Finding Your Niche In A Haystack

Okay, so you’re a good writer. You’re creative, outdoorsy, a mother, a cook, a quilter, a businesswoman. You have an entire life of jobs and achievements and experiences under your belt. You can do everything. And here some irritating person is demanding that you tell them the one thing you do.

It can feel like ploughing through a pile of hay searching for the elusive needle.

But the good news is, all of these bits and pieces of life experience are very important. They make you different and special. And you can combine them into one sharp, focused line of work unique to you. The following 4 step process will help you do this.

1. What are you good at? You might start by writing everything down in a big list. What do you know how to do?
2. Follow your heart. Once you have that list, go back through and circle everything on the list that you love doing. If you have a so-called “mission statement,” write that down too. What would make you feel like you were living your full potential?
3. Combine all these talents and passions. Now, think outside the box. How can combine these skills into to a “job”? You might jot down a few ideas.
4. Analyze the market. Think about which of your ideas could really sell. What do people want or need? What are people willing to pay for?

If you are caught between a couple good options, you might write out a list of pro’s and con’s—sometimes the visual will make it very clear what to do! If it doesn’t, ask family and friends for their advice; sometimes they know you better than you know yourself.

And, if you still can’t decide which option to choose, just pick one. If it is hard to make a decision, it may be because all your choices are good.

Because, finally, the most important thing is to try it.

You might feel like your entire future is resting on this decision. But it isn’t. Very few entrepreneurs end up doing exactly what they set out to do. It is much more dangerous to stand on one edge of the haystack afraid that you won’t find the needle than it is to plunge in. Chances are, if you rifle through the hay long enough, the perfect niche will come up and poke you in the foot.

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