The Element

How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

By: Ken Robinson Ph.D.

Narrated by: Ken Robinson Ph. D., Lou Aronica

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

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 21st century.

©2008 Ken Robinson, Ph.D (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Motivating and persuasive, this entertaining and inspiring book will appeal to a wide audience." ( Publishers Weekly)
" The Element offers life-altering insights about the discovery of your true best self." (Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

Subtle but worthwhile

Though it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for it did make me believe that a person could find their “Element” (the place where they thrive and feel most alive) outside of their job. That if you’re not one of the lucky few who everything lines up for early in life, catches big breaks along the way and finds themselves exactly where they always dreamed of being, you can still become much more alive by discovering (or rediscovering) and somehow participating in something that excites you, awakens you. Also a very worthwhile take on our educational system.

Great stories and content to help in all walks of

I listened to this whole book in 2 days! Great information for anyone seeking their purpose and passion.

A must to listen!

This book brings so much value to anyone, if you get caught up in the day-to-day routine and have forgotten the importance of develop creativity. This book is for you!
Acknowledging how necessary it's to stay vigilant to our own talents and the ones of the new generations can create an enormous impact in the world by taking actions.

Amazing book, inspiring and I personally loved the fact that the writer is the narrator. It makes it so much better :)

Heavy on anecdotes, light on points

A few interesting ideas and some inspiring bits, but fewer salient points than stunning anecdores. Also why are we talking about climate change at the end?

Loved it!

Sir Ken Robinson was the best. He gave us so much and was gone too soon from this world…

Entertained but not educated

What did you like best about The Element? What did you like least?

I listened to the entire book because the stories were somewhat interesting. They did, however, get repetitive and drawn out. In the end I had no idea what the Element was or how to find it for myself. If you like listening to stories of other people becoming life-long successes then this is the book for you.

Would you ever listen to anything by Ken Robinson again?

Yes, I have seen him on TED and I liked his ideas about education.

Was The Element worth the listening time?

It was entertaining, so from that standpoint it was worth the time.

Education should be evolutional

What made the experience of listening to The Element the most enjoyable?

Sir Ken Robinson verbally walks through experiences. He is very adept at sharing discoveries in a way that you feel you are there.

Who was your favorite character and why?

As you hear about different people and how they discover their element you can't help but think that you might have a higher purpose that maybe you thought. It also helps to rethink your current situation and that life isn't over till it's over.

Have you listened to any of Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any other books by Sir Ken Robinson yet but I intend on listening to his follow up book Out of Our Minds.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to this book over several days as time allowed.

Remarkable insight

What did you love best about The Element?

Robinson uses humor and excellent stories to illustrate how society's definition intelligence has been somewhat misguided and how many have been educated away from their greatest strengths, strengths that can make a difference in our success and happiness.His ideas are well worth listening to for they can make a difference in how we approach a time when many jobs have been outsourced and we are trying to find our way in a new economy. They are especially important for us to introduce to our young people and educators who could benefit from these ideas greatly.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Element?

Robinson uses illustrations that resonated with me of people who experienced being in their element, what some call "being in the zone." And of how today's society would often pigeon-hole these people as problematic or having ADHD. I especially loved the story of the young girl who was having trouble at school, and it was recommended that her mother have her tested to see what could be done to fix her. She found an excellent doctor who interviewed her and recognized that her talents lay in dance. He recommended enrolling her in a dance class. This girl was Gillian Lynne who went on to become a brilliant Broadway choreographer.

Which scene was your favorite?

There was not one scene or story in the book that stood out most. Rather, it was the overall validation through his stories and ideas that various kinds of intelligence are equally important.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Robinson's humor is engaging. I laughed out loud. I have given copies this audio book as well as the hard copy of it to many people. I think that his ideas that creativity must be honored and encouraged are vital. Einstein once said that imagination was more important than knowledge. Creativity and imagination, which are necessary to all fields of human endeavor, cannot be measured on a standardized test and do not always occur in only the subjects and jobs we have traditionally valued as most important.

Any additional comments?

I listened to this book (as well as to his TED Talk and other videos) and I read his book. (After listening, I had to have the book so that I could write in it and capture quotes.) However, listening to him is the best! His humor and delivery make this audiobook extremely enjoyable and bring his ideas to life.

Fantastic book and author in all ways.

Funny, important, interesting, and well written. If you liked Sir Ken's talk at TED talks, then you will most likley enjoy this book.

Thank you Sir Ken for what you communicate.

More than self-help, a must read for all.

Must read for anyone, especially those of us in the education field. It is more of a policy guide than a self-help book. It should be required reading before anyone teaches children.