Finding Your Element How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life
Have you found your Element? It's where "natural aptitude meets personal passion," says Ken Robinson, a recognized global leader in helping people, companies and governments cultivate creativity.
Finding your Element can give your life greater purpose and pleasure. Try these practical steps to find out more about what really drives you so you can live a more enriched life.
Change Your Perspective
You might have long-held ideas about your abilities, or how you fit into the world. Disrupt these patterns of thought, with exploratory tools like Mind Mapping, Vision Boards or Automatic Writing. And widen your perspective by trying new things. This will give you new ideas and challenge your assumptions.
Take a Test
Four of the best-known aptitude tests are:
- 1. The General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) - developed by the S. Department of
Labor
- 2. Clifton StrengthsFinder - developed by the Gallup Organization
- 3. CareerScope - created by the Vocational Research Institute
- 4. The O*NET Ability Profiler - developed by the Occupational Information Network
Or, try a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to analyze your current situation. Your strengths and weaknesses are your own characteristics; opportunities and threats are the external factors holding you in place. Things to think about in this analysis are your age, your financial and personal obligations, and how open you are to taking a risk.
Join a Tribe
Explore an Element by spending time with the tribes, or groups, that are part of it. Find tribes online, attend meetings of clubs and associations, volunteer or become an intern, find a mentor or hire a life coach.
Start Now
You don't need to plan out your entire life at once. Pick a few new ideas to explore, outline concrete steps for each of them, and put your plan into action.
By Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica
