Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Each episode is hosted by Ray Sanders, an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years of experience in both print and broadcast media.
As a CEO, he has grown multi-million-dollar organizations, led an award-winning financial institution, served in a nonpartisan role with the United States Senate and pioneered international efforts to bring clean water to remote regions of the world.
Sanders is the founder of Coaching Leaders an executive coaching and business consulting firm that provides CEO’s with valuable input from a team of seasoned business leaders who have served at the highest level within successful multimillion-dollar organizations.
The Ray Sanders Leadership Podcast unpacks inspiring insights from inspiring people.
Audiences discover:
Powerful life-changing stories.
How to overcome adversity.
Ways to live a life full of meaning and purpose.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them.
What makes a purpose-driven business unique, different and successful?
What makes life at work fun, significant and satisfying?
What industry tips and tricks do listeners need to be aware of?
How cause-minded companies give back through Edify Leaders and other great causes?
SPECIAL OFFERS AND PROMOTIONS for Ray Sanders Leadership Podcast listeners.
To book your interview on Ray Sanders Leadership Podcast simply contact us at ray@raysanders.com
QUESTIONS or COMMENTS? Contact us at ray@raysanders.com
VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.raysanders.com
Welcome to the Ray Sanders Leadership Podcast. I'm Ray Sanders and it's great to have you along for the ride. As always, I have a few questions for you today. So let's get started. When was the last time you thought about how you're gifted? What are the things in your life that you consider life giving? What are your pet peeves? Who and what do you value in life? Knowing the answers to these questions,
will help you know more about yourself and what you want out of life. On today's podcast, I want to share with you about the 4G life model. I believe it is the key to discovering your sweet spot in life.
Ray Sanders (00:51.862)
Hey, welcome back. We're glad you've decided to come alongside for the ride today here on the Ray Sanders Leadership Podcast. Have you ever heard someone talk about being in their sweet spot? It's a place where everything in life seems to just kind of line up and is really good. They're operating in such a way that it just seems like near perfection. Someone that is in their sweet spot, someone that's in their sweet spot loves what they're doing. They're great at it and even able to pay their b****.
bills when they do it. When I think about someone that was living or used to live in their sweet spot, I think about NBA superstar Michael Jordan. Without question, he was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He loved what he was doing and he was incredible at it and he made incredible money doing it. But you know what? Even Michael Jordan didn't always operate in his sweet spot. He also loved to play baseball.
and he gave it a go. Do you remember when he did? A lot of people do. It was brutal. He may have been great at basketball, but let's just say he was less than average at baseball. He may have loved playing baseball, but he wasn't that great at it. And he certainly didn't make a living doing it. Michael got out of his sweet spot. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever feel like there's just something out of sync? You're not quite in rhythm.
Well, you know, I'm amazed at the number of leaders I work with that are grinding it out in their jobs every day. They don't enjoy it. They aren't really all that excited about going into work. They're pretty good at it and they make decent money, but they go home after a long day and they're wondering to themselves, is there really something else I ought to be doing? Am I meant to be doing something different in life? I once heard a reporter ask Bon Jovi. He said,
Why did you want to become a rock star? And I love Bon Jovi's answers. He said he never wanted to be that guy that said he wished he would have, could have, or should have. Do you feel that way? Are you wondering? I wonder if I could have. I wonder what would have happened if I would have. I wonder if I should have. Clearly Bon Jovi and Michael Jordan learn to live in their sweet spots. How about you?
Ray Sanders (03:18.19)
Would you even recognize your sweet spot if you found it? Today, I would like to share an exercise with you that I think will help you discover your sweet spot. It's called the 4G Life Model, and here's how it works. The model uses four Gs to help you work through a self-discovery process. The first G stands for gifted. So ask yourself, how am I gifted? How are you gifted?
What are the things that you just simply seem to do well at? They come to you naturally and with ease. Others might even say, hey, how do you do that, man? I wish I could do that. You know, I could champ at that. I could never do that. Example of some things like this might be related to athletics or maybe music or writing or would you believe listening? I think there's some people that are just gifted at listening or how about parenting? Some people are just gifted parents.
