Achieving greatness is really a state of mind not a destination. It is not something will take me years of setting and achieve goals to attain. It is a framework I create for myself to operate in. Every day I will have a chance to either operate in my sweet spot or not. Most of the time it will be my choice whether I operate there or not.

The sweet spot is different for everyone. You have to determine what is important to you. The challenge is your willingness to adapt when things change. My sweet spot today is not the same as it was when I was 20. I am glad for that because with the passage of time, my life has truly gotten better. I would say that my sweet spot is actually a much larger area now than it was then.

With that said, what does greatness look like for me? What is my sweet spot?   While I don’t have it 100% figured out, here are some things….

• Chasing Dreams. I am a dreamer. I love the world of possibilities. If I am not chasing dreams I am not living. If I am not chasing dreams I am nowhere near greatness.
• Partner in Crime. Kelly (my wife) is my ultimate supporter. If I am going to operate in my sweet spot, I she has to be with me. I can’t imagine chasing dreams without my partner in crime. One of the great things about having a partner in crime is that I get the opportunity to chase after her dreams too.
• Mini Me. Nathan (my son) is my ultimate balance. What is great about Nate is that he doesn’t care if my day was challenging or if something has not gone according to plan. He just wants to hang out and spend time with Dad. It amazes me how just a few minutes with him can wipe out the most difficult of days. So quantity and quality time with my son is critical.
• Doing what I love. This is about my career. Life is way to short to work at a place or someone who makes me miserable.   This is a job that challenges me to think critically, find solutions, build relationships, work as part of a team, and aligns with my values.   I was reminded of that this week while in India with some colleagues. Passion, honesty and a desire to win. I love that.
• Fulfilling my purpose. God is of the utmost importance to me. I can never achieve real greatness without keeping Him at the center of my life.

Life for me needs to be an adventure. It can’t one that I measure with a rubric. It needs to be however one that I think about regularly and hold myself accountable to ensure that I give my best effort every day. I can’t ever achieve greatness by giving less than my best.