Cheers to finding your sweet spot

If you’ve ever played a sport that uses a bat, racket, club or stick, you know what it means to hit the sweet spot.

The player gets maximum response for a given amount of effort.

Whether it’s squash, tennis, cricket, golf, baseball or hockey, hitting the sweet spot means you’ve executed the ideal swing.

Now, there are tons of physics embedded into this process, using complex variables like force, mass, nodes, waves, angular velocity and center of percussion. But let’s not be overly sciency about it.

What’s interesting about this moment is, describing the feeling of hitting the elusive sweet spot is tricky. Because the whole point of hitting it is to feel as little as possible.

When the ball impacts at the sweet spot, the force transmitted to your hand is so small that you’re almost unaware that the impact has even occurred. There’s no jarring and vibrating of the metal handle that sends up through the shaft of the racket and into your cold, trembling hands. Your swing feels, as my grandpa would always say whenever we played golf together, like buttah.

What makes you feel like that? Forget about playing sports for a moment, and think more broadly about your own talents.

Because for any given person, there are certain variables that need to be in place for them to hit their sweet spot. And once they learn to identify and build that environment for themselves, there’s no stopping the kind of value they can create for others, and the kind of fulfillment they can create for themselves.

My friend from college spent the first fifteen years of his career as a communicator, connector and creator. Phil was a disc jockey, startup publicist, radio promotions director, distillery tour guide and marketing executive, to name a few of his many jobs.

But recently he found his sweet spot, quite literally. He launched a new whiskey tasting and training business. Phil builds custom experiences and trivia nights for people and organizations. He’s hosted hundreds of groups on whiskey themed events ranging from day long treks down famous bourbon trails to private tastings and educational seminars.

After attending one of his virtual programs recently (watch the broadcast here!), it was clear that my friend had found his sweet spot. All the variables were in place. Phil was getting the maximum response for his given amount of effort.

I saw firsthand during his event that the force he transmitted was so ideal, we were almost unaware that the impact had even occurred. The whole thing went down as smooth as the bourbon itself.

The irony is, I don’t even drink alcohol, and the event was still a blast. Phil made me laugh, made me think, and also made me understand the value of something I don’t care to partake in, but now have a deeper appreciate for.

Who knew taking a sober bourbon tour would be so much fun?

If you’re struggling to find your own sweet spot right, you’re certainly not the first or the last. It’s an elusive cocktail. Hell, some people go their whole lives without experiencing the joy of hitting their sweet spot.

My recommendation is, get a little sciency. Start from the variable of energy, and reverse engineer the process.

Think back to personal experiences where the greatest transfer of energy occurred between you and someone or something else.

Where the force transmitted was so small, that you were almost unaware that the impact even occurred.

Where you were so good at something, that you make it look easy.

People pulled you aside afterwards and said, how the hell did you just do that?

Now go backwards. See if you can deconstruct what you did rather intuitively and abstractly, so it can be replicated more exactly and practically.

Now, this exercise may involve more reflecting, codifying and bragging about your own talents than you’re used to doing. Maybe pouring yourself a glass of bourbon wouldn’t be a bad idea.

But trust me, tracing your own steps and searching for the principles that have been silently guiding your best work is a deeply energizing and empowering exercise.

And if you do it enough times, and you might just come up with your own personal formula for hitting your sweet spot consistently.

It will feel like buttah. Cheers!

What variables have to be in place for you to have the greatest transfer of energy?