How to Fall in Love With Your Niche

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 This week’s set up:

?? Problem: We find projects we’re passionate about, then drop them the next month

?? Solution: Make sure your idea is something you’re skilled at, or wanting to grow skills in, and the passion will follow 

?? Next play: Skill-check your passion projects and choose ones you’d like to build equity into for the long-term

Skill First, Passion Second

Everyone knows we’re supposed to find work we're passionate about. But they forget to tell us that we fall in love with what we’re good at. ??

I think a lot of people miss that. And they just hop onto whatever seems exciting, only to find the spark expired and the project dropped the next week.

Instead of finding something you're interested in, I believe it's stronger to find something you're good at and what you already have proven talent in. 

Scott Galloway puts it so well in one of his talks to a class of undergraduate students. He says, the “worst advice someone can tell you is to follow your passion”.

 Instead, he says our job is to: 

“Find something you’re good at. And then spend the thousands of hours and apply the grit, sacrifice and adversity to become GREAT at it.

He claims that’s where the magic comes. That intersection of greatness and niche alignment with our skills causes us to be excited. And that’s what will make us ultimately passionate about whatever we’re doing.

Finding something to get great at takes time. So create space to allow that. Think in terms of decades - not weeks - for progress. The skill you’re developing and the passion that will follow isn’t found in a day. It’s a process and it shouldn’t be rushed. ?  

REMEMBER: You have to be GOOD AT IT to love it.

This doesn’t mean that you have to be an expert right away. What it means is that it needs to feel like a natural fit. Do you naturally bring it up with friends? Are you working on this idea on the weekends and time flies by? You’re probably on target.

You’ll fall in love with your niche when you find something you’re good at.

Process over Outcome

Don’t just look for the views/likes/attention/DMs that come from posting your passion project. Instead, align yourself with the process. ?

Look at what you’re learning and reading. Take inventory of how you’re being shaped and fulfilled. Like where it’s heading? Stay with it. Jack's visual does such a great job at spelling it out:

I know intangibles are hard to measure. But if you can find alignment with your niche, you’ll have a much higher chance of sticking with your idea and growing as a professional. 

If your project is bringing you intrinsic value, you’re likely to fall in love and stick with it in the long run.

Cross-Reference Your Idea

Check if the project you’re "falling for" is something you’re already talking about...

What topics are you texting your friends about? What podcasts are you bringing up? What events are you trying to get a free ticket to? Scribble those answers out and see what comes up!

If you’re already hanging out in that space, your much more likely to fall in love with that niche.

I’ve always been fascinated by entrepreneurship and the digital marketing world. And when I audited my time, I found I was following certain marketing folks, listening to the same interviews, and reaching out for chats with the same leaders. My calendar, chrome history, and Twitter feed reflected that.

So when I had an opportunity to direct a marketing conference (when I was student) and put together a list of speakers, sponsors, and topics, I was filled with excitement. The team and I called it Hangar Hangout (we had a helicopter sponsor) and here's a look at the retro website from 2017 if you're curious!

When I was tasked with directing it, I lit up. I knew the people I wanted, got excited by the "speaker ask" and dreamed up the program flow of the day. It was something I took joy in because I had already fallen in love with my niche of marketing. 

The event was a 10/10 experience and I’m still friends with many of the speakers and sponsors to this day. 

What’s your niche? What opportunity would light you up if a side project, contract opportunity or full time role within your company came across your inbox? 

If you’ve already been hanging out in that space, that’s a good indicator of association and strong connection to that niche. Now all you gotta do is act on your knowledge and start building something that lights you up.

But beware: If you just shared a bitcoin article or sustainable fashion podcast after seeing it show up in your feed or on the news one week, and didn’t do any further research or content creation around it... then [yikes] likely it’s just a fad and you’re not actually in love with that niche - and your passion project will fade out...

It has to be something you’re spending time in already and hanging out in that community.

ACTION BYTES ??

Think back in your own life to see in university or during your first job what you were working on off the side of your desk. That’s the niche that you’re naturally drawn toward and spend time investing into. 

That’s your first crush that you’ll always be hanging around. 

If you can find an idea/another job in that realm, you’re off to the races. Just to say it again for the people in the back:

Chase something you’re good at, and the passion will follow. 

 Focus on the process, not the outcome. See where you’re spending time out of work to find where you can easily build a project in an area that you’re passionate about.

To-Do: Draft a goal or passion-project that you’re wanting to dedicate a couple hours to per week for six months, and have someone check in each week to confirm you’re making progress.

Riff of the Day

Having trouble deciding what to post on social? Jakob Greenfeld built a “what to tweet tool” you can check each day to get a free prompt. Check it out and LMK what you think! 

Thanks for sticking with me until the end. If you have any ideas that sparked or questions about finding a niche you love, drop me a note here! 

Stay outta’ trouble and catch you next week.

??? Joel

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