Finding Your Tribe

Ken Robinson says that for most people who have found their 'Element' i.e. work which combines passion and talent, that connecting with other people who share their talents, feeds their creativity. Robinson refers to others in your field as your "tribe". Robinson introduces us to Helen Pilcher a scientist turned author/comedian. Helen says "Leaving the lab was scary but not as scary as the prospect of staying. My advice, should you be contmplating making that leap, is to make like a lemming and jump." (Robinson, K. 2009 p. 110). Therefore when you haven't found your tribe and you are not inspired by others in your field it's time to get out!

Whistle while you work!

Behaviour therapy tells us that we are what we do. Our jobs are the implementation of who we are. It makes sense that we all engage in work that gives us meaning. We need to create an environment in our schools in which we nurture each child's individual talents and passions. Often parents steer their children away from their true talents because they think that they have to follow conventional paths in order to be successful. The goal here is to convey the benefits to everybody of connecting properly with our individual talents. I feel very passionately about this, as everyday in school I see students being forced into areas that do not inspire them and worse still do not make the best use of their natural abilities. It would be far more beneficial to see students doing things they love to do and being aware of their own particular talents. Ken Robinson, in his book, The Element, describes people who have achieved the balance between passion and talent, as those who; “have discovered their Element- the place where the things you love to do and the things that you are good at come together”. (Robinson, K. 2009, p.8).

 Our work must inspire us!