Synopses & Reviews
Everyone knows that you are supposed to follow your dream.” But where is the road map to help you discover what that dream is?
You are holding it in your hands. In Springboard, award-winning author and teacher G. Richard Shell helps you find your future. His advice: Take an honest look inside and then answer two questions:
What, for me, is success?
How will I achieve it?
You will begin by assessing your current beliefs about success, including the hidden influences of family, media, and culture. These are where the pressures to live someone elses life” come from. Once you gain perspective on these outside forces, you will be ready to look inside at your unique combination of passions and capabilities. The goal: to focus more on what gives meaning and excitement to your life and less on what you are supposed” to want.
Drawing on his decades of research, Shell offers personalized assessments to help you probe your past, imagine your future, and measure your strengths. He then combines these with the latest scientific insights on everything from self-confidence and happiness to relationships and careers.
Throughout, he shares inspiring examples of people who found what they were meant to do by embracing their own true measure of success.
- Eric Adler: one of Shells former students who walked away from a conventional business career to help launch a revolutionary new concept in public education that has placed hundreds of inner-city high school students in top colleges.
- Kurt Timken: a Harvard-educated son of a Fortune 500 CEO who found his true calling as a hard-charging police officer fighting drug lords in southern California.
- Cynthia Stafford: an office worker who became one of her communitys leading promoters of theater and the arts.
Get ready for the journey of a lifetimeone that will help you reevaluate your future and envision success
on your own terms. Students and executives say that Richard Shells courses have changed their lives. Let this book change yours.
Review
Praise for FINDING YOUR ELEMENT by Sir Ken Robinson
“A book that is as relevant and imperative for the parents of a 12-year-old as it is for the CEO of a behemoth corporation. And with luck it will help you to find yours.”—Vanity Fair
“Fans may glean some insight about understanding who we are as individuals and how we can have a better life that communicates our uniqueness to the world.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
Praise for THE ELEMENT by Sir Ken Robinson
"Offers life-altering insights about the discovery of your true best self."--Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
"There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that, once unleashed, can make any vision, any dream, a reality. The Element captures that force with passion and insight."--Tony Robbins, author of Awaken the Giant Within
"The Element is another reminder of why Sir Ken Robinson is one of America's finest imports. With a crackling wit and deep humanity, he urges us to ignore the naysayers, bypass the crowd, and find the place where our talents and desires intersect. This is a truly inspiring book."--Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
"Ken Robinson presents the theme of creativity and innovation in a way that makes you want to go out and make your dreams a reality. In his wonderfully easy-to-read and entertaining style he presents the stories of many who have done just that...It is a book that lightens and lifts the minds and hearts of all who read it."--Susan Jeffers, Ph.D, bestselling author of Feel the Fear and DO it Anyway and Life is Huge!
Review
“
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
“Ken Robinson presents the theme of creativity and innovation in a way that makes you want to go out and make your dreams a reality. In his wonderfully easy-to-read and entertaining style he presents the stories of many who have done just that. . . . It is a book that lightens and lifts the minds and hearts of all who read it.” —Susan Jeffers, Ph.D., bestselling author of Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway® and Life is Huge!
“A great and inspiring book. Its been said that an unexamined life is not worth living. True enough and Ken Robinson doesnt let us off the hook. After the first page, you have to abandon your ego and look for your own gifts and graces.” —Warren Bennis, author of On Becoming a Leader: The Leadership Classic
“Robinson (Out of Our Minds), renowned in the areas of creativity development, innovation, and human resources, tackles the challenge of determining and pursuing work that is aligned with individual talents and passions to achieve well-being and success. . . . Motivating and persuasive, this entertaining and inspiring book will appeal to a wide audience.” —Publishers Weekly
“Ken Robinson is a remarkable man, one of the few who really look at and into you, so he makes you feel at ease and happy. Im proud to be in his book as one of the people he feels attained the Element. Reading his book helps you pinpoint the search we must all make to achieve the best in us.” —Gillian Lynne, choreographer, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera
“While the world is changing faster than ever, our organizations, our schools, and too often our minds are locked in the habits of the past. The result is a massive waste of human talent. The Element is a passionate and persuasive appeal to think differently about ourselves and how to face the future.” —Alvin Toffler, author of The Future Shock
“A brilliant and compelling look at creativity, and the path to succeed in the global world of tomorrow.” —Harry Lodge, co-author of Younger Next Year
Review
“In addition to [Shells] obvious expertise in the specialties of negotiation, persuasion, and interpersonal influence, his outstanding book on achieving success has exactly what this kind of examination needs, common sense and encouragement.”
—Booklist (STARRED review)
“Shells nine steps to success are simple enough to follow, and readers may come away believing that a more prosperous life is attainable with a few tweaks and a little soul searching.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Written with expert cadence, this book manages to be an 'easy read' without skimping on quality. Shell provides ample research findings, anecdotes, and the expert guidance hes gleaned from his work in the field.”
—800CEOREADs “Books to Watch: August 2013”
Synopsis
From one of the world's leading thinkers and speakers on creativity and self-fulfillment, a breakthrough book about talent, passion, and achievement
The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. The Element draws on the stories of a wide range of people, from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney to Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons; from Meg Ryan to Gillian Lynne, who choreographed the Broadway productions of Cats and The Phantom of the Opera; and from writer Arianna Huffington to renowned physicist Richard Feynman and 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 to 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 also an essential strategy for transforming education, business, and communities to meet the challenges of living and succeeding in the twenty-first century.
Synopsis
From one of the world's leading thinkers and speakers on creativity and self-fulfillment comes a breakthrough book about talent, passion, and achievement.
