second answer is through finding your tribe. The
culture and groups that we find ourselves in has a
deep impact on what we perceive as acceptable
behaviour. The culture and the groups you associate
yourself with are for the most part things to be
celebrated. However, they can also lead to
“groupthink” – where the decision of the group is
accepted at face value without any further exploration.
For instance, pale and pasty old men in Europe find it
perfectly acceptable to parade up and down the beach
wearing nothing more than a thong, while in North
America he would be lucky if he weren’t arrested for
indecent exposure. In most high schools around the
world, being a male dancer would cast a death
sentence on your social life. But find yourself
attending the Julliard School and that same male
dancer might find their social life taking a turn for the
better, not to mention socially acceptable to work
insanely hard at their craft.

21. Tribe!
Finding a tribe is finding a group of people with a common
commitment to the thing they feel born to do. Once you find the
one thing you feel born to do, find the tribe where doing that
thing on a daily basis is something that is not only encouraged,
but demanded from you. Of course, the demanding will do no
good, because you’ll already be doing that thing before they have
a chance to demand it anyways.
ROK IT MON
24/7/365

22. If you find yourself wondering what
it would be like to absolutely love
what you do for a living, and to find
yourself lost in time everyday, this
book is for you. This might be the
most important book you ever read.
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