Confession: Excel spreadsheets and I are not friends. I know people who love them–the order, clarity and ability to click a little button and get the answers you need. Not me, honey. If you want to punish me, don’t send me to prison. Just make me do spreadsheets.
Fortunately, spreadsheets are avoidable in most of my life. I do them occasionally when I absolutely must. Imagine if I worked as an accontant instead of a writer. How happy would I be? Um, not very.
When we think of scenarios like these, it’s easy to tell when someone is out of her sweet spot. But in every day life it can be more subtle. We say “yes” to one request after another with good intentions only to find ourselves become more and more drained at the end of each day.
Marcus Buckingham, author of Find Your Strongest Life: What the Smartest and Most Successful Women do Differently, says this is a situation we want to avoid. After researching thousands of women he discovered the happiest and most fulfilled were those who spent the most time living in their strengths.
This didn’t mean those women never had to things that were the equivalent of spreadsheets for me. It just meant that they spent as much time as possible doing what they did best.
I believe this lines up biblically. We’re each created with unique strengths and skills. We’re “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” {Ephesians 2:10}.So when we drift away from that we’re moving out of the flow of His Spirit through us. That means we also can end up disconnected from joy, peace and the other elements the Spirit brings to our lives.
So how do we stay in our sweet spot?
* First, know what your sweet spot is – This usually takes help from someone else. If you’re not sure what you sweet spot is talk to a close friend, family member, mentor or even a life coach like Denise Martin or Laurie Wallin. The book You’re Already Amazing is designed to help you find it too.
* Next, evaluate your life to see when you’re in your sweet spot and when you’re not – Buckingham recommends writing down your activities for a week and putting a – next to those that drain you and a + next to those that energize you.
* Then make a plan to spend more time in your sweet spot – None of us will spend all of our time there. We’ve got to do laundry, meet obligations and endure the “spreadsheets” of life. But most of us can make small changes that add up to big benefits. What do you need to add or take away from your calendar to spend even five more minutes in your sweet spot each week?
Every few months, repeat the process above. Over time you’ll do the opposite of what most folks do–you’ll move intentionally toward the center of who God has made you instead of drifting away from it without even being aware you’re doing so.
The world only gets one YOU. Your sweet spot benefits us all because it’s the place where you bless us most and bring God the most glory. Let’s dare to live there a little more today.
What’s your sweet spot? What do you enjoy doing that helps others and brings God glory too?
–Holley Gerth