Synopsis
A New York Times-bestselling breakthrough book about talent, passion, and achievement from the one of the world's leading thinkers on creativity and self-fulfillment.
The Element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the Element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. 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. Drawing on the stories of a wide range of people, including Paul McCartney, Matt Groening, Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, and Bart Conner, he shows that age and occupation are no barrier and that this is the essential strategy for transforming education, business, and communities in the twenty-first century.
Also available from Ken Robinson is Finding Your Element, the practical guide to achieving your highest potential.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling author of The Element gives readers an inspirational and practical guide to self-improvement, happiness, creativity, and personal transformation Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk video and groundbreaking book, The Element, introduced readers to a new concept of self-fulfillment through the convergence of natural talents and personal passions. The Element has inspired readers all over the world and has created for Robinson an intensely devoted following. Now comes the long-awaited companion, the practical guide that helps people find their own Element. Among the questions that this new book answers are:
• How do I find out what my talents and passions are?
• What if I love something I’m not good at?
• What if I’m good at something I don’t love?
• What if I can’t make a living from my Element?
• How do I do help my children find their Element?
Finding Your Element comes at a critical time as concerns about the economy, education and the environment continue to grow. The need to connect to our personal talents and passions has never been greater. As Robinson writes in his introduction, wherever you are, whatever you do, and no matter how old you are, if you’re searching for your Element, this book is for you.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling author of The Element gives readers an inspirational and practical guide to self-improvement, happiness, creativity, and personal transformation Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk video and groundbreaking book, The Element, introduced readers to a new concept of self-fulfillment through the convergence of natural talents and personal passions. The Element has inspired readers all over the world and has created for Robinson an intensely devoted following. Now comes the long-awaited companion, the practical guide that helps people find their own Element. Among the questions that this new book answers are:
• How do I find out what my talents and passions are?
• What if I love something I’m not good at?
• What if I’m good at something I don’t love?
• What if I can’t make a living from my Element?
• How do I do help my children find their Element?
Finding Your Element comes at a critical time as concerns about the economy, education and the environment continue to grow. The need to connect to our personal talents and passions has never been greater. As Robinson writes in his introduction, wherever you are, whatever you do, and no matter how old you are, if you’re searching for your Element, this book is for you.
Synopsis
From the creator of the popular Success Course at the Wharton School of Business
Finding your own true measure of success begins with two essential questions: Who am I? What will I do with my life? The answers cant come from the outside. You have to search your heart and engage these questions honestly to discover insights that go far beyond conventional notions of fame, fortune, and happiness.
Award-winning author and Wharton School professor G. Richard Shell challenges readers to set aside the preconceived definitions of success promoted by society, schools, family, and the media. Then he helps readers replace these old definitions with aspirations based on their unique values, talents, personalities, and motivations. Along the way he shares inspiring stories of others who defined success for themselves.
Take a chance. Do what you were meant to do.
Synopsis
Raise the bar to become the best version of youand have fun doing it As a cognitive neuroscientist, anthropologist, and entrepreneur, Bob Deutsch has spent a lifetime studying people. What he has found is that most of us set the bar too low in our lives, both personally and professionally. We choose not to pursue our greatest ambitions because we feel we are incapable of reaching them. But he has also found that we are each born with the fundamental abilities to live the full, creative, dynamic life we dream about.
These are our five inner resources: Curiosity, Openness, Sensuality, Paradox, and Self-Story. In this compelling book, Deutsch shows us how to access and use them to open our lives to unimagined possibilities. Filled with great stories and interviews with inspiring people, including Wynton Marsalis, Richard Feynman, and Anna Quindlen, The 5 Essentials will appeal to readers of The Element and The Tools. It opens the door to a way of being more alive than you have ever been.
Synopsis
Everyone knows that you are supposed to follow your dream.” But where is the road map to help you discover what that dream is?
You have just found it. In Springboard, award-winning author and teacher G. Richard Shell helps you find your future. His advice: Take an honest look inside and then answer two questions:
What, for me, is success?
How will I achieve it?
You will begin by assessing your current beliefs about success, including the hidden influences of family, media, and culture. These are where the pressures to live someone elses life” come from. Once you gain perspective on these outside forces, you will be ready to look inside at your unique combination of passions and capabilities. The goal: to focus more on what gives meaning and excitement to your life and less on what you are supposed” to want.
Drawing on his decades of research, Shell offers personalized assessments to help you probe your past, imagine your future, and measure your strengths. He then combines these with the latest scientific insights on everything from self-confidence and happiness to relationships and careers.
Throughout, he shares inspiring examples of people who found what they were meant to do by embracing their own true measure of success.
- Eric Adler: one of Shells former students who walked away from a conventional business career to help launch a revolutionary new concept in public education that has placed hundreds of inner-city high school students in top colleges.
- Kurt Timken: a Harvard-educated son of a Fortune 500 CEO who found his true calling as a hard-charging police officer fighting drug lords in southern California.
- Cynthia Stafford: an office worker who became one of her communitys leading promoters of theater and the arts.
Get ready for the journey of a lifetimeone that will help you reevaluate your future and envision success
on your own terms. Students and executives say that Richard Shells courses have changed their lives. Let this book change yours.
About the Author
BOB DEUTSCH, PHD, is the founder of Brain Sells, has a doctorate in cognitive neuroscience, and has also taught anthropology at CUNY, worked at the Max Planck Institute, and consulted for the U.S. Dept. of Defense. His clients have included American Express, Apple, Johnson and Johnson, and Procter and Gamble, among many others. LOU ARONICA has worked in publishing for thirty years. He has cowritten many successful books, including The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille and The Element by Ken Robinson, and he is the author of the novels Blue and The Forever Year.