Or maybe you're mechanically inclined. I know guys that are so mechanically inclined, they could just about fix anything. Then I know there's a lot of other guys that shouldn't go near anything because they'll make it worse. Or maybe you just have a knack for solving problems. Or maybe you're a strategist or you're analytical. You get the idea of what I'm saying. How are you gifted? As you think of ways that you are gifted, list seven or so things that come to mind. Just kind of let your mind wander and ask yourself,
How am I gifted? If you're like most of the people that I ask this question to, you haven't thought about that in a long time. The second G is a little tricky, but it's there, so bear with me. The second G stands for life giving. Life giving, there's the G, giving, life giving. What are the things you really enjoy doing in life? When you do these things, you tend to lose track of time. It might be something like working on your car or woodworking.
Or maybe it's talking to a friend over coffee, snowskiing, hiking. Maybe it's editing a video project or writing an article, building a spreadsheet. Maybe it's sewing or gardening. Whatever it is, you lose track of time when you're doing it. Things that are life-giving aren't just about your favorite hobbies. They might, in fact, even be work-related and things you enjoy doing at work. Either way, we tend to lose track of time when we're doing them. They're fun and they're enjoyable.
Ray Sanders (05:45.642)
So list seven things that are life-giving for you. OK, on to the third thing. The third G stands for grinding. So here's how it works. What are the things in life that grind your gears? Those little pet peeves that get under your skin and drive you absolutely batty. I think of things for me. For me, it's like paperwork. And I hate paperwork. I hate keeping up with receipts. I hate anything administrative.
and or requiring meticulous details. I'm not a fan of traffic, and I certainly hate wasting time. I'm especially annoyed at laziness. Now, you might be different from me. Maybe you like laziness. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But how are you different from me? What are the things that kind of grind your gears, get underneath your skin? What are the seven or so things that rub you the wrong way or just flat out bug you for some reason? Let's list those.
List about seven of them. And then finally, the fourth G stands for grateful. More specifically, who do you value? What do you value? Make a short list of the people you're grateful for. This might include certain people like family members, a mentor, a coworker, a friend who has made a difference in your life. Now, there could be all kinds of people that this includes.
And it might be someone that's in your past or might be someone that's in your present. Who are the people in your life that you're grateful for? Okay, now that we know who, now what? What are you grateful for? Under this G, grateful, what are you grateful for? This might include things like, would you believe your health? I know some people that are going through some very challenging times with their health right now. I can promise you, they're grateful for their health. But how about your job?
Are you grateful for your job? What about your car? I recently bought a new car. I'm really grateful for my new car. Your house. I love the house that we live in. Almost three years ago, our house was destroyed by a major storm. And I'm telling you, once you've been displaced, when you have a roof over your head and a nice home, you become very grateful for your home. Some other things that you might find special or grateful for.
Ray Sanders (08:08.454)
It might include the city you live in, or maybe it's the gym that you go to. Who knows what? But what are the things that you're grateful for? It's okay to be grateful for things. They enhance our life. Who and what are you grateful for? So at this point, you should have four lists. You should have a gifted list, a life-giving list, a grinding list, and a grateful list. Now sit back.
and take a look at your list. Are you using your gifts in your current circumstances? Is what you're doing life giving?
how much of what you're doing is a real grind. Now, here's the deal. How you answer the first three columns will have an impact on the things you value. If things in the first three columns are not going well, who and what you value tend to suffer the result? You come home grumpy, cranky, or in a bad mood. You tend not to appreciate the good things in life.
because you aren't living in your sweet spot. Life is so much better when you're living in your sweet spot. Am I suggesting that you quit your job tomorrow? Maybe, but not really. The point of discovering your sweet spot is to know it when you see it. If you don't know what you want, you're sure to hit it. Think about that. If you don't know what you want, you're sure to hit that. Take some time to review the list, these four things that we've been talking about.
If you really want to have some fun, here's an idea. Have a friend or a family member complete the 4G model on your behalf. Have them look at how they think you're gifted. Let them list what they believe is life-giving for you. They probably know what grinds your gears and what your pet peeves are, and they probably know what you're grateful for and who you're grateful for. Now, once you've done that, compare what they say about you to what you say about yourself.
Ray Sanders (10:17.89)
The 4G model is a great way to discover more about yourself. When you are in your sweet spot, you're more likely to succeed with joy and fulfillment. I hope you found this exercise useful. If you'd like a printed copy of the 4G life model, then reach out to me. Simply go to the website, RaySanders.com, send me a note, and we'll get one out to you right away. Hey, and if you like what you heard today, I hope you'll subscribe.
and I hope to share it with a friend. Well, that's pretty much it for today's podcast. I'm sure grateful that you stopped by and we got to enjoy this time together. And as always, I'm in your corner for life and work.