In the Zone & finding your Element

The anticipation of Sir Ken Robinson's visit to Halifax is really starting to build here at Bridgeway.  We're all learning more about him and his ideas by watching his videos and reading his books.  Here's the latest installment of my journey through his book, The Element.  Today, we're journeying into the Zone!

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team

Sir Ken starts this chapter with the story of Ewa Laurance, professional billiards player extraordinare.  She talks about discovering the game, and they way she feels when she's playing it.  For her, time falls away when she's playing.  She never enjoyed geometry, but she can see lines and diagrams on the table as she's playing, showing her where all the balls will go if she hits them a certain way.  As Sir Ken says, she's in her zone!

When we're in the zone, we're deep in the heart of the element.  We can do the things we love, but we won't be in the zone every time; sometimes things just don't come together.  But when they do, we focus, become intent and live in the moment.  Sir Ken says that those who have embraced their Element find themselves in this place regularily. 

Although we all find the zone in different ways, Sir Ken identifieds some common features we might experience when we're there:

A sense of freedom and authenticity - "When we are doing something that we love and are naturally good at, we are much more likely to feel centred in our true sense of self - to be who we feel we truly are."  Time also moves more quickly and fluidly, ideas come more quickly.  When you're doing something you love, it fills you with energy, even when you're tired.  In fact, Sir Ken says these peak experiences are associated with physiological changes in the body, which differ from person to person.

Reaching out - "When we connect to our own energy, we're more open to the energy of other people."  When we're inspired, we can inspire others.  Being in the zone, you're using your kind of intelligence in the best way possible. 

Being yourself - "When people are in the zone, they align naturally with a way of thinking that works best for them."  It feels effortless to be in the zone, time doesn't exist - you're using a thinking style that's natural for you.  The example Sir Ken uses here is a mind map - a way of visually representing information.

Getting out of the box - Although many have tried, Sir Ken argues that we shouldn't try to group people by ways of thinking or personality types.  If the Element is going to be available to everyone, we need to acknowledge that each person's intelligence is distinct from everyone else's, and everyone will have a unique way of getting to the zone and of finding the Element.

Do the math - Sir Ken's example here is Terence Tao, known as "the Mozart of Math."  He taught himself to read at two years old by watching Sesame Street.  By nine, he had taken the SAT-M (a college-level math test) and scored in the 99th percentile.  He had his PhD by 20 years old, and had won one of the most prestigious math awards by age 30.  He was lucky to discover his Element at a young age, and believes his success is not in his ability, but because he was able to "play" with math.  He had good mentors, and was unwilling to give up on a concept until he had it figured out.  He found his Element before the world try to put restrictions on him.  Finding the path might be as easy as asking this question - "if left to my own devices - if I didn't have to worry about making a living or what others thought of me - what am I most drawn to doing?"  Sir Ken says to find our Element we need to understand what puts us in the zone, and figure out what the implications are for the rest of our lives.

Tomorrow, we'll have more from The Element and how you can find your Tribe.

Don't forget - early registration rates are still available for Sir Ken's presentation at Emergent Learning: Turning Tides in 21st Century Education which will be held in Halifax on April 23-24.  Visit our conference website for more information.