Greetings to the Day and the Light, O Guiding Spirits!
There are times, Dear Spirits, where I still think I’m lost, and that thought seems like it could break my heart. What’s different, between who I once was and who I am now, is that I would get stuck there, spiraling deep in that belief and how it made me unacceptable and unlovable.
Now, though, there is Understanding – that at the same time that I am lost on one level (and so aren’t we all?); that on another level, my personal guidance system, my internal compass, is always pointing me toward My True North.
Life is always occurring on different levels at the same time. That’s one reason why there is no absolute right or wrong. And, that’s why the practice of changing perspectives, like from Mouse View to Eagle View, can be such a useful tool.
Challenges in the here-and-now regarding things like relationships, finances, career choices, and self-care can also be the foundations for our self-confidence, strength, discipline, resilience, and values in the long-term. In fact, I would argue that the only way we develop our long-term character is through the exercises we encounter in the short-term throughout our life.
Are you familiar with the term “sweet spot?” It’s used in many different arenas. In golf, for example, it can mean the area on the clubface where the geometry and physics translate one’s swing to the straightest, farthest-flying golf ball.
In general, I think the “sweet spot” represents the area of optimal efficiency, where one’s effort maximizes the result. Another way to think of it is – outside the “sweet spot,” any increase in result takes disproportionately more effort. (I seem to have slipped back into scientist-mode).
I think there’s a range where easy, comfortable effort produces a big result.
So, why am I talking about the “sweet spot?” Because, it’s an experiential, trial-and-error derived phenomenon. It is the balance point we seek on all the spectrums we exist.
And, the only way to define it is to play and experiment. Try this, and recognize the results. Try that, recognize the results, and compare.
Secondly, because everything is changing, the balance point is fluidly moving, also.
Have you ever tried to learn to hold a handstand? I once spent some time trying to figure it out. There’s a certain amount of leg kick I needed to get vertical; but too much, and I would go right on over. And, if I did happen to get my legs vertical and my body in alignment, I would be able to hold it the longest when I would feel just on the verge of going over. There was a lot of shaking and micro-adjustments. It was fascinating to play with balance/off-balance in this way.
But, you watch a gymnast go into a handstand – smooth and fluid. That’s because they’ve done their 10,000 hours of deep practice; but, also, they’ve learned that it’s not about having their bodies in an exactly right position, but more about obtaining that sweet spot of balance.
I have done many things in my life that have “felt” hard – learning in school, learning and working in different jobs, building and maintaining relationships, and practicing self-care and self-discovery. Most everything I am and value about myself came about with some measure of effort – work.
I seek to continue growing, and that involves finding the “sweet spot” in the different areas of my life.
Today’s prompt:
Where have you found a “sweet spot” in your life? Describe how it feels.
What’s an area in your life where you think you would benefit from finding the “sweet spot?” Describe how you imagine things would be different in the “sweet spot.”
Continuing to play and experiment to learn my “sweet spots,” My Loving Guides!
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