In Search of the Sweet Spot

"Use your uniqueness to make a big deal out of God every day of your life." -- Max Lucado

That quote up there helped me along on a journey of self-introspection that somehow led to the creation of this blog. It comes from the book “Cure for the Common Life” by Max Lucado. According to Lucado, each person has a sweet spot -- a particular zone in which he or she was made to dwell. Life makes sense for the person who lives in his or her own sweet spot. But the person who hasn’t yet found and doesn’t yet live in his or her spot suffers from what Lucado calls “the common life” -- a mediocre existence lacking passion and purpose.

Basically, what Max Lucado says is nothing new. You’ve probably heard it before. I have. Many authors have written and speakers declared that each person is made for a specific purpose and is specifically equipped according to the purpose for which he or she was created. Of course, they have each written and spoken about it in slightly different ways. Among others, the sweet spot has been defined as the intersection between success (what you do best) and satisfaction (what you enjoy doing); the zone where passion, talent, and opportunity meet; and the region where interests, skills, and opportunity converge. Simply put: it’s where your gifts (or set of gifts) are utilized for your specific life purpose.

“Cure for the Common Life” includes a discovery guide -- a tool to help the reader find his or her sweet spot and, from there, to discover his or her life purpose. I have since found other “guides" on finding one’s sweet spot or core gift, or whatever else people may call it. Most involve the following steps:

• Listing down things that you loved doing and think you did well, whether as a child, as an adult, or somewhere in between -- those completed projects that made you feel successful and satisfied or those activities that seemed to come naturally to you. 
• Finding the common threads in these activities -- recurring patterns as to how you went about doing the task, what subjects you found interesting, under what conditions you worked best, how you related to other people, what got you started and kept you going, and what particular aspect of the task gave you the most satisfaction.
• Gathering together all these insights, which may eventually lead to a personal mission statement of sorts. 

Most of the guides I've seen are relatively easy to use, and often the only investments required are time and commitment. More importantly, the results, if one takes the time to go through the whole process seriously, are remarkably enlightening and possibly life-changing.

If you found this interesting, click here or here to know more.

Something Called Sugarleaf

First off, I want to clarify that this blog is not about sugar or other sweet (flavor-wise) stuff. Having said that, let me write about the Stevia rebaudiana, a not-so-humble shrub that I learned about while doing research for a science article for kids.


The stevia is the source of a sweetener that is said to be about 300 times sweeter than sugar. Just imagine how sweet that is! The plant, which is native to Paraguay, also goes by the names sweetleaf and sugarleaf — for obvious reasons. It has been used for hundreds of years to sweeten tea, soothe stomach troubles, and hasten the healing of wounds. The Europeans discovered the plant in the 16^th century and eventually introduced it to the western world. Today there are stevia plantations not just in Paraguay but also in Brazil, Uruguay, Israel, Thailand, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, and China. 

The sweet stuff in the stevia resides in its leaves, which produce super-sweet chemical compounds called steviosides. Fresh stevia leaves give a very sweet taste when chewed. The leaves become much sweeter when dried. But they are sweetest when in crystal-like powder form. In fact, the stevia powder is so sweet that only a pinch or a drop is needed.

Because it comes from a natural plant source, many people claim the stevia is better for the body than other sweeteners. It is also said to contain other healthy stuff like vitamins C and B3, as well as calcium, beta-carotene, fiber, iron, and protein. More importantly, the human body does not break down steviosides. The compound is not converted into glucose, not absorbed in the blood, and produces zero calories! For this reason, the stevia sweetener is said to be suitable even for people with diabetes and those looking to lose weight.  It is also said to be nontoxic and noncarcinogenic and to have antibacterial properties. What’s more, it supposedly prevents cavity when used as a mouthwash or toothpaste ingredient. 

Although the stevia sweetener is already being added to various foods and drinks, some researchers argue that there isn’t enough evidence that it is safe to use. Some claim it may damage genes or interfere with metabolism. Others say it may increase cancer risk and cause reproductive problems. What seems certain at this point is that, after hundreds of years of use and possibly thousands of hours of tests, the stevia may still need to go through many more scientific trials before it can be conclusively declared safe for human consumption.

Welcome to my blog!

What does it take to start a blog?


COURAGE.

The courage to share one's thoughts to the world. The courage to open oneself to feedback -- both positive and negative. The courage to trust the Internet's dubious and ever-changing ways.

It took some time to muster the courage I needed. But here I am writing my first post. And here it is: my first blog. Welcome to Life in the Sweet Spot!