A couple +1s ago, we pondered Frederick Buechner’s wisdom on callings.

Recall that he once wrote: “The kind of work God usually calls you to do is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. . . . The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

(You +1 your clarity on that place where God’s calling you?)

That wisdom reminds me of Sir Ken Robinson’s book The Element. We actually talked about it a year ago in the context of you and your genius, but I think it’s worth coming back to so here we are.

As you may know, Sir Ken is one of the world’s leading thinkers on creativity and education. He has one of the most popular TED Talks ever. In fact, over 50 million people have watched his talk: Do schools kill creativity?

Ken tells us that he wants “to offer a richer version of human ability and creativity and of the benefits to us all of connecting properly with our individual talents and passions.”

He coined the phrase “the Element to describe the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together.”

And, he tells us that he believes “it is essential that each of us find his or her Element, not simply because it will make us more fulfilled but because, as the world evolves, the very future of our communities and institutions will depend on it.”

That’s Today’s +1.

Time some more reflection. Two parts.

Part 1. Let’s start with You.

What do you love to do? What are you good at?

Where do they come together?

That’s your Element. You in it? If yes, high fives and go deeper! If not quite, how can you get a little more in it?

Part 2. Let’s move on to a loved one.

What do they love to do? What are they good at?

Where do they come together?

That’s their Element. They in it? If yes, high fives and encourage them to go deeper! If not quite, how can you encourage them to get a little more in it?

Let’s remember: “it is essential that each of us find his or her Element, not simply because it will make us more fulfilled but because, as the world evolves, the very future of our communities and institutions will depend on it.”

Sir Ken’s Element #768

Love + Good x 2

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The Element

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