I love it when Sir Ken Robinson talks. He is one of my favorites at TED and someone I love to follow. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out his latest book: The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. I haven’t read it yet, I plan on purchasing it soon.
His speech holds a lot of meaning for me, simply because I am someone who never went to college, until now, at 29. I was nervous about going to college, because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I felt like I had one shot at going to college. The government would pay for it, and I would have to choose what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Because I didn’t know what I wanted, I never went.
Instead, I looked for what I really wanted to do. I experimented with different types of businesses, some were massive failures. It is through this ‘testing’ phase that I found writing. I found I loved to write fiction. I discovered that while I could write nonfiction, it wasn’t my favorite. However, I learned certain aspects of it that were enjoyable. I learned to focused on what I loved about it. Over 10 years of working in nonfiction, and having perfected it, I did it because it allowed me access to do what I really want to do while working part time at it. Maybe I’m a ‘late bloomer’ but I absolutely love working from home and having the free time that I have to seek out other opportunities.
So this year, as I enter college, I do so with the idea that I’ll be diving into lessons and learning and passions that I can discover all over again. I’m not taking English. Why would I want to learn how to do something that I already do for a living? Instead, I chose physics, a science field, and with full intention of exploring other sciences along the way as well. Chemistry and biology are also of interest to me. I wouldn’t have this opportunity to learn about things that could be very important to me. I wish to find the solutions to problems I’m passionate about. I feel I can only do that through knowing the science behind it, so I can create what I want. I’m a problem solver. I like knowing how to make it, not going over problems.
Imagine if Christopher Columbus had believed in his formal education where everyone around him believed the earth was flat. Pigeonholed into what was tradition, rather than willing to push the boundaries but following his passion, he revolutionized beliefs in his time. In the picture above, he is seen with people weeping at his parting, because they feared he would not return. He must surely fall off the end of the world if he were to go off in his ships.
If you haven’t yet, go listen to Sir Ken Robinson, and then maybe share with me your interpretations.
