Finding Your Niche: How to Find a Career that You Love
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By Holly Reisem Hanna
Before I was a mom, I worked full time as a nurse. I did everything from pediatric floor nursing, to working in medical record review and pharmaceutical research. While I loved the critical thinking aspect of nursing it just wasn’t my passion – I didn’t feel fulfilled.
Then I had my daughter, and I knew from the moment that she was placed in my arms, that I was going switch gears and become a full-time stay at home mom. Fortunately we were in a financial situation that allowed for this arrangement.
But after 9 months of play-dates, mommy and me classes and a dwindling savings account, I decided it was time to make some cash and stimulate my brain. I knew I still wanted to be available for my daughter full-time so I looked at various work at home opportunities and business ideas – nothing jumped out at me. I read lots of books and did even more research, but it wasn’t until I started brain-storming with a copywriting/marketing friend of mine that I came up with the idea of starting a blog.
Finding your perfect niche and a career that you’re passionate about is hard, and it’s even more difficult when you’re in a job that you dislike (believe me, I know). But there are ways to get unstuck and find your dream calling.
Questions:
First you need to ask yourself some tough questions. In Michelle Goodman’s book, The Anti 9 to 5 Guide, she has a great list which can help you uncover your passions and interest, so I’ve decided to include them here.
1. What’s on your nightstand? What books and magazines are you reading?
2. Out of your friends’ jobs, which one are you most jealous of?
3. What’s the one thing you’ve been talking about doing forever that your friends are sick of hearing about?
4. What’s the one off-the-wall, pie-in-the-sky job you’ve always wanted to try that no one knows about?
5. If you could start any business or organization, or sell any service or ware, what would it be?
6. If you could work anywhere in the world, in any country or organization, where would it be?
7. If “debt”, “years”, and “practical” weren’t words in your vocabulary, what would you be doing?
Strengths:
Next you’ll want to identify your strengths. In Marcus Buckingham’s book, Find Your Strongest Life, he suggests that women keep a journal of when they feel happy and empowered and to describe exactly what they were doing. On the flip-side of this, write down when you’re feeling stressed, unhappy and anxious, this will help you identify activities and potential careers that you should stay away from.
Influence:
Back when I was working as a nurse, I worked for a company where the majority of the employees were disgruntled and unhappy. This negative energy sucked the life out of me quickly, and I too became one of those disgruntled and unhappy individuals. Who you are hanging around has a huge influence on your outlook and creativity. Start hanging around people that are positive and empowering and watch your creative juices start to flow. If you’re trapped in a life-sucking job, try joining a professional group or take up a new hobby to start expanding your circle of friends.
Reading:
As you see, in this article I have mentioned 2 different books that can help you find your niche. Whether you’re looking to find your perfect niche or you’ve already found it, you should constantly be reading. It helps to cultivate and stimulate your mind, and it helps you grow as an individual. Reading is also in expensive way to learn new things.
By doing some soul searching and research you can be well on the way to finding your dream career.
What tips do you have for finding your passion or perfect career?
For more empowering and inspiring book, check out The Work at Home Woman’s Recommended Book Section.
