
Ken Robinson’s latest book: the Element looks at why some people find their role in life and fulfil their potential while others bump along the bottom never really working out what they are good at. He interviews a whole range of people who are in their element and traces their stories.
What he says is that aptitude is only one part: and will never work without passion and commitment. It is celebration of the diversity of human talent and some suggestions why education and the workplace fail to develop diversity, and why people get detatched from what they are really good at.
Knowing what you can do is essential to human fulfillment; essential for the health of communities and makes hard headed economic sense.
You can buy the book or you can listen to his excellent presentation at the RSA in February where he explains what he means much better than I can in a brief exposition. Great work by Sir Ken.