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I was speaking with a very successful friend of mine a few years ago. Our daughters were in the same Adventure Princess tribe (yours truly was the Chief). My friend, Brad, is a sought-after physician and trainer within his specialty, an incredibly successful entrepreneur, an excellent leader and a stand-up family man. You could say “he has it all.”
After a conversation at a Daddy-Daughter dance, Brad sent me a note with his philosophy on life and work which is rooted in a quote from a 20th century novelist, James Michener. Michener called it The Art of Living:
“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.”
These poignant words reminded of the concept of working and living in your sweet spot.
Most types of sports equipment – a golf club, a tennis racquet, a baseball bat – have a certain spot that, if the ball hits it, yields the optimal result. Hitting this sweet spot yields a long drive down the fairway, a swift crosscourt return or home run swing.
If you have experienced it, you know when you hit the sweet spot, you barely feel it. The ball goes where you want it to go … even further and faster. Doesn’t get any better than that!
Want to know an easy way to find your sweet spot?
Answer these two questions, then look at where your answers intersect:
- What am I absolutely passionate about?
- Which tasks are very easy and natural for me to perform?
Most of us vividly remember the moment we found our professional sweet spot. Others told us we made it look easy, that we really excelled and we looked like we were having a ball.
Think of the last time others made these comments to you. What were you doing?
It’s worth hitting these questions around and practicing your answers before you can serve up a winner.
Once you find your sweet spot, you are one big step closer to The Art of Living.
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